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Blondie

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Blondie is an American rock band founded in New York in 1974 by the singer Debbie Harry and the guitarist Chris Stein. Stein played with the Stillettoes, where Harry was one of the singers. In July 1974, together with the drummer Billy O'Connor and the bassist Fred Smith, they started a new band, which after a few names came to be called Blondie in October 1974. The group belonged to the CBGB scene of the mid-1970s and is regarded as a pioneer of new wave.

Music and breakthrough

The debut album Blondie from 1976 remained an underground record, and Plastic Letters from 1977 brought the first successes in the United Kingdom and Australia. The breakthrough came in 1978 with Parallel Lines, followed by Eat to the Beat in 1979 and Autoamerican in 1980. They contain hits in various styles: Heart of Glass, One Way or Another, Dreaming, Call Me from the film American Gigolo, Atomic, The Tide Is High and Rapture. Rapture was the first number one on the Billboard chart with rapping. After the failure of The Hunter in 1982 the band broke up, partly because of tensions, money worries and Stein's serious illness. In 1997 it came back, and No Exit from 1999 brought it success again, with Maria as its sixth number one in the United Kingdom.

Influence

Blondie mixed punk, pop, disco, reggae and hip hop in short, infectious songs and showed that the styles of the New York street could come together in one band. In 2006 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Heart of Glass from Parallel Lines (1978) and notice the rhythm, which is danceable and comes from disco. Hear how the vocals stay cool and even above that beat.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: Artists