Debbie Harry

Deborah Harry (born July 1, 1945) is a Miami-born American rock and roll musician who originally gained fame as the frontwoman for New Wave band Blondie, which originated in the mid 1970s and achieved commercial success in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Life and career

Before Blondie, Debbie was in a forgettable folk rock group The Wind In The Willows, before becoming part of the Stilletoes, with Blondie guitarist Chris Stein in the Early 1970's.

Related Topics:
Blondie - The Wind In The Willows - Stilletoes - Chris Stein - 1970

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Her strong stage personality of cool sexuality and street wise style became so closely associated with Blondie, the band, that it was hard for some to tell the two apart, to her lasting chagrin. This is unfortunate because Blondie, the band, laid down a rich legacy of experimental tracks, situationist lyrics and DIY weirdness which makes them interesting as a musical group, and to have this overshadowed because of the focus on Debbie Harry's image misses the point of their accomplishments.

Related Topics:
Situationist - DIY

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Among her notable vocals was the rap on Rapture, the first white rap song, and Heart of Glass, a New-Wave/Disco crossover, which might be the first blending of Rock with Dance music. Debbie Harry fans would probably list her Yoko Ono-esque screams on Victor and such classics as Atomic, Call Me, The Tide Is High, Denis, Maria, Forgive and Forget, Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom, One Way or Another, and Picture This as other outstanding tracks featuring her voice.

Related Topics:
Yoko Ono - Call Me

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In 1981 (see 1981 in music), Harry began a solo career, but then entered a temporary retirement (1983-1985) to nurse Blondie's guitarist, Chris Stein, back to health. She succeeded and returned as a musician and actress.

Related Topics:
1981 - 1981 in music - 1983 - 1985 - Chris Stein

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Film career

Some of her notable film roles were in Videodrome (1983), Rock & Rule (1983) an animated movie where she did vocals opposite Robin Zander of Cheap Trick, and John Waters' Hairspray (1988), where she played the big-haired and villainous Velma von Tussle, paired with Sonny Bono. She also had a voice role in the video game ' as a cab dispatcher, and sang Ghost Riders in the Sky over the closing credits of Alex Cox's film Three Businessmen.

Related Topics:
Videodrome - 1983 - Rock & Rule - Robin Zander - Cheap Trick - John Waters - Hairspray - 1988 - Sonny Bono - Ghost Riders in the Sky - Alex Cox - Three Businessmen

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Solo career

She has since released solo albums, performed with the avant-garde jazz group the Jazz Passengers, released two new albums with Blondie - No Exit (1999) and The Curse of Blondie (2004), and come on to be one of the biggest Gay icons in the world. One of the biggest Gay anthems in the U.K is I Want That Man, from her 1989 solo album Def, Dumb and Blonde.

Related Topics:
Jazz Passengers - No Exit - 1999 - The Curse of Blondie - 2004 - Gay icon - Gay anthems - U.K - I Want That Man - 1989 - Def, Dumb and Blonde

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Debbie Harry became the prototype for successive strong women in popular music such as Madonna, Courtney Love, Gwen Stefani and any number of contemporary pop princesses. Up to that point, rock had been a heavily male-dominated field, with women trivialized as backup singers or groupies. Many women musicians have acknowledged Debbie Harry's pioneering role.

Related Topics:
Madonna - Courtney Love - Gwen Stefani

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