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Blondie BIO
The band was formed in August 1974
when guitarist Chris Stein met Deborah Harry, who had previously been in
a band called The Wind in the Willows and, at that time, leading her own
band The Stilettos. They were joined by drummer Clem Burke, keyboard
player Jimmy Destri and bass player Gary Valentine, and played as Angel
and The Snake - for just two shows.
Renamed as Blondie, the band became regulars at New York's Club 51,
Max's Kansas City, 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 the U.K based company Chrysalis Records
and the first album was re-released on the new label in 1977 along with
the single "Rip Her To Shreds". By this time Valentine had been replaced
by Nigel Harrison, and another guitarist Frank Infante had been added.
Initial commercial success for the band didn't come in their homeland or
Europe, but rather bizarrely in Australia. When national pop show
"Countdown" played the video clip for "In The Flesh" by mistake (it was
the b-side the single "Rip Her To Shreds"), it grew in popularity,
prompting a switch to the A-side which in turn gave them a number 2
smash hit and a Top 5 album.
Although they had charted with other singles, including "Picture This"
which showed the power of Harry's vocals, their first #1 hit, "Heart of
Glass" (off Parallel Lines on Chrysalis), was their real breakout hit.
Considered so disco that the label was reluctant to release it - the cut
"Studio 54" never made it out - worldwide, the single sold in excess of
1,000,000 copies. In part this may have been influenced by the
accompanying video which, even by today's standards, still looks like a
modern piece. However, some fans felt the leap from punk to disco was an
act of selling out.
After "Heart of Glass" the band found success with numerous top ten and
#1 hits - usually accompanied by videos, the most striking of these
perhaps being the video for the single "Atomic". Another defining moment
for the band was their 1980 single, "Rapture," which introduced the then
underground hip-hop genre to a larger audience. Rapture went to number
one in the US and broke new ground for future white hip-hop artists.
(The consensus today is that "Rapture" is not an appropriation like some
later white rappers; Blondie's one-time contribution to hip-hop culture
is regarded by critics as having authenticity and genuine urban flavor).
By 1982, the year the band broke up, Blondie had released six studio
albums, each exhibiting a stylistic progression from the last. The band
is known, not only for the striking stage persona and vocal performances
of Harry, but also for incorporating elements in their work from
numerous subgenres of popular music, including punk, new wave, disco,
and hip hop.
After the split, Harry concentrated on her solo recording career and
acted sporadically in film. In 1996, Stein began the process of a
Blondie reunion and contacted Destri, who was then producing, and Burke.
In 1999, the band reformed, without Harrison and Infante who sued to
prevent the reunion under the name 'Blondie', and in the U.K., achieved
a number 1 single, "Maria", and a number 3 album, No Exit.
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