If you love rock ‘n’ roll, don’t miss Joan Jett

Had Joan Jett remained an underground sensation like her friends in Bikini Kill and L7, she would have been the princess of under-exposed punk rock.

But “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” was far too positive and arena friendly to be contained to local dives and poorly lit record stores. The 1981 hit off the album of the same name spent no less than seven weeks topping the Billboard charts in the spring of 1982. The tune’s infectious chorus forever assured Jett and her band, The Blackhearts, an indefinite presence on ‘80s-rock compilations.

The song was introduced 20 years later to a new generation of consumers in the 2002 film “Crossroads,” starring Britney Spears, though the track could have done without the association with Spears, who sings the song karaoke in the film.

The band brings its ‘80s songbook to Spokane for an 8 p.m. show on Saturday at Northern Quest Casino. Tickets to the 18-and-older event are $35 and $45 at the Northern Quest Casino box office, by phone at (509) 343-2329 and through TicketsWest, (800) 325-SEAT or www.ticketswest.com.

Jett, born in Philadelphia but raised in Los Angeles, first appeared on the punk- rock scene in the late ‘70s when she formed the all-female band The Runaways. The group released three albums to little fanfare in the States but was well received in Japan.

Her self-titled solo debut was released without the support of a record label in 1980. The album’s follow-up, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” was Jett’s first release with The Blackhearts and included a take on the Tommy James tune “Crimson and Clover,” the band’s second most recognizable hit.

The band received a Grammy nomination in 1989 for its hit “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” from the album “Up Your Alley,” her best-selling album since “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

Jett also has worked sporadically as an actress. She starred in 1987’s “Light of Day,” a movie about a pair of siblings who play in a band called “The Barbusters.” Her Broadway credits include being a part of the original cast of the cult-classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” She also appeared on an episode of the TV series “Highlander.”

In spite of Jett’s previous and subsequent success, she forever will be known to pool-hall regulars as the voice behind “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.”