Blondie

Blondie were a pop sensation, emerging from the New York punk scene with a series of irresistible hit singles accentuated by Debbie Harry's overtly sexual Marilyn Monroe persona. A former waitress and Playboy Bunny, Harry became one of the world's most famous pop stars after meeting guitarist Chris Stein. Using the name Blondie - which truckers invariably shouted at Harry in the street - they hit on a magical driving pop formula. Their second album Plastic Letters featured chart-topper Denis, a cover of an old 1963 record, and the commercial floodgates opened. For the next few years they dominated the charts with smashes like Heart Of Glass, Sunday Girl, Call Me and The Tide Is High. As the hits dried up they split in 1982 with Harry pursuing a solo career, but reunited in 1996, topping the UK charts again with Maria, making them the only American band to have UK chart-toppers in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.