K  E  N  N  Y

L  A  G  U  N  A

LEGENDARY SONGWRITER AND PRODUCER

BLACKHEART RECORDS

LAGUNA TUNES

LONGTIME MUSICAL PARTNERSHIP

with 

ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAMER

J O A N  J E T T

Kenny Laguna has been in the music industry as a musician, songwriter, singer and producer for nearly five decades. His resume is as diverse as his talents, including Bubblegum, Punk Rock, Indie Rock, Blue Eyed Soul and more. He has produced Darlene Love, Bill Medley, Edwin Star, The Steve Gibbons Band (for Bill Curbishley and The Who), Bow Wow Wow-- including the band’s biggest hit, "I Want Candy,” the soundtrack to the Andy Warhol movie Lonesome Cowboys, and he wrote and produced for Beserkley Records with Jonathan Richman and Greg Kihn.

He is Joan Jett’s longtime producer, songwriting partner and partner in their label, Blackheart Records, along with his wife/high school sweetheart, Meryl Laguna, and their daughter, Carianne Brinkman. He has produced many Blackheart artists including Girl in a Coma, Cherie Currie and The Vacancies.

Starting at the tender age of 12 years old, Kenny was playing keyboards for New York radio high school hops, for twenty dollars a day, when he was recognized by an industry bigwig. This led to other doors that Kenny kicked open, and eventually he found himself producing and playing in Bubblegum bands like Tommy James and the Shondells, The Archies, Shadows of Night, 1910 Fruitgum Co., and the Ohio Express.

By 1972, Kenny had played and sung on over 50 Billboard Top 40 hits. After the demise of Bubblegum, he was given the opportunity to produce for The Who’s label in London, which would prime him for the next phase, Punk Rock.

Kenny was asked to help write and produce six songs in 8 days with a young singer named Joan Jett. Her former band, The Runaways, had broken up, but they were still contracted to do a project that was yet unfinished. Kenny and Joan immediately found they were kindred spirits and have collaborated on every Joan Jett album and hit ever since.

In 2015, Kenny, alongside Jett, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He "felt honored to be standing next to his best friend,” accepting the coveted award. After 35 years of creating music together, he and Jett are still touring the world, writing and recording new music.

For more information about

K e n n y  L a g u n a

 and

J o a n  J e t t

Visit

www.lagunatunes.com   Laguna Tunes

www.kennylaguna.com/discography  Kenny Laguna discography

www.blackheart.com   Blackheart Records

www.joanjett.com   Joan Jett official

Joan Jett discography

Joan Jett (1980); re-released as Bad Reputation (1981) [solo]

I Love Rock 'n Roll (1981)

Album (1983)

Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth (1984)

Good Music (1986)

Up Your Alley (1988)

The Hit List (1990) [solo]

Notorious (1991)

Pure and Simple (1994)

Naked (2004)

Sinner (2006)

Unvarnished (2013)

At the age of four, I was diagnosed with a severe form of ADHD (later diagnosed with bipolar), and the doctor said that my only options were medication and counseling. I struggled in school to make friends and got bullied for being "different." In middle school, my parents got me a gym membership to the YMCA. I started exercising, and it changed my life. As a result, I've felt a deep calling to help others with special needs experience abundant life through health and fitness.



In 2016, I started Special Strong in North Texas, which provides adapted fitness personal training for special needs with autism and other disabilities. After successfully serving over 1,000 special needs clients with zero injuries, I started Strong Education, which teaches trainers, parents, and professionals to adapt fitness for autism and other disabilities with our online special needs certification.



Today, we continue to expand Special Strong to other markets through our Special Strong franchise owners. It is my desire to see the Special Strong movement in every state and in multiple countries around the world.

 

Dr. Kelly D. Holder is a licensed clinical psychologist and serves as the Director of the Office of Student Mental Health and Counseling at Penn State University College of Medicine in Hershey, PA.  Dr. Holder earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Loma Linda University, and completed post-doctoral training at Harbor-UCLA in HIV Mental Health/Behavioral Medicine. She has experience working in multiple clinical settings which include college counseling centers, private practice, and community mental health. Her interests include depression, anxiety, sleep, general life stress/dissatisfaction, and health & wellness. She is a certified instructor of Mental Health First Aid. Dr. Holder is passionate about mental health and aiding individuals to improve wellbeing and the quality of their lives.