NEW YORK, N.Y. — Debbie Harry, the groundbreaking lead singer of Blondie and a defining voice of New York’s punk and new wave scene, turned 80 on Monday, marking a milestone for the music and style icon whose career has spanned five decades.
Born Angela Trimble on July 1, 1945, in Miami and raised in Hawthorne, New Jersey, Harry co-founded Blondie in 1974 in New York City. The band exploded onto the charts between 1979 and 1981 with four No. 1 U.S. hits, including “Heart of Glass,” “Call Me,” “The Tide Is High,” and “Rapture” — the latter widely credited as the first rap song to top the Billboard Hot 100.
Before her rise to fame, Harry worked a series of jobs, including as a secretary, dancer, and Playboy Bunny. Blondie’s 1978 album Parallel Lines remains one of the most influential of its era, featuring six hit singles and pushing the band into international stardom.
During a hiatus from Blondie in the 1980s, Harry pursued a solo career and acting roles, including in David Cronenberg’s Videodrome (1983) and John Waters’ Hairspray (1988). She released several solo albums and returned to film throughout the 1990s.
Blondie reunited in the late 1990s and has continued releasing music and touring globally. Their most recent album, Pollinator (2017), charted in the top 5 in the UK. In 2019, Harry published her memoir Face It, which detailed her life, career, and personal challenges.
From CBGB to global stages, Harry remains one of the most enduring figures of punk and new wave, her New Jersey roots and New York sound forever part of her legacy.