Blondie

Blondie is an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The band was a pioneer in the early American punk rock and New Wave scenes. Its first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although successful in Australia and the United Kingdom, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of a third album in 1978. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles and was noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop and reggae, while retaining a basic style as a New Wave band.

Lead singer Deborah Harry achieved a level of celebrity that eclipsed other band members leading to tension within the group. Following a poorly received album, and with core member Chris Stein diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease, the group disbanded in 1982. As members pursued other projects, Blondie's reputation grew over the following decade and the group reformed in 1998, achieving renewed success and a number one single in the United Kingdom the following year. The group toured and performed throughout the world over the following years, and was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the RockWalk of Fame in 2006.

Their album Autoamerican was released 1980 and contained two more worldwide hits, the reggae-styled "The Tide Is High" and the rap-flavoured "Rapture", each hitting number one in both the U.S. and UK. "Rapture" was the first song containing elements of rap music vocals to reach number one in the U.S. and helped introduce the then underground rap genre to a larger audience. "Rapture" would be their only single to do better on the U.S. charts than in the UK, where it peaked at number five.
Following their success of 1978-80, Blondie took a brief break in 1981. That year, Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri both released solo albums; Stein helped out with Harry's album, and Burke with Destri's. Also in 1981, Blondie was offered the chance to record the theme to the new James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only, but declined the opportunity.

The band reconvened in 1982 to record and issue The Hunter. In contrast to their earlier commercial and critical successes, The Hunter generally received lukewarm-to-negative reviews, and failed to hit the top 20 in the US top charts. The album did spin off two fairly minor hit singles: "Island of Lost Souls" (#11 UK, #37 US), and "War Child" (#39 UK).

With tensions within the band on the rise due to the commercial decline and the constant press focus on Harry to the exclusion of other band members, events reached a breaking point when Stein was diagnosed with a serious, life-threatening illness. In mid-1982, Blondie announced their break-up.

Stein and Harry (a couple) stayed together, and retreated from the public spotlight for a few years. After Stein recovered from his illness, Harry resumed her solo career in 1985, with active participation from Stein in all her recordings. Meanwhile, Burke became a much-in-demand session drummer (and played for a time with Eurythmics), and Destri also maintained an active career as a producer/session musician.

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