Debbie Harry

Debbie Harry
Harry at the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2024
Background information
Birth name	Angela Trimble
Born	(1945-07-01) July 1, 1945 Miami, Florida, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter actress
Years active	1966–present
Member of	Blondie
Formerly of	The Wind in the Willows The Jazz Passengers

Biography

Debbie Harry, born Angela Tremble on July 1, 1945, in Miami, Florida, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress best known as the frontwoman of the iconic new wave band Blondie. Adopted as an infant by Catherine and Richard Harry, she was raised in Hawthorne, New Jersey. After college, she moved to New York City, working various jobs — including as a Playboy Bunny — while pursuing her artistic ambitions.

Harry’s music career began in the late 1960s with folk-rock group The Wind in the Willows and later the band The Stilettos. In 1974, she co-founded Blondie with guitarist Chris Stein, blending punk, pop, reggae, and disco into a unique sound that would shape the late '70s and early '80s music scene. With her distinctive voice, striking looks, and cool, punk-infused charisma, Harry quickly became a cultural icon.

Blondie’s major breakthrough came with their third album, Parallel Lines (1978), featuring global hits like "Heart of Glass," "One Way or Another," and "Hanging on the Telephone." The band continued their success with tracks such as "Call Me," "Atomic," and "Rapture," the latter being one of the first mainstream songs to feature rap vocals.

Beyond music, Harry has had a prolific acting career, appearing in films such as Videodrome (1983), Hairspray (1988), and My Life Without Me (2003). She’s also known for her influence on fashion and her role in the downtown New York art and punk scene, often collaborating with artists like Andy Warhol.

After a hiatus in the 1980s and early ’90s, Blondie reunited in 1997 and has continued to tour and record. Debbie Harry remains a trailblazer in music and fashion, widely regarded as one of the most influential female rock artists of all time.

Music (likes)

BBC's Desert Island Discs (2011)

• Heavy Cross - Gossip
• Strange Fruit - Nina Simone
• Merrymaking at My Place - Calvin Harris
• White Light/White Heat - The Velvet Underground
• When I Grow Up - Fever Ray
• La Passerella from the film 8 1/2 - Riccardo Muti and the original film soundtrack
• Talk to Me - Peaches
• Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor - 4th movement (Adagietto) - Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Sir Simon Rattle

Literature (likes)

Miscellaneous

• War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy