STRONG STUFF
IN ADDITION TO his two-decade run as a member of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Ricky Byrd has played guitar alongside a list of music legends that includes Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Ringo Starr, Alice Cooper, Ian Hunter, Smokey Robinson and Mavis Staples. When asked if he’s got a cool rock-and-roll story, he comes up with a beauty.
“I was playing a benefit at Carnegie Hall with Roger Daltrey,” he begins. “At the soundcheck, I said, ‘Rog, you’re going to swing the mic, right?’ He said, ‘Do you think I should?’ And I go, ‘I’ve been waiting for this moment for 20 years, man. Swing that mic!’
“So we’re doing the show, and during ‘Behind Blue Eyes,’ we get to the middle
