Janet Gardner leaves Vixen and gives blessing to Roxy Petrucci and Share Ross to continue the band
Photo by Christopher Carroll ROCK Photography.
Janet Gardner leaves Vixen and gives blessing to Roxy Petrucci and Share Ross to continue the band
Big news in the Vixen camp as the band’s frontwoman Janet Gardner has announced that she is stepping down and allowing the group’s rhythm section — drummer Roxy Petrucci and bassist Share Ross — to continue with their version of the band.
Photo by Christopher Carroll ROCK Photography
The following message was just posted on Gardner‘s Facebook page less than one hour ago:
“After much soul searching and many sleepless nights, I have decided that it’s time for me to step aside and let Roxy and Share pursue their vision for the future of Vixen. Vixen will always have a very special place in my heart and I am incredibly grateful to have been a part of it. I would like to thank everyone for the amazing support over the years, and as Roxy and Share continue to keep the heart and soul of Vixen alive and well and I continue on my path, your continued support to all would be greatly appreciated. Love, Janet ?”
Gardner was Vixen‘s lead vocalist from 1983 to 1992, 1997 to 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2012 to 2019. She is considered to be part of Vixen‘s classic line-up with Petrucci, Share and now deceased guitarist and band founder Jan Kuehnemund. Gardner contributed lead vocals on Vixen‘s best known studio albums — Vixen (1988), Rev It Up (1990) and Tangerine (1998) — as well as the group’s recently released live album Live Fire (2018).
Gardner has undergone a lot of changes in her life during the last few years marrying guitarist Justin James in 2016, releasing her debut self-titled solo album in 2017 and being rushed to a hospital for emergency surgery with respect to a subdural hematoma in January 2018. Femme Fatale singer Lorraine Lewis ended up filling for Gardner at a Vixen gig at the Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant, Oklahoma, USA on March 3, 2018 while Gardner recovered from her surgery. One wonders if Lewis will be the replacement for Gardner going forward. Vixen‘s next live appearance is scheduled for the Monsters of Rock Cruise, which starts on February 24, 2019.