Before
Johnny Depp launched his film career with a role in
Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street, the Kentucky native had dreams of becoming a professional musician.
Depp moved to Florida at a young age and settled with his family in the beachside city of Miramar. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16; the following year, he began playing guitar for
the Kids, a local band that managed to score opening gigs for artists like
Iggy Pop,
the Ramones,
Talking Heads, and
the Pretenders during the early 1980s. Encouraged by such success, the young musicians left Florida and resettled in Los Angeles, hoping to score a record deal in the process. While no deal was offered,
Depp found lucrative work as an actor and eventually became one of the premier film stars in Hollywood. Approximately two decades later, the band reunited for a series of benefit shows, with
Depp reprising his role on guitar. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide