Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein co-founded the American rock group Blondie. The group was a pioneer in New York’s American new wave scene in the middle of the 1970s.
Blondie’s first two albums heavily incorporated aspects of punk and new wave, and although being very popular in the UK and Australia, they weren’t well recognized in the US until the 1978 publication of Parallel Lines.
The band had several popular singles over the following four years, including “Heart of Glass,” “Call Me,” “Atomic,” “The Tide Is High,” and “Rapture.” The group gained notoriety for fusing various musical genres, including early rap, disco, pop, and reggae.
Why was Blondie called Blondie?
Elda Gentile, the band’s founder, and former Stilettoes colleagues Billy O’Connor (drums; born October 4, 1953, Germany; died March 29, 2015, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and Fred Smith joined forces to form a new band when Stein and Harry left the Stilettoes in July 1974. (bass).
For two performances in August 1974, they were billed as Angel and the Snake, but by October 1974, they had changed their name to Blondie, and Ivan Kral had joined them on guitar. The new moniker was inspired by remarks made by passing truckers who yelled “Hey, Blondie” at Harry.
