Former Vixen Singer Janet Gardner Recalls Tour With Ozzy Osbourne, Now Works As Hygienist

The years from 1987 to 1992 belonged to Vixen, an all-female glam group that blended catchy riffs and pop elements with enough success to be dubbed “the female Bon Jovi.” Lead vocalist Janet Gardner these days works as a dental hygenist, but she still has remarkable memories from her music work – including some eventful collaborations.

Today at 61, Gardner is a woman who has worn many hats. With the band, she served as lead vocalist and played rhythm guitar. She’s performed with Vixen and as a solo artist. But music isn’t her only forte; on top of dentistry, she also has worked at a golf course pro shop. Time with Vixen has meant breakups and reunions – and even some work between the glamor girls and Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne.

Janet Gardner has returned to her roots time and again

Gardner was exposed to music early on thanks to her mother, who was a piano player and church organist. Sure enough, Gardner also took up piano and could play guitar; in the ’70s she went on to sing in her school choir before becoming an early member of Vixen by ’83.

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The music industry was unlike anything Garnder or any of her bandmates anticipated. “We were just girls from Minnesota and Montana who loved playing live,” she mused, “so it was a bit of a rude awakening.”

Tangerine would be the last studio album for Garnder during her time in Vixen. Vixen would dissolve and reform a bit over the years, with Gardner returning in 2001. The band, comprised of Gardner, Roxy Petrucci, and Pat Holloway, toured for a while before disagreements once again divided the bandmates. But along the way, she picked up some remarkable memories and did just about everything.

Janet Gardner has lived many different lives

Thanks to her time with Vixen, Gardner’s music career includes touring with Ozzy Osbourne in 1989. “He was awesome,” said Gardner about the Prince of Darkness. The prospect initially left her feeling “really intimidated,” but her worries were quickly dispelled.

“We toured with him during a time when he was very clean. He wasn’t drinking, he wasn’t doing any drugs. He was working out every day. His kids were little, and they would come out. [His wife] Sharon was out there quite a bit. He was really on an upswing. He was very positive, hilarious – a very funny guy. Easy to talk to.”

She continued, “He stopped me and just started a conversation about singing and how difficult it is to be out there every night. We shared vocal tips, what to eat, what not to eat. It was amazing. He was really in a good place when we toured with him… And it was great to see him in such a good place.”

But Gardner’s expertise also extends to dentistry. “My grandfather was a dentist,” Gardner shared. “My uncles, a couple of them were dentists. Their kids are now dentists, a couple of hygienists – lots of dental people. And they all had really good lives. They were able to do their work and have the sort of work/life balance [that] was very good… I needed something that would allow me enough time for my family, for my music, other things in life.” So, she graduated from University of Bridgeport with a degree in dental hygiene, became a hygienist by 2005, and maintained a license for 15 years, practicing between her reunion work with Vixen and other solo ventures. At the end of the day, even away from the glamor of Vixen, as long as she has a good work/life balance, Gardner is quite content.

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