Blondie

Description

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Blondie is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1974 by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein.^[1] The band was a pioneer in the American new wavegenre and scene of the mid-1970s.

The band’s first two albums contained strong elements of punk and new wave, and although highly successful in the UK and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the US until the release of their critically acclaimed third album Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next four years, the band released a string of hit singles,^[2] including “Dreaming“, “One Way or Another“, “Heart of Glass” (all 1979), “Call Me“, “Atomic“, “The Tide Is High“, and “Rapture” (all 1980).^[3] The band became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles, incorporating elements of disco, pop, reggae, funk and early hip hop music.

Blondie disbanded after the release of their sixth studio album, The Hunter, in 1982. Harry continued to pursue a solo career with varied results after taking a few years off to care for partner Stein, who was diagnosed with pemphigus, a rare autoimmunedisease of the skin.^[4] The band re-formed in 1997,^[5] achieving renewed success and their sixth number one single in the UK with “Maria” in 1999, exactly 20 years after their first UK number one single, “Heart of Glass”.