Kelly Johnson (guitarist)

[4] Girlschool's full-on raucous guitar playing, tousled, leather-clad looks (and what one reviewer described as "stiletto in the groin" attitude)[5] soon won the band a cult following, giving them prominence in the emerging new wave of British heavy metal, thanks also to their strong relationship with contemporaries Motörhead.

She provided both a strong visual focus for the band with her tall figure and blonde hair[7] and an excellent musical contribution with her trenchant guitar playing.

On hearing Johnson's riffs on "Race With the Devil" guitarist Jeff Beck was quoted "There's no way that's a girl playing" a remark described by the DJ John Peel as the most sexist comment he had ever heard.

"[6] Girlschool did not take feminist positions, but as an all-female band in a genre dominated by male musicians and often by machismo and sexist attitudes, their existence was a statement in itself.

[11] Johnson left England for the US, to start a new career and to live with Vicki Blue, former bassist of the American band The Runaways, who was also her manager.

[12] In Los Angeles, she wrote her own music and recorded demos of mainstream rock with large use of synthesizers and electronic effects, but no label put her under contract.

[12] In 1987, she entered the rock band World's Cutest Killers, which included on rhythm guitar and vocals former Painted Lady and The Go-Go's member Kathy Valentine.