Debbie was born in Miami, Florida in 1945 and was adopted three months later by her parents, Catherine and Richard Harry. The singer was raised in New Jersey and moved to New York City after graduating from college where her singing career grew.
In 1974, Debbie formed her band, Blondie, alongside guitarist Chris Stein. They released their first album two years later. The band's third album, Parallel Lines, which included the single "Heart of Glass," became a worldwide hit.
The singer has been a part of Blondie on-and-off since 1974, but she grew into a star all on her own. Debbie hosted Saturday Night Live, was Andy Warhol's muse, and starred in several films including Forever, Lulu alongside Alec Baldwin.
After working as a waitress and go-go dancer in Union City, New Jersey, Debbie began her musical career as a backing singer in the folk rock group, The Wind in the Willows. Soon after, she joined The Stillettoes with Elda Gentile, Billy O'Connor, Fred Smith, Rosie Ross, and Amanda Jones.
Debbie met guitarist Chris Stein while performing with The Stillettoes, before forming their own bands. Debbie and Chris dated for over a decade, breaking up in the mid-80s.
Debbie and Chris formed Blondie in 1974. They decided to name it Blondie after the catcall men often directed at Harry after she bleached her hair blonde. As the lead singer, Debbie became a punk icon known for her bleached-blonde hair and daring clothing.
While the band is thought to be synonymous with Debbie, they ran a button campaign in 1979 that emphasized, "Blondie is a group." Blondie is known for songs like "Call Me," "Atomic," "The Tide Is High," and "Rapture."
Blondie's first break was in 1981. Debbie wrote to her No Exit tour book: "Hi, it's Deb. You know, when I woke up this morning I had a realization about myself. I was always Blondie. People always called me Blondie, ever since I was a little kid. What I realized is that at some point I became Dirty Harry. I couldn't be Blondie anymore, so I became Dirty Harry."
She went on to release her first solo album, KooKoo, which released commercial success, reaching No. 25 in the US and No. 6 in the UK.
In 1983, Chris was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease. Debbie put her career on hold to take care of him. While Debbie and Chris broke up in 1987, they remained close friends. Chris went on to marry the actress Barbara Sicuranza. The couple are parents to two daughters, whom Debbie is the godmother to.
In 2019, Debbie released her memoir, Face It. The intense book details the singer's experience with trauma – including having been raped at knifepoint and an erroneous encounter with the serial killer Ted Bundy.
"I got in and the windows were rolled up except an inch and a half at the top," Debbie wrote. "I realized there was no door handle, no window crank, no nothing. The inside of the car was totally stripped out. The hairs on the back of my neck just stood up."
Debbie's memoir was well received and stood out for its grittiness. The singer now lives in Chelsea in New York City with her four dogs.
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