Blondie

Genres:	Comedy • Dance • Documentaries • Music Videos & Concerts • Pop / Rock • Television
Descriptive "tags":	new wave • 80s • rock • female vocalists • pop • punk
Decades Active:	1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s
Links online:	BBC Music • Fan Page • IMDb • MusicMoz • Official Homepage • Wikipedia

Biography

Blondie was formed in New York City in 1974 when Deborah Harry (1 July 1945, Miami, Florida, USA; vocals), Chris Stein (b. 5 January 1950, Brooklyn, New York, USA; guitar), Fred Smith (bass) and Bill O’Connor (drums) abandoned the revivalist Stilettos for an independent musical direction. Briefly known as the Angel and the Snake, backing vocalists Julie and Jackie, then Tish and Snookie, augmented the new unit’s early line-up, but progress was undermined by the departure of Smith for Television and the loss of O’Connor. Newcomers James Destri (b. 13 April 1954; keyboards), Gary Valentine (b. Gary Lachman; bass) and Clement Burke (b. 24 November 1955, New York, USA; drums) joined Harry and Stein in a reshaped unit that secured a recording contract through the aegis of producer Richard Gottehrer.

Originally released on the Private Stock label, Blondie was indebted to both contemporary punk and 60s girl groups, adeptly combining...

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