By Matt Clevenger

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VERSAILLES — It’s been almost fifty years since Lita Ford first started performing with groundbreaking all-girl hard rock band the Runaways, and the legendary vocalist and guitarist says she has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.

“We’ve had a really good run this year,” Ford said. “We’ve been on the road as much as we’ve been off the road.”

“We’ve been really grateful that we’re out there rockin’ it,” she said. “It’s what we do; it’s who we are.”

Calling from her home in Phoenix, AZ, Ford said she is currently preparing to leave for a series of performances on the High Seas Rally Cruise. On tour for the rest of the fall and winter, Ford and her band will also visit Versailles for a performance at BMI Event Center on Saturday, Nov. 11.

The show will start at 7 p.m., featuring opening act Derek St. Holmes (lead singer for Ted Nugent). More information can be found online at www.bmieventcenter.com.

“We got a killer band,” Ford said. “Delivering a great performance is what we’re all about.”

“It’s not time to stop or slow down yet, and if anything happens you just got to keep moving forward,” she said. “Age is not a factor here; I don’t know, maybe one day it will be, but right now it’s not.”

Ford joined the Runaways in 1975, then left the group to start her solo career in 1983. A string of hits followed throughout the 1980s, including the albums “Out for Blood,” Dancin’ on the Edge” and “Lita, as well as the songs “Kiss Me Deadly” and “Falling In and Out of Love,” co-written by Motley Crue’s Nikki Six. In 1988 Ford also released the song “Close My Eyes Forever” featuring Ozzy Osbourne, which remained in the Billboard Top 10 for 25 weeks.

Ford took a sabbatical from the music industry in 1995, and returned to begin touring and recording again in 2008. Since then, the Grammy-nominated artist has released two albums, “Living Like a Runaway” and “Time Capsule,” and been awarded several honors for her skills as a guitarist, including the Guitar Player Lifetime Achievement Award and the Guitar Player Certified Legend award. She has also been inducted into the Guitar Player Hall of Fame, and one of her signature B.C. Rich guitars is currently on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

“Playing guitar for me is just a gift from God,” Ford said.

“I may not be able to do a lot of things,” she said. “I can say that I am good at playing guitar.”

Regarding her musical influences, Ford said she was most inspired by early Black Sabbath and Deep Purple with Ritchie Blackmore.

“They were the baddest of the baddest,” she said of Deep Purple. “They were just ferocious and there was nothing flashy about them, they just got onstage and blew the doors off the place.”

“I love guitar riffs,” she said. “I could make a list a mile long as far as inspirational guitar players, but I think those two bands did it for me.”

When she’s not playing guitar, touring or recording, Ford said she likes to ride bikes and get outside as much as possible.

“I like to ride my bike,” she said. “I love the sun; I love to be outside, and I cook a lot. I like to support our local farmers.”

Ford is also currently working on a new album, and looking for the right record label to release it.

“I have a couple in mind, so we’ll see how that plays out,” she said. “There’s a lot of weird record deals out there right now. You’ve got to be really careful.”

Following their show at BMI in Versailles, Ford and her band will travel to Mexico for a special appearance at the annual Life After Death Festival in Mexico City.

“I played there a long time ago,” she said. “It’s absolutely pandemonium, and I love it. I just can’t wait.”

“It’s four nights in Mexico City, and the first night is all female artists,” she said. “We headline the first night; the rest, we’re going to go shopping and eat some tres leche cake. I want to drink some of that Mexican coffee, and have a good time.”