Born in Los Angeles, Fowley was the son of character actor Douglas Fowley and actress Shelby Payne. His parents later divorced and Payne married William Friml, son of composer Rudolf Friml. Fowley attended University High School simultaneously as singers Jan Berry and Dean Torrence, Bruce Johnston, and Nancy Sinatra, as well as actors Ryan O'Neal, James Brolin, and Sandra Dee.

Checkered barely begins to describe Kim Fowley’s long, crazy career in music. After a bout with polio in 1957, he undertook a career in the music industry, producing his first single – the Renegades' “Charge” – in 1959.

He is credited as the inspiration behind promoter John Brower’s call to John Lennon that resulted in the last-minute appearance of the Plastic Ono Band at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival on September 13, 1969, where Fowley was the MC.

He was also the catalyst behind much of the pop music to emerge from the Los Angeles area during the 1960s and ‘70s, guiding several of his associates and protégés to fame and fortune, while remaining himself a shadowy cult figure well outside the margins of the mainstream.

In the mid –1970’s Fowley emerged as the mastermind behind one of the most influential bands of all time; The Runaways, a prototypical teenage, all-female glam punk outfit which featured Joan Jett, Lita Ford and Cherie Curie.

Fowley co-wrote two Kiss songs “King of the Night Time World” and “Do You Love Me?” with Paul Stanley and producer Bob Ezrin.

Kim Fowley is the true father of California’s rock ‘n’ roll, as well as an accomplished songwriter, recording artist, producer, and radio personality. Fowley died on January 15, 2015 in West Hollywood, California after a battle with bladder cancer; he was 75 years old.