Debbie Harry biography

Synopsis

Born in Florida in 1945, Debbie Harry met guitarist Chris Stein in the 1970s, and the two started a band that would later become the world-famous group Blondie. Creating new wave, a type of rock music inspired by punk and other music styles, including reggae and funk, Blondie soon met with commercial and critical success. The band's third album, Parallel Lines, catapulted Harry to stardom, and the song "Heart of Glass" reached the top of the charts. With her white-blond hair, high cheekbones, and full lips, Harry soon became a pop music icon, influencing many female singers to come.

Early Life

Debbie Harry was born Deborah Ann Harry on July 1, 1945, in Miami, Florida, and was adopted by Richard and Catherine Harry when she was 3 months old. Growing up in Hawthorne, New Jersey, Harry sang in the church choir. She tried college for two years before dropping out and moving to New York City. Harry ended up waiting tables at Max's Kansas City, a popular club that was part of the downtown art and music scene.

Harry later joined the Stilettos, a female trio. She met guitarist Chris Stein, who became a member of the group. Over time, Stein and Harry became romantically involved. The two started their own band in 1974, which would eventually become the world-famous group Blondie. The new band played many of the legendary clubs in New York, including CBGB's and Max's Kansas City. Their music was considered to be new wave, a type of rock music inspired by punk and other music styles, including reggae, ska and funk.

Bondie's first self-titled album was released in 1976. The following year, the band toured in support of their second album, Plastic Letters, which scored the No. 2 spot on the British charts with the song "Denis."

Commercial Breakthrough

Blondie's third album, Parallel Lines, helped catapult the band to pop music stardom. The song "Heart of Glass" reached the top of the U.S. charts in 1978. Harry was not only the lead vocalist for the group, she wrote many of the songs with Stein. With her white-blond hair, high cheekbones, and full lips, Harry soon became a pop music icon. At the time, she was one of the few female recording artists to rise to the top. Her cool, sexy style paved the way for later recording artists, such as Madonna.

Blondie continued to be successful with their next two albums Eat to the Beat (1979), which included "Dreaming" and "Atomic," and Autoamerican (1980), which featured "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture." Besides her work with the band, Harry found time to take on a few film roles, including in Union City (1980) and Videodrome (1983).

Solo Career

Blondie broke up in 1983. Around this time, Stein became ill with a rare skin disease. Harry took time out from her career to look after him.

He recovered, but their relationship didn't survive. Harry released a solo album Rockbird in 1986, scoring a minor hit with the song "French Kissin'." She also continued to act in such films as John Waters's Hairspray (1988), Heavy (1995) and Cop Land (1997), and appeared on the television series Wiseguy in 1989.

Switching musical styles, Harry joined the Jazz Passengers as lead vocalist for their 1997 album Individually Twisted. That same year, she reunited with her Blondie bandmates to tour in Europe. Their first album together in more than 15 years, No Exit, was released in 1999. The album's song "Maria" hit the top of the charts in England, but wasn't received as well in the United States. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Debbie Harry continues to perform and act. In 2006, she appeared in the theatrical dance production The Show (Achilles Heels) and the independent film Full Grown Men. More recently, she has made appearances on several popular TV series, including Ghost Whisperer, Smash and Glee.