In a 1998 interview, drummer Burke recalled seeing the episode in which the wrong song was played, but he and Stein suggested that it may have been a deliberate subterfuge on the part of Meldrum. Jimmy Destri later credited the show's Molly Meldrum for their initial success, commenting that "we still thank him to this day" for playing the wrong song. The band's first commercial success occurred in Australia in 1977, when the music television program Countdown mistakenly played their video " In the Flesh", which was the B-side of the single "X-Offender". Debbie Harry performing with Blondie in Toronto, 1977 Rolling Stone 's review of the debut album observed the eclectic nature of the group's music, comparing it both to Phil Spector and to the Who, and commented that the album's two strengths were Richard Gottehrer's production and the persona of Debbie Harry. The first album was re-released on the new label in October 1977. In September 1977, the band bought back its contract with Private Stock and signed with British label Chrysalis Records. In July 1977, Valentine decided to leave the band and form his own group, the Know he was replaced by Frank Infante. Blondie was invited by Bowie and Pop after the pair had heard their debut album Blondie. Blondie opened for David Bowie and Iggy Pop on the latter's US tour in early 1977 supporting The Idiot. Neither was initially a commercial success, and the band spent the rest of the year touring with Television and visiting the UK. The band signed with Private Stock Records and released their first single " X-Offender" in June 1976, while their debut album, Blondie, was issued in December 1976. To fill out their sound, they recruited keyboard player Jimmy Destri in November 1975. In June 1975, the band's first recording came in the way of a demo produced by Alan Betrock. īlondie became regular performers at Max's Kansas City and CBGB. Stein and Harry continued the band, and proceeded with auditions to recruit drummer Clem Burke and bass player Gary Valentine (Gary J. īy the spring of 1975, O'Connor had left the music business and Smith replaced Richard Hell in Television, while Kral eventually joined the Patti Smith Group. The new name derived from comments made by truck drivers who catcalled "Hey, Blondie" to Harry as they drove past. Originally billed as Angel and the Snake for two shows in August 1974, they had renamed themselves Blondie by October 1974, while Ivan Kral joined the band on guitar. In July 1974, Stein and Harry parted ways with the Stilettoes and Elda Gentile, the band's originator, forming a new band with ex-Stilettoes bandmates Billy O'Connor (drums born 1953, died 2015) and Fred Smith (bass). Harry had been a member of a folk-rock band, the Wind in the Willows, in the late 1960s. He joined the Stilettoes in 1973 as their guitarist and formed a romantic relationship with Harry, who was one of the band's vocalists, a former waitress and Playboy Bunny. Inspired by the burgeoning new music scene at the Mercer Arts Center in Manhattan, Stein sought to join a similar band. The band's eleventh studio album, Pollinator, was released on May 5, 2017. Blondie has sold around 40 million records worldwide and is still active. The group toured and performed throughout the world during the following years, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. The band re-formed in 1997, achieving renewed success and their sixth number one single in the UK with " Maria" in 1999, exactly 20 years after their first UK No. Harry continued to pursue a solo career with varied results after taking a few years off to care for partner Stein, who was diagnosed with pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disease of the skin. The band became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles, also incorporating elements of disco, pop, reggae, funk and early rap music.īlondie disbanded after the release of their sixth studio album, The Hunter, in 1982. Over the next four years, the band released several hit singles including " Dreaming", " One Way or Another", " Heart of Glass", " Call Me", " Atomic", " The Tide Is High", and " Rapture". until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978. Its first two albums contained strong elements of punk and new wave, and although highly successful in the UK and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the U.S. The band was a pioneer in the American new wave scene of the mid-1970s in New York City. Blondie is an American rock band founded in 1974 in New York City by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein.
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