Biography

EMPTY

After singing in a succession of groups, including the First National Unaphrenic Church And Bank and Wind In The Willows, a "pretty awful baroque folk-rock band", Debbie Harry [b. 1 July 1945, Miami, Florida] took five years off but resumed singing in 1973 as a member of the Stilettos. The following year she formed a band with Chris Stein [b. 5 January 1950, Brooklyn, New York], with Fred Smith on bass and Bill O'Connor on drums. When Julie and Jackie, both blondes, joined on backing vocals, the band changed their name to Blondie. Centering around CBGB's in New York, they became tireless regulars, practicing "every afternoon and evening, every day, every month, the whole year." Then Tish and Snookie also joined and that completed the new group's early line-up. But Smith left to join Television, then O'Connor departed, and progress was halted for a while. Newcomers Jimmy Destri [b. 13 April 1954], Gary Valentine and Clem Burke [b. 24 November 1955, New York] joined Debbie and Chris and scored a recording contract with the help of their then producer Richard Gottehrer.

Originally released on Private Stock in April 1977, the first album, Blondie, showed the influences of the music of that time, contemporary punk and 60's girl groups. It wasn't a great success, peaking at No. 75 in the UK, but the album appealed to the masses, particularly in the UK, where they became highly popular, and in Australia, where the single 'In the Flesh' hit No. 2. Gary Valentine left shortly afterwards and he was replaced by Frank Infante and Nigel Harrison [b. Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, England], making a line-up that would last until 1982. After Chrysalis Records bought Private Stock and re-released the first album, they released the follow-up, Plastic Letters, in February 1978 and toured Europe and Asia. Plastic Letters reached No. 10, a huge achievement for them, and scored their first UK No. 1, 'Denis', a remake of the Randy & the Rainbows classic of 1963. The follow-up '[I'm Always Touched By Your] Presence, Dear', written by Gary Valentine before he left, went to No. 10.

Parallel Lines, released in September 1978, became a British No. 1 and American No. 6 album. Producer Mike Chapman was called in and he stayed in the producer's chair until The Hunter. It included the UK No. 1s 'Heart Of Glass' and 'Sunday Girl', the No. 5 hit 'Hanging on the Telephone' and 'Picture This', which reached No. 12, and the album went on to sell over 20 million copies. Blondie's second No. 1 album, Eat to the Beat, released in October the following year, included the highly successful single 'Union City Blue', which reached No. 13, the No. 2 hit 'Dreaming' and yet another UK No. 1, 'Atomic'. It was also the first album to be released with an accompanying full-length video. 'Call Me', released in April 1980 and produced by Giorgio Moroder, was taken from the soundtrack of the film American Gigolo and reached number 1 in both the UK and the US. The single was one of only four US No. 1s, the others being 'Heart of Glass', 'The Tide is High' and 'Rapture'. Before the end of the year Eat to the Beat was certified platinum.

Blondie released their fifth album, Autoamerican, in November 1980, and it provided the UK chart-topper 'The Tide Is 'High', originally recorded by reggae group the Paragons, and the No. 5 hit 'Rapture', and soon the album was solid platinum, peaking at No. 3. However, because the media focused almost entirely on Debbie, the other members of Blondie felt increasingly overshadowed. The difference between Blondie as a band [remember "Blondie is a group?"] and Deborah Harry plus five became increasingly blurred, and the sense of distance between the two grew wider apart with the release of Debbie's first solo album Koo Koo in 1981.

The Hunter, released in May 1982, a generally disappointing album that Debbie completed under duress, and that may have only been recorded because they were contractually obliged to, became Blondie's final recording, reached No. 9, and seemed to be the first sign of the band's demise. The band was forced to cancel concerts in Japan due to Stein's ill health. The first single, 'Island of Lost Souls', peaked just outside the Top Ten at No. 11 and 'War Child' only made a disappointing 39. Although both reached the UK Top 40, they were almost instantly forgotten. Debbie then resumed her solo career, still writing with Stein, and featured most prominently as vocalist for The Jazz Passengers. Burke briefly joined the Eurythmics for their Revenge album, before teaming up with Harrison, Steve Jones, Tony Sales and Michael Des Barres in Chequered Past, and Jimmy recorded a commercially unsuccessful but cult album.

Although officially split up at this point, things weren't completely quiet on the Blondie front during the rest of the Eighties. Remixes of 'Denis' and 'Call Me' were released, taken from the album Once More Into the Bleach, grazing the charts in both the UK and the US, the first going to No. 50 and the second not charting at all. After a succession of compilation albums in the early Nineties, including The Complete Picture, Blonde and Beyond and The Platinum Collection, Blondie made their way back into the charts. Yet more remixes of 'Heart of Glass', 'Atomic' and 'Union City Blue' were released, reaching No's 15, 19 and 31 respectively, from the album Beautiful - The Remix Album. The world, it seemed, was slowly re-awakening to Blondie.

In June 1997, Harry re-formed the group to record new material and tour. Then in February 1999 Blondie announced a comeback tour, which proved hugely successful and later that year they released their 7^th studio album, No Exit, which reached No. 3. The album saw Blondie back at the top of the UK charts with 'Maria', and also included the singles 'Nothing Is Real But The Girl', peaking at No. 26, and 'No Exit', which featured Coolio of all people on vocals. Another tour was announced shortly after, and this was topped off with a new live album. The initial tour and release of No Exit sparked a lawsuit by Frank Infante and Nigel Harrison, claiming they were not asked to participate in either and that they should be compensated for loss of earnings.

After their sell-out world tour, Blondie took a break for four years, returning in 2003 with The Curse of Blondie, an album which many hail as their best since Parallel Lines. The preceding single, 'Good Boys', is a brilliant pop gem and instant radio and club favourite. The remaining album tracks are examples of Blondie's ever-eclectic style: possible pop classics such as 'Undone' and 'End to End', raucous rockers 'Golden Rod' and 'Last One in the World', the chirpy pop of Background Melody [The Only One]', the gorgeous 'Songs of Love,' the quirky 'Magic [Asadoya Yunta]' and the Eminem piss-take 'Shakedown.' The Phasm 8 Tour was announced shortly afterwards and is continuing with apace.