Debbie Harry Biography
Summary
"Deborah Ann Harry" (born July 1, 1945, in Miami, Florida) is a singer-songwriter and actress most famous for being the lead singer for the punk rock/new wave band Blondie. Following Blondie's success, she went on to moderate success as a solo artist.
Harry has also enjoyed a modest acting career, with over 30 film roles and several television appearances to her credit.
Life and early career
Harry was adopted when she was three months old by a family from Hawthorne, New Jersey, and attended Hawthorne High School, where she graduated in 1963. Prior to starting her singing career she moved to New York in the late 60's and worked as a secretary at the BBC Radio New York office for one year. Later, she was a waitress, a dancer in Union City, and a Playboy Bunny.
She began her musical career with a folk rock group, the Wind in the Willows. Harry then joined a girl-group trio, The Stilettos, in the early 1970s. The Stilettos' backup band included her eventual boyfriend and Blondie guitarist, Chris Stein. Harry and Stein formed the band Blondie in the mid-1970s, naming it for the wolf whistle men who often yelled at Harry from passing cars. Blondie quickly became regulars at Max's Kansas City and CBGB's in New York City. After a debut album in 1976, commercial success followed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, first in Australia and Europe, then in the United States.
Blondie
With her two-tone bottle-blonde hair, Debbie Harry quickly became a recognizable icon of punk style. Her look was further popularized by the band's early presence in the music video revolution of the era. She was a continued regular at Studio 54 and was associated with Andy Warhol. The clip for 'Rapture' appeared within the first 24 hours of MTV's launch. Harry's strong stage persona of cool sexuality and streetwise style became so closely associated with the group's name that many came to believe the singer's name to be 'Blondie'. The difference between the individual Harry and the band Blondie was famously highlighted with a 'Blondie is a Group' button campaign by the band in 1979. To complicate matters further, Harry sometimes described her character in the band as being named 'Blondie', as in this quote from the "No Exit" tour book:
Through 1976 and 1977, Blondie released their first two LPs to a little success outside the US. However, 1978's "Parallel Lines" shot the group to huge international success, led on by the single 'Heart of Glass'. Several singles followed from the album as did the release of "Eat to the Beat" in 1979 and "Autoamerican" in 1980. Along the way came several more important singles of the band's career, including 'Atomic', 'The Tide Is High', 'Rapture' and a non LP, #1 single 'Call Me'.
In 1982, Blondie regrouped and released their sixth studio album "The Hunter", which featured the U.S. and UK hit single 'Island of Lost Souls' and the minor UK hit 'War Child'. Blondie launched a North American tour to support the release, but it was cut short when Stein fell ill with the rare autoimmune disease pemphigus. Immediately afterwards, the band called it quits and announced their split.
The mid-1990s saw the release of Blondie remix albums "Beautiful" (in Europe) and "Remixed Remade Remodeled" (in the U.S.). 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 U.S. dance charts. Then in 1997, Blondie began working together again for the first time in 15 years. Two tracks recorded with TV. Mania (the production duo of Duran Duran members Nick Rhodes and Warren Cuccurullo), 'Studio 54' and 'Pop Trash Movie' were scheduled to be released on a Blondie compilation entitled "This Is Blondie". However, the project and the tracks were shelved as the four original members (Harry, Stein, Clem Burke and Jimmy Destri) embarked on sessions for what would become Blondie's seventh studio album. During this period they released a cover of Iggy Pop's 'Ordinary Bummer' on the tribute album "We Will Fall" (1997).
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 prior to the release of "No Exit", the lead single 'Maria' debuted at number one in the UK, making Harry the oldest female singer to reach No. 1 in the UK, a record she still holds. 'Maria' hit #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, where it is very close to gold certification, 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 single to coincide with further arena dates in November of that year.
Harry entered the Guinness World Book of Records in 1999 as the 'Oldest Female Singer to Reach No. 1 in the UK Chart' when Blondie went to number one with 'Maria' on February 13, 1999 at the age of 53 years and 227 days.
Tracks culled from dates throughout the 1999 world tour were released as a live album, titled "Live" in the U.S. and "Livid" in the UK, and released in late 1999 and early 2000 respectively. A "Blondie Live" companion DVD was also released, recorded at a show in NYC 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 burst back into life with a full scale UK tour. This preceded the release of a new single in summer of 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 critically acclaimed "The Curse of Blondie". Blondie 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. 2005 saw the release of the mash-up 'Rapture Riders', which combined their 1981 hit 'Rapture' with The Doors' 'Riders on the Storm'. This track was taken from a Blondie Greatest Hits compilation entitled "Sound and Vision" (first issued in the UK as "Sight + Sound") - released with a companion DVD disk 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 the Roxy Music song 'More Than This' to promote their 'Road Rage' tour.
At the end of 2006, a new mix of 'Heart of Glass' became a big 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 June 2007, Harry delineated the different personas (Blondie the band, her role in the band, and Deborah Harry the singer) in an interview which 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.'
Solo albums
To date, Harry has released five solo albums. For the most part, fans have been accepting of her solo material, but her albums have only ranged from moderately successful to failures commercially. Only one of her albums, her first, cracked the Top 40 on the Billboard Chart and received certification. Her second album made the top 100 albums, but her third album failed to crack the top 100 and her fourth album failed to chart in the US. Her fifth album has yet to be released in the US. In the UK, her albums did somewhat better commercially. Her first album failed to crack the top 5, her second album didn't make the top 30, her third album almost made the top 10, renewing some of her popularity in the UK. Her fourth album failed to make the top 20. Her fifth album has showed Harry's lowest peak on the chart, debuting outside the top 70.
Harry began her solo career with the album "Koo Koo" in 1981. The album peaked at #28 in the US and #6 in the UK; it was later certified gold in the US. 'Backfired', the first single from the album, had a video directed by H.R. Giger and climbed to #43 on the Billboard Hot 100, #29 on the Hot Dance Club Play and #32 on the UK Singles Chart. 'The Jam Was Moving' was lifted as the second single and peaked at #82 in the US as well as failing to chart in the UK.
In 1986, Harry released her second solo album "Rockbird", which peaked at #97 in the US and #32 in the UK. The single 'French Kissin' in the USA' brought her into the UK top 10 singles chart and became a moderate US hit. Other singles released from the album were 'Free To Fall' and 'In Love With Love' which hit #1 on the U.S. Dance Charts and was released with several remixes.
Her next solo venture was the album "Def, Dumb and Blonde" in 1989. At this point Harry reverted from 'Debbie' to 'Deborah' for her professional name. The first single 'I Want That Man' was a big hit in Europe, Australia, and on the U.S. Modern Rock Charts. The success propelled the album to #12 on the UK charts. However, the US was less receptive and it peaked at #123. She followed this up with the ballad 'Brite Side' and the club hit 'Sweet and Low'. 'Maybe For Sure', a track originally recorded by Blondie for the "Rock and Rule" animated film, was the fourth single released from the album in June 1990 to coincide with a UK tour. 'Kiss It Better' was also a Top 15 Modern Rock single in the U.S.
From 1989 - 1991, Deborah toured extensively across the world with former Blondie guitarist Chris Stein, Underworld's Karl Hyde, and Blondie Mk2 bassist Leigh Foxx. In July 1991, she played Wembley Stadium with INXS. In 1991, Chrysalis released a 'best of' compilation in Europe entitled "The Complete Picture: The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie", containing hits with Blondie as well as solo hits. The collection reached #3 in the UK album charts. The album also included her duet with Iggy Pop on the Cole Porter song 'Well Did You Evah!' from the "Red Hot + Blue" AIDS charity album released at the end of 1990.
Deborah Harry's fourth solo album, "Debravation", appeared in July 1993. The album's first single was the Baker-produced 'I Can See Clearly', which peaked in the UK at #23 and #2 on the U.S. dance charts. This was followed by 'Strike Me Pink' in September. Controversy surrounded the latter track's drowning man video, which was banned and subsequent record company promo cancelled. U.S. editions of the album feature two additional tracks recorded with pre-recorded music by REM: 'Tear Drops' and 'My Last Date (With You)'.
In November 1993, Harry toured the UK with Stein, Peter Min, Greta Brinkman and James Murphy. The set list of the Debravation Tour featured an offbeat selection of Harry material including the previously unreleased track 'Close Your Eyes' (from 1989) and 'Ordinary Bummer' (from the Stein- produced Iggy Pop album "Zombie Birdhouse"; a track which under the moniker 'Adolph's Dog' Blondie would cover in 1997). Tentative plans to record these shows and release them as a double live CD never came to fruition. However, a cover of The Rolling Stones' 'Wild Horses' is available as a bootleg. At the end of 1993, Chrysalis released the Blondie rarities collection "Blonde and Beyond", which featured the previously unreleased tracks 'Scenery' and 'Underground Girl'. In early 1994, Harry took the "Debravation" tour to the U.S.
In 2006, Deborah 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 (but then disappeared) from Harry's MySpace page, including 'Charm Alarm', 'Deep End', 'Love With Avengence', 'School for Scandal' and 'Necessary Evil', as well as duets she recorded with Miss Guy (of Toilet Boys fame). These were 'God Save New York' and 'New York Groove'. It is unclear whether these tracks were finished versions of the tracks that will appear on the new record. However, the tracks are marked by a definite shift towards a more dance infected electro-rock style. A streaming version of the lead single, 'Two Times Blue', was added to Harry's My Space page in May 2007. On June 6, 2007, an iTunes downloadable version was released via her official web site, (www.deborahharry.com) .
Harry joined Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour 2007 for the Human Rights Campaign. She is a strong advocate for gay rights and gay marriage. Though she has stated that she identifies as mostly heterosexual, Harry has said she has had intimate relationships with both men and women.
The final track listing for the "Necessary Evil" album lists 17 tracks. It was released on Eleven Seven Music after Harry completed both a solo tour of the US in June and an European tour with Blondie in July. The album was originally scheduled for August release in the US, but was rescheduled for late October so she could work on Blondie's European tour. The first single, Two Times Blue has moved to #5 on the US Dance Chart and is currently still climbing. The album debuted at #86 in the UK and #37 in the US, on the Billboard Top Independant Albums.
To promote the album, Harry appeared on various talk shows to perform Two Times Blue. She will also start a 22 date US tour on November 8, lasting until December 9, playing small venues and clubs across the country. It is unknown whether or not she'll continue the tour in Europe.
Other musical projects
In 1983 Harry teamed up with Giorgio Moroder (with whom she had worked previously on Blondie's 'Call Me') on the song 'Rush Rush', which was featured in the film "Scarface" (and later, the "Grand Theft Auto III" radio station 'Flashback FM'). Harry's single 'Feel The Spin', produced by John 'Jellybean' Benitez, was released in 1985. That song, along with the whole soundtrack to the film "Krush Groove", peaked at #5 on the U.S. Dance Charts. The song's 'uno dos tres quatro' intro has been sampled on a number of records, including S'Express' 'Theme from S'Express'.
While recording her fourth album in 1992, Harry collaborated with German heavy metal band Die Haut on the track 'Don't Cross My Mind', and released the song 'Prelude to a Kiss' on the soundtrack to the film of the same name. She also released a cover of 'Summertime Blues' from the soundtrack to the film "That Night" in Australia.
In the mid-1990s, Harry teamed up with NYC 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' by Argentinian 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', although this 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 a number of solo 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; 'Amarcord' and 'You'll Come To Me', 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.
Acting roles
Harry appeared on Broadway with Andy Kaufman in the wrestling play "Teaneck Tanzi". A retitled version of the British play "Trafford Tanzi", the show failed to transplant itself successfully to Broadway, and opened and closed in one night. Later that year Harry, who had already appeared in a number of independent and underground films, made her major motion picture debut in the David Cronenberg film "Videodrome", in which she plays the character Nicki Brand.
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 The Castaways' 'Liar Liar' from the soundtrack to the film "Married to the Mob" was released as a single in the U.S. Harry's version of Micheal Jay's 'Mind Over Matter' was also recorded in this period, but never released. She also starred in the film "Intimate Stranger" in which she played a telephone sex worker pursued by a serial killer.
Some of Harry's other notable film roles are appearances in "Videodrome" (1983); "Union City" (1980); "New York Beat" (otherwise known as "Downtown '81", in which she plays the angel of the East Village alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat); "Rock & Rule" (1983), an animated movie where she did vocals opposite Robin Zander of Cheap Trick; and " (Tales from the Darkside: The Movie) " (1990). She also had notable roles in such films as "Spun", "Cop Land", "Heavy" and "My Life Without Me", and is featured in David Munro's upcoming feature film "Full Grown Men".
Her TV guest appearances include "The Muppet Show", "MADtv", "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch", "Will & Grace", "Absolutely Fabulous", "Saturday Night Live" (as a musical guest and a host) and "Wiseguy".
She had a voice role in the video game, "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City", as a cab dispatcher.
She sang 'Ghost Riders in the Sky' over the closing credits of Alex Cox's film "Three Businessmen".
She played the role of 'Elizabeth' in the FMV-based game Double Switch, which was released for the Sega CD (1993), the Sega Saturn, Apple Macintosh, and Windows 95.
She played the lead in the 2005 short film "I Remember You Now", directed by Henry S. Miller, and worked with the same director again in his 2007 psychological thriller "Anamorph".
Current projects
Harry is one of the faces of MAC Cosmetics' Viva Glam VI campaign. The campaign donates every cent of the selling price of their iconic lipstick shades to the MAC AIDS Fund, which helps people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Discography
Compilations/non-LPs
"Once More into the Bleach" (Debbie Harry and Blondie) (1988)
"The Complete Picture: The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie" (1991)
"Individually Twisted" (The Jazz Passengers featuring Deborah Harry) (1997)
"Live In Spain" (The Jazz Passengers featuring Deborah Harry) (1998)
"Deborah Harry Collection" (1998)
"Most of All - The Best of Deborah Harry" (1999)
"French Kissin' - The Collection" (2004)
Filmography
"Unmade Beds" (1976)
"Deadly Hero" (1976)
"The Blank Generation" (1976) (documentary)
"The Foreigner" (1978)
"Mr. Mike's Mondo Video" (1979)
"Union City" (1980)
"Roadie" (1980)
"New York Beat Movie" (1981)
"A New Face of Debbie Harry" (1982) (short subject)
"Rock & Rule" (1983) (voice)
"Videodrome" (1983)
"Forever, Lulu" (1987)
"Satisfaction (film)" a.k.a. "Girls of Summer" (1988)
"Hairspray" (1988)
"New York Stories" (1989)
"Tales from the Darkside: The Movie" (1990)
"Double Switch" (full motion video video game) (1993)
"Dead Beat" (1994)
"Drop Dead Rock" (1995)
"Heavy" (1995)
"Wigstock: The Movie" (1995) (documentary)
"Sandman" (1996) (short subject)
"Cop Land" (1997)
"Six Ways to Sunday" (1997)
"Who Is Harry Smith?" (1998) (documentary)
"Joe's Day" (1998)
"Zoo" (1999)
"Red Lipstick" (2000)
"The Fluffer" (2001)
"Deuces Wild" (2002)
"Spun" (2002)
"Try Seventeen" (2002)
"End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones" (2003) (documentary)
"My Life Without Me" (2003)
"A Good Night to Die" (2003)
"Ghostlight" (2003)
"The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 1: The Moab Story" (2003)
"Mayor of the Sunset Strip" (2003) (documentary)
"Ramones Raw" (2004) (documentary)
"Picture This: Blondie and Debbie Harry" (2004) (documentary)
"Honey Trap" (2005) (short subject)
"Kiki and Herb Reloaded" (2005) (documentary)
"All We Are Saying" (2005) (documentary)
"Patch" (2005) (short subject)
"Face Addict" (2005) (documentary)
"I Remember You Now..." (2005) (short subject)
Upcoming:
"Full Grown Men" (2006)
"Anamorph" (2007)
"House of Boys"
"Elegy (film)" (2007)
External links
Official sites
(www.debbie-harry.net) , Official Deborah Harry Web Site
(www.tikilab.com) , Official Deborah Harry Forum at Tiki LAB
(www.dhbis.com) , Official Deborah Harry & Blondie Mailing List
(www.blondie.net/deborah_harry.shtml) , Deborah Harry's personal blog on official Blondie site
Fan sites
(www.deborah-harry.com) , Deborah Harry fan site with lots of media
(www.recmod.com) , comprehensive Deborah Harry and Blondie discography
(www.bobsamerica.com/blondie) , long running Blondie fanzine
(www.rip-her-to-shreds.com) , Blondie fan site including extensive press and memorabilia sections
(www.blondieforum.com) , a friendly Deborah Harry and Blondie fan forum
(www.debbieharry.net) , information on the Debbie Harry Collector's Society, including the defunct 'Fan Mail' fanzine
(members.aol.com/Dblswitch/DH.html) , Deborah Harry tribute by former tour manger
(blondie_retrofanclub.tripod.com) , Extensive collection of old Blondie fan club memorabilia
(www.rockgirls.com.br/blondiebrasil) , Brazilian Blondie fan site
(page.freett.com/sundaygirl) , Japanese Blondie fan site
Media links
(Rock and Roll Hall of Fame entry)
(Blondie) at Rolling Stone
(UnRated Magazine: 2006 Blondie Live Review)
(Debbie Harry Interview) on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Debbie Harry.
