Who is Deborah Harry?
The inimitable Deborah Harry was born in 1945 in Miami. The American singer, songwriter and actress is best known as the lead vocalist of the iconic band, Blondie.
Deborah Harry's rise to fame
© Brian CookeDeborah grew up in New York, landing herself a job as a Playboy Bunny in the 1960s. She ventured into singing with folk band Wind In The Willows in 1968, but it was meeting - and falling in love with guitarist Chris Stein that would change her life forever.
In 1974 the two formed Blondie and, after a lengthy struggle to break into the mainstream, the band became one of the biggest pop acts of its generation. Singles like Heart Of Glass and French Kissing In The USA would make Blondie and in particular its singer huge stars on both sides of the Atlantic. Unlike other blonde starlets, Deborah also earned a reputation as a wild rock'n'roller. Her hellraising adventures brought her no small amount of media attention. "Absolutely we were smashing dressing rooms, hotels, bashing each other," she admits. "Why? I don't know. Zeal?"
The band's wild partying was sustained by several years of chart-topping success. They were riding the crest of a wave, but it all came to an abrupt end in 1982. Their sixth album, The Hunter was a commercial flop and Chris became seriously ill with the genetic disease pemphigus. Blondie collapsed and Deborah split her time between caring for her partner and developing a solo career. He eventually recovered but their relationship was suffering and the singer suffered yet another blow when their long-running romance fell apart.
While she never reached the heights of stardom that she found with Blondie, Debbie has proven herself with solid performances in films like Videodrome, Hairspray and more recently Deuces Wild. She appeared in a steady stream of movie productions through the nineties, and released three solo albums, most notably Deaf, Dumb and Blonde.
She had proven herself as an artist in her own right, but it was perhaps inevitable that Blondie would re-form. One last tour and, of course, one last album followed in 1999 when die-hard fans were treated to No Exit, the final release. These days Deborah's more focussed on modern jazz outfit The Jazz Passengers, however. The group may not be selling millions of records, but they have gained a committed following and the respect of their musical peers. Even London's Barbican Centre admits that the one-time "Princess of Punk" is rapidly becoming a 21st-century diva.
Deborah Harry's personal life
Deborah's mother was a respected concert pianist, but the musician did not feel ready to bring up a child and so a home and family had to be found for the future star. She was adopted by a New Jersey couple but insists that she inherited her biological mother's musical talent. "It's genetic - I was always going to be an artist, in one field or another, come hell or high water." And it would seem that both hell and high water were lying in wait. Asked about the difficult times in her past, she jokes: "Which bad period? I've had quite a few."
In a 2011 interview, Deborah said that "After witnessing Elton John and his tireless efforts against HIV/AIDS", she had been inspired to make philanthropy her top priority. She said, "These things are important to my life now. I have the privilege of being able to get involved, so I do."
