Blondie (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Blondie is a rock band that first gained fame in the 1970s and early 1980s.
They first formed in August 1974 when guitarist Chris Stein met Deborah 'Debbie' Harry from little known band, The Wind In The Willows, and formed the band with the remnants of his band, The Stillettos. They were joined by drummer Clem Burke, keyboard player Jimmy Destri and bass player Gary Valentine. They then became regulars at New York's Club 51 and CBGB's. They got their first record deal with Private Stock Records in the mid 70s, and released their debut album Blondie in 1976, along with the single "X-Offender". Private Stock Records was then bought out by U.K based company Chrysalis Records. The album was re-released in 1977; by this time Valentine had been replaced by Nigel Harrison, and another guitarist Frank Infante was added. The single "Rip Her To Shreds" was released at this time.
The band released a further five studio albums, each completely different from the last. Sometimes disco, sometimes punk, sometimes new wave, and sometimes hip hop, Blondie is known for frequent reinventions and image changes.
The band broke up in 1982, and Debbie Harry established a successful solo and acting career. In 1999, the band reformed, without Harrison and Infante, and in the U.K., achieved a number 1 single, "Maria", and a number 3 album, No Exit. They released the album The Curse of Blondie in October 2003, followed by the single "Good Boys".
As of 2005, Blondie continues to tour and record.
Contents |
Band members
- Tish Bellomo - backing vocals
- Stacy Bellomo - backing vocals
- Clem Burke - percussion
- Paul Carbonara - guitar
- Jimmy Destri - keyboards
- Leigh Foxx - bass
- Nigel Harrison - bass
- Deborah Harry - lead vocals
- Frank Infante - guitar
- Kevin Patrick aka Kevin Topping - keyboards
- Chris Stein - guitar
- Gary Valentine aka Gary Lachman - bass
Discography
Albums
- Blondie (1976)
- Plastic Letters (1977) #72 US, #10 UK
- Parallel Lines (1978) #6 US, #1 UK
- Eat to the Beat (1979) #17 US, #1 UK
- Autoamerican (1980) #7 US, #1 UK
- The Best Of Blondie (1981) #30 US, #4 UK
- The Hunter (1982) #33 US, #9 UK
- The Complete Picture - The Very Best Of Deborah Harry And Blondie (with Deborah Harry - 1991) #3 UK
- Beautiful - The Remix Album (1995) #25 UK
- Atomic - The Very Best of Blondie (1998) #12 UK
- No Exit (1999) #18 US, #3 UK
- Live (1999)
- Greatest Hits (2002) #38 UK
- The Curse of Blondie (2003 Worldwide except US, 2004 US) #36 UK
- Live By Request (2004 US, 2005 Worldwide except US)
- Best Of : Sight & Sound (2005)
Singles
- "Denis" (1978) #2 UK
- "(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear" (1978) #10 UK
- "Picture This" #12 UK
- "Hanging On The Telephone" (1978) #5 UK
- "Heart Of Glass" (1979) #1 US - 1 week, #1 UK - 4 weeks
- "Sunday Girl" (1979) #1 UK - 3 weeks
- "One Way Or Another" (1979) #24 US
- "Dreaming" (1979) #27 US, #2 UK
- "Union City Blue" (1979) #13 UK
- "The Hardest Part" (1980) #84 US
- "Call Me" (1980) #1 US - 6 weeks, #1 UK - 1 week
- "Atomic" (1980) #39 US, #1 UK - 2 weeks
- "The Tide Is High" (1980) #1 US - 1 week, #1 UK - 2 weeks
- "Rapture" (1981) #1 US - 2 weeks, #5 UK
- "Island Of Lost Souls" (1982) #37 US, #11 UK
- "War Child" (1982) #39 UK
- "Maria" (1999) #82 US, #1 UK - 1 week
- "Nothing Is Real But The Girl" (1999) #26 UK
- "Good Boys" (2003) #12 UK
See also
External links
- blondie.net, official Blondie web site
- tikilab.com, official Deborah Harry & Blondie forum
- deborahharry.com, official Deborah Harry web site
- deborah-harry.com, Deborah Harry fan site
- Blondie, From Punk to the Present: A Pictorial History, compilation book on Debbie Harry and Blondie.
- "The Blondie Review", independent Blondie fanzine