Biography
During Blondie's dominance in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Debbie Harry commanded most of the spotlight, yet guitarist Chris Stein earns frequent acknowledgment for defining the band's sonic character by writing or co-writing nearly all of its signature material. Born January 5, 1950, in Brooklyn, New York, Stein initially aspired to become an Egyptologist. His parents presented him with his first guitar at age 11, prompting a gradual pivot toward music. Adolescence proved unsettled: school officials expelled him over the length of his hair, he endured a nervous breakdown, and his father died of a heart attack.
By the early 1970s, New York's glam rock wave, led by the New York Dolls, had taken hold, and Stein sought to join a comparable outfit. He came across the Stilettos, whose lineup included Debbie Harry as one of the vocalists, soon joined as their guitarist, and began a romantic relationship with her. After the Stilettos disbanded in the mid-1970s, Stein and Harry formed Blondie. The group aligned itself with the rising CBGB scene that also featured the Ramones and the Talking Heads, issuing an independently released self-titled debut in 1976.
Chrysalis Records later signed the band, which refined its new wave pop sensibilities on successive albums, among them 1977's Plastic Letters, on which Stein also played bass, and 1978's Parallel Lines, whose disco smash "Heart of Glass" delivered the group's breakthrough. Additional hit albums followed with 1979's Eat to the Beat and 1980's Autoamerican, along with singles "Call Me," "The Tide Is High," and "Rapture," yet 1982's The Hunter signaled a rapid decline in popularity.
Around the same time, Stein developed the rare skin disease Pemphigus, which produced blisters across his body. While he received extended treatment at an N.Y.C. hospital and ultimately recovered completely, Blondie had already dissolved. Before the illness, Stein had established his own label, Animal Records, which released Iggy Pop's Zombie Birdhouse, an album Stein also produced and performed on, as well as the Gun Club's sophomore release, Miami. His condition forced the label's closure shortly afterward. Although Stein and Harry ended their romantic partnership, they remained close, and he contributed to her solo albums Kookoo in 1981, Rockbird in 1986, Once More into the Bleach in 1988, and Def, Dumb, & Blonde in 1989.
In the late 1990s, Stein and Harry reunited Blondie with two other founding members, keyboardist Jimmy Destri and drummer Clem Burke, resulting in the 1999 studio album No Exit and the live set Live in New York. Stein has also appeared on other artists' recordings, including Dee Dee Ramone's sole release under his rap persona Dee Dee King, the 1988 album Standing in the Spotlight, and has written music for the films and television projects Tales from the Darkside, Wild Style, Intimate Stranger, Polyester, and Union City. A longtime photographer, Stein has seen his images used as album artwork by Dramarama and Lydia Lunch.
By the early 1970s, New York's glam rock wave, led by the New York Dolls, had taken hold, and Stein sought to join a comparable outfit. He came across the Stilettos, whose lineup included Debbie Harry as one of the vocalists, soon joined as their guitarist, and began a romantic relationship with her. After the Stilettos disbanded in the mid-1970s, Stein and Harry formed Blondie. The group aligned itself with the rising CBGB scene that also featured the Ramones and the Talking Heads, issuing an independently released self-titled debut in 1976.
Chrysalis Records later signed the band, which refined its new wave pop sensibilities on successive albums, among them 1977's Plastic Letters, on which Stein also played bass, and 1978's Parallel Lines, whose disco smash "Heart of Glass" delivered the group's breakthrough. Additional hit albums followed with 1979's Eat to the Beat and 1980's Autoamerican, along with singles "Call Me," "The Tide Is High," and "Rapture," yet 1982's The Hunter signaled a rapid decline in popularity.
Around the same time, Stein developed the rare skin disease Pemphigus, which produced blisters across his body. While he received extended treatment at an N.Y.C. hospital and ultimately recovered completely, Blondie had already dissolved. Before the illness, Stein had established his own label, Animal Records, which released Iggy Pop's Zombie Birdhouse, an album Stein also produced and performed on, as well as the Gun Club's sophomore release, Miami. His condition forced the label's closure shortly afterward. Although Stein and Harry ended their romantic partnership, they remained close, and he contributed to her solo albums Kookoo in 1981, Rockbird in 1986, Once More into the Bleach in 1988, and Def, Dumb, & Blonde in 1989.
In the late 1990s, Stein and Harry reunited Blondie with two other founding members, keyboardist Jimmy Destri and drummer Clem Burke, resulting in the 1999 studio album No Exit and the live set Live in New York. Stein has also appeared on other artists' recordings, including Dee Dee Ramone's sole release under his rap persona Dee Dee King, the 1988 album Standing in the Spotlight, and has written music for the films and television projects Tales from the Darkside, Wild Style, Intimate Stranger, Polyester, and Union City. A longtime photographer, Stein has seen his images used as album artwork by Dramarama and Lydia Lunch.