Blondie
Formed in 1974, Blondie is a pioneering American New Wave group fronted by lead singer Debbie Harry. The group was part of the fruitful New York underground scene of the 1970s, which included such bands as Television and Talking Heads, and revolved around the club CBGB.
Blondie's first two major-label releases charted in Australia and the United Kingdom, but it was their third record, "Parallel Lines," that charted the band in the United States and became New Wave's big Pop breakthrough. Rolling Stone called the album "a perfect synthesis of raw punk edge, Sixties-pop smarts and downtown-New York glamour."
During the late 70s and early 80s, Blondie would score eight Top 40 hits, including four that would hit No. 1: "Heart of Glass," "Call Me," "The Tide Is High" and the Rap-flavored "Rapture." No other New Wave act surpassed the band's chart-topping success.
Blondie splintered In 1982 following declining sales and tensions within the band. Harry kept a low profile for a few years while she nursed then-boyfriend Chris Stein, the band's guitarist, through a genetic health problem. The band has since reformed in various incarnations, with Harry, Stein and drummer Clem Burke as the core trio. Other key members have included keyboardist Jimmy Destri, bassist Nigel Harrison, bassist Gary Valentine, and guitarist Frank Infante. Together, as Blondie, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
