Happy Birthday, Debbie Harry!

Deborah Harry turns 68 today. Amazing!

The lead singer and "face" of the punk/New Wave band Blondie, who has also sung solo, hails from Hawthorne, NJ, so close to where I grew up in Paterson. She reputedly dated my ex-sister-in-law's brother-in-law!

Harry was born in Miami, Florida but adopted by Catherine Harry and Richard Smith, gift shop proprietors in Hawthorne. Harry later moved to New York City, worked as a secretary for BBC Radio, was a waitress at Max's Kansas City, a go-go dancer in Union City, NJ and a Playboy Bunny in NYC.

She first recorded, as a back-up girl, with a group called Wind in the Willows (on Capitol Records), then with the girl-group The Stilettos, before hooking up with Chris Stein and forming Blondie.

One of the iconic women of rock'n'roll, and a supporter of LGBT rights, we salute her with this fave solo number of mine, produced by Jellybean Benitez (early Madonna) below.

Happy Birthday, Debbie!