Debbie Harry

Adopted at about three months of age by Richard and Catherine Harry, Debbie Harry was raised in New Jersey.

She spent most of her twenties working odd jobs as a secretary, cocktail waitress and Playboy bunny, while rubbing shoulders with the Warhol set.

In October 1973, Harry began both a musical and personal relationship with Chris Stein. Together, Deborah and Chris formed Blondie. Blondie battled for success for many years but, late in 1977, 'Denis' reached number two in the British charts. 'Heart of Glass' was Blondie's first worldwide hit, reaching number one in both America and Britain.

Harry's glamorous platinum blonde looks, keen wit and creative musical style propelled Blondie to mega stardom, and the group had several number one hits, including 'Call Me', 'The Tide is High', and 'Rapture'.

However, tensions caused the group to split in 1984, and Harry’s solo career would never live up to the success of Blondie. Her first solo album 'Koo Koo', was both a critical and commercial failure, although it is a firm favorite with her legions of fans. Harry took four years off between the release of 'Koo Koo' and her second solo effort, 'Rockbird', to nurse a seriously ill Chris Stein.

With ‘Rockbird’, Debbie fared considerably better, scoring a number two hit in Britain and a number one hit in Australia, but the album failed to chart well in America.

In 1989, Harry returned with the seductive 'Def Dumb and Blonde'. Now recording under the name Deborah Harry, the album was an eclectic blend of musical genres. Produced by Mike Chapman (ex-Blondie producer), the album signaled a return to Deborah Harry's fundamentals. The UK hit single was 'I Want that Man', the album also charted well in the US, going platinum in Australia, and was followed by a world tour.

Harry is also an actress, appearing in 'Union City' (1979), 'Videodrome' (1983) and 'Hairspray' (1986), amongst others. Since 1998, much of her time has been taken up touring and recording with the reformed Blondie.

In 1991, a compilation album entitled 'The Complete Picture: The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie' was released by Chrysalis and it succeeded in reaching number three in the UK album chart.

She released her fourth solo album, 'Debravation', in 1993, and the singer took the album on the road in November of that year when she toured with Chris Stein.

'Necessary Evil' was her next solo endeavour, which was released in 2007 and was produced in collaboration with Super Buddha who had previously remixed Blondie's 'In the Flesh'.

In addition to her solo career, Harry has also kept her commitment to Blondie and began a UK tour with the group in the summer of 2010.

The band appeared at the Isle of White and Rockness Festival as part of the tour and performed songs from their forthcoming album, 'Panic of Girls'.

In an interview on Radio 4's 'Desert Island Discs', Harry, who is now 65, described the ageing process as "rough".

She admitted that despite trying to improve her voice, she "relies on looks a lot" and went on to say that "women's calling cards, unfortunately, are based on their looks".