Her band Blondie came together in 1974 at exactly the time punk and new wave bands were taking over the New York underground music scene in Manhattan and on the East Side of the city, bringing a whole new generation of impatient fans to their music. Change was in the air and the energy was incredible. 

Ground zero was CBGB, a legendary venue located in the Bowery district of New York. The atmosphere inside the packed club was rebellious and exciting – a launch pad for some massive careers. Blondie were rubbing shoulders with the Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, Lou Reed and Television … but when Deborah Harry took to the stage, she transcended. She was stunning under that smoky spotlight – the shimmering, charismatic lead singer, who brought a unique range of musical styles into the band.

Debbie has always acknowledged how much she loves Buddy Holly’s songs and the catchy, heartfelt, story-telling appeal of his lyrics. Blondie even acknowledged Buddy on their multi-million-selling break-out album Parallel Lines, in 1978, recording a fabulous version of ‘I’m Gonna Love You Too’, which Buddy had released as a double A-side with ‘Listen to Me’ 20 years earlier.

Like Buddy, Debbie is blessed with a natural lyrical skill, able to touchingly express emotion and experience through her songs. And, like Buddy, she has been inspired by music from many different genres. She’s a fan of soul music, blues, pop, punk and disco. Her first recording was a folk album, and she loves the girl groups and the British bands of the 1960s.

Blondie outgrew the ground-breaking moment that birthed them, staging a major takeover of the charts in the late 1970s, putting out some of the greatest records ever made and rocketing to global stardom. At a time when girl lead singers were still a relative rarity, Debbie became the first woman to take a rap track to number one when ‘Rapture’ topped the US charts in 1981.

More than 40 years later she is still regarded as one of the most fascinating women in the world – seminal rock star, complex songwriter, incandescent front woman, actor and fashion icon. And she and Blondie are part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, joining one of her greatest influences – Buddy Holly.

Bob Harris