Deborah Ann Harry Bio
Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress best known as the lead vocalist of Blondie. Raised in Hawthorne, New Jersey after being adopted, she co-formed Blondie in New York City in 1974 and helped bring the group international success with albums such as Parallel Lines and hits including “Heart of Glass” and “Rapture”. Harry launched a solo career with the album KooKoo (1981) and has maintained an acting career with roles in films such as Videodrome and Hairspray. Reuniting with Blondie in the late 1990s, she has continued to record and tour, and published her memoir Face It in 2019.
Early Life and Background
Deborah was born Angela Trimble on July 1, 1945, at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. At the age of three months, she was adopted and renamed Deborah Ann Harry by Catherine (née Peters) and Richard Harry, of Hawthorne, New Jersey, who later became gift shop proprietors in Cooperstown, New York. She is of Scottish ancestry and her biological parents’ surnames were Trimble and Mackenzie. Harry learned of her adoption at four years old. She attended Hawthorne High School, where she was voted “Best Looking”, graduating in 1963. She graduated from Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey, with an Associate of Arts degree in 1965.
Path to Music
Before beginning her singing career, Harry moved to New York City in the late 1960s, where she worked as a secretary at BBC Radio’s office for one year. Later, she was a waitress at Max’s Kansas City, a go-go dancer in a discothèque in Union City, New Jersey, and a Playboy Bunny. In the late 1960s, Harry began her musical career as a backing singer for the folk rock group The Wind in the Willows, which released an eponymous album in 1968 on Capitol Records. In 1973, Harry joined The Stillettoes with Elda Gentile, Billy O’Connor, Fred Smith, Rosie Ross, and later with Amanda Jones. Shortly thereafter, the band added guitarist Chris Stein, who became her boyfriend.
Deborah Ann Harry Career
Early Career (1966-1975)
In 1974, Harry and Stein left the Stillettoes and formed Angel and the Snake with Tish Bellomo and Snooky Bellomo. Shortly thereafter, they changed the name of the band to Blondie, named after the catcall men often directed at Harry after she bleached her hair blonde. The band quickly became regulars at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB in New York City. In the late 1960s, Harry began her musical career as a backing singer for the folk rock group The Wind in the Willows, which released an eponymous album in 1968 on Capitol Records.
Breakthrough (1976-1980)
Blondie released their self-titled debut album in 1976; it peaked at No. 14 in Australia and later at No. 75 in the United Kingdom. Their third album, Parallel Lines (1978), was a worldwide hit and catapulted the group to international success. It included the global hit single “Heart of Glass”, which made No. 1 in the US and sold nearly two million copies. It also reached No. 1 in the UK and was the second highest-selling single of 1979. In June 1979, Blondie was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone. The band’s success continued with the release of the platinum-selling Eat to the Beat album (UK No. 1, US No. 17) in September. Autoamerican (UK No. 3, US No. 7) was released in 1980. Blondie had further No. 1 hits with “Call Me” (American Gigolo soundtrack) (US and UK No. 1), “Atomic” (Eat to the Beat album) (UK No. 1), “The Tide Is High” (US and UK No. 1), and “Rapture” (US No. 1).
Notable Works and Milestones
Four of Harry’s songs with the band reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 between 1979 and 1981. “Rapture” became the first rap-oriented song to reach No. 1 in the US Billboard charts. Andy Warhol in 1980 produced a number of artworks of Harry’s image from a single photoshoot at the Factory. The artist created a small series of four acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas portraits of the star in different colors, as well as Polaroids and a small number of rare silver gelatin prints from the shoot.
Deborah Ann Harry Award Nominations
Deborah Ann Harry has received numerous award nominations throughout her career for both her musical work with Blondie and her solo projects, as well as her acting performances. Her distinctive voice and stage presence have earned her critical acclaim across multiple entertainment platforms.
Deborah Ann Harry Awards Won
Deborah Ann Harry has won several awards throughout her career, including multiple American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and other honors for her work with Blondie. Her contributions to music and film have been recognized by various industry organizations.
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Deborah Ann Harry Family
Harry was in a relationship with the Blondie guitarist Chris Stein. The pair split up in 1987, but they remained friends. Harry is godmother to Stein’s two daughters. Harry has no children of her own. As of 2019, Harry lives in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City and in Middletown Township, New Jersey with her four dogs.
Personal Life
In 2014, Harry revealed that she had relationships with women in her youth. In her 2019 memoir, Face It: A Memoir, Harry describes having been raped at knifepoint during a burglary of the home she shared with Stein in the 1970s. She also wrote that during the early 1970s, the serial killer Ted Bundy lured her into his car in New York City, but she escaped. Harry is known for her distinctive fashion sense and has remained a cultural icon throughout her career, inspiring many artists and musicians with her style and music.