Coordinates | 41°52′55″N87°37′40″N |
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Name | Debbie Harry |
Background | solo_singer |
Birth name | Deborah Ann Harry |
Born | July 01, 1945Miami, Florida, US |
Instrument | Vocals, percussion, tambourine, tambura,finger cymbals, clarinet |
Genre | New wave, pop, rock,punk rock, power pop, disco |
Occupation | Vocalist, musician, actress |
Years active | 1965–present |
Label | Capitol RecordsChrysalis RecordsGeffen/Warner Bros.Sire/Warner Bros. |
Associated acts | The Wind in the Willows The Stilettos Blondie DivinylsThe Jazz PassengersChris SteinJimmy DestriLos Fabulosos CadillacsClem Burke |
Website | Official Website |
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry (born July 1, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers. Her acting career spans over thirty film roles and numerous television appearances.
Deborah Harry began her musical career in the late '60s with the folk rock group The Wind in the Willows, who recorded one album for Capitol Records. Harry then joined The Stilettos, with Elda Gentile and Amanda Jones, in 1974. The Stilettos included her eventual boyfriend and Blondie guitarist Chris Stein. When Harry and Stein left the Stilletos, they formed Angel and the Snake, with Tish and Snooky Bellomo. Shortly thereafter, Harry and Stein formed Blondie, naming it for the term of address men often yelled at Harry. Blondie quickly became regulars at Max's Kansas City and CBGB in New York City. After a debut album in 1976, commercial success followed in the late 1970s to the early 1980s, first in Australia and Europe, then in the United States.
While leading Blondie, Harry and Stein became life as well as musical partners, although they never married; Harry has no children. In the mid-1980s, she took a few years off to nurse Stein back to health after he suffered a life-threatening disease. Stein and Harry broke up in the 1990s, but they have continued to work together. In 1999, she was called the 12th greatest woman of rock and roll by VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll and in 2002, she was called the 18th sexiest artist of all time by VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.
During 1976 and 1977 Blondie released their first two albums. The second experienced some marginal success outside the United States. However, 1978's Parallel Lines (US #6, UK #1) shot the group to international success and included the global smash hit single "Heart of Glass." Riding the crest of Disco's domination, the infectious track hit #1 in the US and sold nearly two million copies. The follow-up single "One Way Or Another" reached #24 on Billboard's Hot 100. The album was the band's biggest success, having sold over 6 million copies in the United States alone. The band were also pioneers of the music video movement with Eat To The Beat being heralded as the first ever music video cassette album.
The release of the platinum-plus Eat to the Beat album (US #17, UK #1) in 1979 and Autoamerican (US #7, UK #3) in 1980 continued the band's run of hits, including "Dreaming", Atomic" and three more US #1 singles: "The Tide Is High", "Rapture" and "Call Me" from the soundtrack to the film American Gigolo, which became Billboard's #1 song of 1980.
After a year-long hiatus in 1981, during which Harry released her first solo album (see below), Blondie regrouped and released their sixth studio album The Hunter (US #33, UK #9). The album met with a disastrous reception, peaking at #33 and falling rapidly off the charts. The single "Island of Lost Souls" briefly cracked the US Top 40. The band's "War Child" was released as a single in the UK. Blondie launched a North American tour to support the release, but it was cut short when Stein fell seriously ill with the rare autoimmune disease, pemphigus. Coupled with declining commercial fortunes, the band split up.
Later in the 1980s, the remix album Once More Into The Bleach was released, featuring remixes of tracks by Blondie and from Harry's solo career. The mid-1990s saw the release of further Blondie remix albums Beautiful in Europe and Remixed Remade Remodeled in the US. New mixes of "Heart of Glass", "Atomic" and "Union City Blue" were released as singles and all made the UK Top 40, while remixes of "Atomic", "Rapture" and "Heart of Glass" had major success on the US dance charts.
After a final tour of Europe with The Jazz Passengers in the summer of 1998, Deborah Harry resumed duties as lead vocalist of Blondie. Prior to the release of No Exit, the band completed a sold out tour of Europe. Dates at London's Lyceum Theatre were recorded by the BBC and aired on national BBC Radio 1. A week before the release of No Exit, the lead single "Maria" debuted at No. 1 in the UK, giving Blondie their sixth UK No.1 hit. "Maria" also reached #1 in 14 different countries, the top 10 on the US Dance Charts and Top 15 on the US Adult Top 40 Charts. No Exit debuted at No.3 in the UK and #17 in the US and Blondie announced dates for a major arena tour that summer, during which they played the Glastonbury Festival and Party in the Park in London. "Nothing Is Real but the Girl" was another UK Top-30 hit, while the title track was released as a limited-edition single to coincide with further arena dates in November of that year.
Tracks culled from dates throughout the 1999 world tour were released as a live album, titled Live in the US and Livid in the UK and were released in late 1999 and early 2000, respectively. A Blondie Live companion DVD was also released, recorded at a show in New York City's The Town Hall.
Although Blondie commenced recording tracks for the follow-up to No Exit in 2001, the sessions were besieged with problems including the loss of master tapes after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In the winter of 2002, Blondie returned with a full-scale UK tour. This preceded the release of a new single in 2003 entitled "Good Boys" (a hit across the UK and Europe that autumn, and top 10 on the US Dance Charts the following spring) and the release of Blondie's eighth studio album, The Curse of Blondie. The band toured throughout 2003 and 2004, completing two further full-scale tours of the UK.
A second live album, entitled Live By Request, was released in 2005, along with a companion DVD set. In that year, the band also released the mash-up "Rapture Riders," which combined their 1981 hit "Rapture" with The Doors' "Riders on the Storm". This track was taken from a greatest hits compilation entitled Sound and Vision (first issued in the UK as Sight + Sound), released with a companion DVD and new mixes of "In the Flesh" and "Good Boys".
In the winter of 2005, Blondie toured the UK for the fourth time in as many years. In 2006, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Around this time, Blondie released a new studio track, a cover of Roxy Music's 1982 hit "More Than This". This was to promote their "Road Rage" tour and the single was made available for free download.
At the end of 2006, a new mix of "Heart of Glass" became a club hit in Europe, while Harry released the single "New York New York", a collaboration with Moby. The song debuted on YouTube, some four weeks before its official release.
In the summer of 2007, Blondie toured in the UK once again. Around this time, Harry delineated the different personas (Blondie the band, her role in the band, and Deborah Harry the singer) to an interviewer who asked why she played only solo music on the 2007 True Colors Tour: "I've put together a new trio with no Blondie members in it—I really want to make a clear definition between Debbie's solo projects and Blondie—and I hope that the audience can appreciate that and also appreciate this other material."
On July 3, 2008, Blondie commenced a world tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Parallel Lines with a sell-out concert at the amphitheatre in Ra'anana, Israel. During the tour, drummer Clem Burke stated that the tour had inspired the band to make another record, Panic of Girls, their first new album since the release of The Curse of Blondie in 2003.
In 2009, Blondie went on tour with Pat Benatar for the "Call Me Invincible" tour. The majority of the shows were opened by The Donnas. In December 2009, Blondie recorded their version of the traditional song "We Three Kings" to coincide with the band's new album.
In the summer of 2010, Blondie began a UK tour, including venues in Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield and Dublin. They also played festivals including the Isle of Wight and Rockness Festival in Inverness, Scotland. Tracks from their forthcoming album Panic of Girls were performed during their tour of the UK, notably 'D-Day' and 'What I Heard'. In an interview at the Isle of Wight Festival, drummer Clem Burke indicated that Blondie might return for another tour in 2011, depending on how well the record is received.
In 2006, Harry started work in New York City on tracks for her fifth solo album Necessary Evil (2007). Working with production duo Super Buddha (who produced the remix of Blondie's "In the Flesh" for the 2005 Sound and Vision compilation), the first music to surface in was a hip hop track entitled "Dirty and Deep" in which she spoke out against rapper Lil' Kim's incarceration.
Throughout 2006, a number of new tracks surfaced on Harry's MySpace page, including "Charm Alarm", "Deep End", "Love With A Vengeance", "School for Scandal" and "Necessary Evil", as well as duets she recorded with Miss Guy (of Toilet Böys fame). These were "God Save New York" and "New York Groove". A streaming version of the lead single, "Two Times Blue", was added to Harry's MySpace page in May 2007. On 6 June 2007, an iTunes downloadable version was released via her official website.
Harry joined Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour for the Human Rights Campaign. She is a strong advocate for gay rights and same-sex marriage. Though she has stated that she identifies as mostly heterosexual, Harry has said she has had intimate relationships with both men and women.
Necessary Evil was released on Eleven Seven Music after Harry completed both a solo tour of the US in June 2007 and a European tour with Blondie in July 2007. The first single, "Two Times Blue", peaked at #5 on the US Dance Club Play chart. The album debuted at #86 in the UK and #37 in the US Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.
To promote the album, Harry appeared on various talk shows to perform "Two Times Blue". She also started a 22-date US tour on November 8, lasting until December 9, playing small venues and clubs across the country. On January 18, 2008, an official music video for "If I Had You" was released.
In the mid-1990s, Harry teamed up with New York avant-garde jazz ensemble The Jazz Passengers. Between 1994 and 1998 she was a permanent member of the troupe, touring North America and Europe. She was a featured vocalist on their 1994 album In Love singing the track "Dog In Sand". The follow-up album, 1997's Individually Twisted, is credited as "The Jazz Passengers featuring Deborah Harry" and Harry sings vocals throughout, teaming up with guest Elvis Costello for a cover of "Doncha Go Way Mad". The album also features a re-recorded version of the song "The Tide Is High". A live album entitled Live In Spain, again featuring Harry on vocals, was released in 1998.
Harry collaborated on a number of other projects with other artists. She featured as vocalist on Talking Heads side project The Heads' 1996 release No Talking, Just Head (performing the title track and "Punk Lolita"). She also sings on a cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever" and on the song "Estrella de Mar" by Argentine band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. In 1997 she collaborated with Jazz Passenger Bill Ware in his side project Groove Thing, singing lead vocals on the club hit "Command and Obey". Another JP collaboration appeared on the Edgar Allan Poe tribute album Closed on Account of Rabies (1997). Harry also reunited with Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri for a cover of Otis Blackwell's "Don't Be Cruel" for the 1995 tribute album Brace Yourself. During this period, she also recorded a duet with Robert Jacks entitled "Der Einzige Weg (The Only Way) - Theme from Texas Chainsaw Massacre," which was recorded in German and in English, although these did not surface until 1999. Likewise, at the end of 1999, Chrysalis Records released a best of her solo recordings entitled Most of All - The Best of Deborah Harry and a remix of "I Want That Man".
Aside from writing and recording material for Blondie, Harry pursued various other projects. She appears on the 2001 Bill Ware album Vibes 4 singing the track 'Me and You' as well as on ex-Police guitarist Andy Summers's album Peggy's Blue Skylight on the track "Weird Nightmare". A techno cover of Stan Jones' "Ghost Riders in the Sky" was featured on the soundtrack to the film Three Business Men and was available on her website to download. Harry sings on two tracks on Andrea Griminelli's Cinema Italiano project: "You'll Come To Me" (inspired by Amarcord's main theme) and "When Love Comes By" (from Il Postino), as well as on a tribute album reinterpreting the music of Harold Arlen, on which she sings the title track "Stormy Weather". In May 2002, she accompanied The Jazz Passengers and the BBC Concert Orchestra in a performance of her jazz material at the Barbican Centre in London. In 2003, she was featured vocalist on the song "Uncontrollable Love" by electro-clash dance producers Blow Up.
Harry also contributed to Fall Out Boy's 2008 album Folie à Deux. She sings on the chorus of the album's closer "West Coast Smoker".
Harry is a credited co-writer on a song called "Supersensual" that appears on Australian singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte's debut album 1000 Stars. The song samples the recognizable "woo-ooo-wo-oh" refrain from "Heart of Glass".
Following the release of Rockbird, Harry took a number of acting roles including the villainous Velma Von Tussle in John Waters' Hairspray (1988).
A cover of The Castaways' "Liar Liar" from the soundtrack to the film Married to the Mob was released as a single in the US. Harry's version of Michael Jay's "Mind Over Matter" was also recorded in this period, but never released. Harry starred in a film called Forever Lulu, also known as Crazy Streets, in 1987 alongside Alec Baldwin. She had only one line but made appearances throughout the film. She also starred in the film Intimate Stranger as Cory Wheeler, a telephone sex worker being pursued by a serial killer. Harry's other film roles include Roadie, Union City, New York Beat Movie (otherwise known as Downtown '81), Rock & Rule, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, Six Ways to Sunday, The Fluffer, Cop Land, Heavy, My Life Without Me, "Spun" and Full Grown Men. Her television appearances include roles on Tales from the Darkside, Will & Grace, The Muppet Show, MADtv, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Absolutely Fabulous, Saturday Night Live, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, and Wiseguy.
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ! width="35" | ! width="35" | ! width="35" | ! width="35" | ! width="35" | ! width="35" | |||||||
[[Koo Koo">Music recording sales certification | |||||||||||||||
! width="35" | ! width="35" | ! width="35" | ! width="35" | ! width="35" | ! width="35" | ! width="35" | |||||||||
[[Koo Koo | * Release date: July 27, 1981 | * Label: Chrysalis Records | * Formats: Compact cassette | 25 | — | 17 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 6 | CAN: Gold | British Phonographic Industry>UK: Silver | Recording Industry Association of America>US: Gold | ||
Rockbird | * Release date: November 29, 1986 | * Label: Geffen Records | Compact disc>CD, cassette | 97 | — | — | — | 22 | 30 | 31 | * UK: Gold | ||||
Def, Dumb and Blonde | * Release date: October 28, 1989 | * Label: Sire Records | * Formats: CD, cassette | 123 | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | * UK: Silver | ||||
Debravation | * Release date: August 1993 | * Label: Sire/Reprise Records | * Formats: CD, cassette | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | |||||
! scope="row" | * Release date: September 15, 2007 | * Label: Eleven Seven Music | * Formats: CD, music download | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | 86 | |||||
!Year | !Album | !width="50" | !width="50" | * Heart on a Wall (Jimmy Destri album featuring backing vocals by Debbie Harry) (1981) | * Halfway to Sanity (Ramones album featuring backing vocals by Debbie Harry on 1 song: "Go Lil' Camaro Go") (1987) | Hairspray (1988 soundtrack)>Hairspray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Debbie Harry features on the song "Hairspray" by Rachel Sweet) | * Like A Girl, I Want You To Keep Coming (Various artists CD - Debbie Harry song: "Invocation to Papa Legba") (1989) | * Standing in the Spotlight (Dee Dee Ramone album featuring backing vocals by Debbie Harry on 2 songs: "Mashed Potato Kid" and "German Kid") (1989) | * Big Trash (Thompson Twins album featuring backing vocals by Debbie Harry on 1 song: "Sugar Daddy", and spoken-word telephone vocals on "Queen of the USA") (1989) | *
* Cash Cow (Various artists CD - Debbie Harry song: "Moroccan Rock (Pipe of Pain)") (1993)
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* Heck on Wheels Volume 3 (Various artists promotional CD - Debbie Harry song: "Communion") (1993)
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* Head On ([[Die Haut">Just Say Da (album) |
* [[Prelude to a Kiss (film) |
* Get Out (Various artists promotional CD issued with Out magazine charter subscriptions - Debbie Harry song: "I Want That Man (Remix/Edit)") (1992)
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* Cash Cow (Various artists CD - Debbie Harry song: "Moroccan Rock (Pipe of Pain)") (1993)
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* Heck on Wheels Volume 3 (Various artists promotional CD - Debbie Harry song: "Communion") (1993)
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* Head On ([[Die Haut album featuring vocals by Debbie Harry on 1 song: "Don't Cross My Mind") (1993)
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* Brace Yourself! A Tribute to Otis Blackwell(various artists tribute album - Debbie Harry song: "Don't Be Cruel") (1994)
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* In Love (The Jazz Passengers featuring Deborah Harry vocals on 1 song: "Dog in Sand") (1994)
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* Rey Azúcar (Los Fabulosos Cadillacs album - Debbie Harry Vocals on 2 songs: "Strawberry Fields Forever" & "Estrella de Mar") (1995)
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Virtuosity>Virtuosity Soundtrack (Soundtrack album - Debbie Harry vocals on 1 song: "No Talking, Just Head" (with The Heads)) (1995)
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* No Talking, Just Head (The Heads album - Debbie Harry vocals on 1 song: "No Talking, Just Head") (1996)
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* Individually Twisted (The Jazz Passengers featuring Deborah Harry) (1996)
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* Live In Spain (The Jazz Passengers featuring Deborah Harry) (1997)
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* Six Ways to Sunday |
[[Covers EP (Franz Ferdinand (band)>Franz Ferdinand EP featuring the duet "Live Alone") (2011)
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Singles
FilmographyFeatures
Short subjects
References
External links
Official sites
Media links
Category:1945 births Category:American dance musicians Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American punk rock musicians Category:American punk rock singers Category:Blondie members Category:Sire Records artists Category:Chrysalis Records artists Category:Geffen Records artists Category:Female punk rock singers Category:Female New Wave singers Category:Musicians from Florida Category:People from Miami, Florida Category:Pop punk singers Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:American adoptees Category:Living people Category:American New Wave musicians ar:ديبي هاري bg:Деби Хари cs:Debbie Harry cy:Debbie Harry da:Debbie Harry de:Deborah Harry es:Debbie Harry eu:Deborah Harry fa:دبی هری fr:Deborah Harry id:Debbie Harry it:Debbie Harry he:דבי הארי ka:დები ჰარი hu:Debbie Harry nl:Deborah Harry ja:デボラ・ハリー no:Deborah Harry nn:Debbie Harry pl:Debbie Harry pt:Deborah Harry ru:Харри, Деби fi:Debbie Harry sv:Deborah HarryThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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