Chris Stein
"Blondie is a group," the band's record company emphasized in its PR broadsides, concerned that fans assumed glamorous singer Debbie Harry was a solo act. Harry herself led this charge, wanting to ensure recognition of her collaborators — especially her musical and romantic partner, Chris Stein, whose work as guitarist, songwriter and arranger was key to Blondie's wildly successful, madly eclectic mix of classic pop smarts, modern guitar edge, dance-floor grooves, girl-group yearning and avant-garde ambition.
Brooklyn-born Chris Stein penned or co-wrote such Blondie hits as "Heart of Glass," "Rapture," "Sunday Girl," "Picture This" and "Island of Lost Souls," and his wide-ranging musical passions helped the band navigate the waters of punk, disco, reggae, power pop and hip-hop without losing a shred of cred.
In 1983, just after Blondie's commercial peak, Chris was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease pemphigus, and Debbie Harry stayed by his side through his recovery; he worked with her on several of her solo recordings — even though it wasn't Blondie, it was still a group. Though the two eventually split and Stein remarried in 1999, they remain linked creatively; Blondie reunited in 1997 and has intermittently released albums ever since.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- and onto Hollywood's Rock Walk of Fame -- in 2006. Chris Stein has also achieved success as a film and TV composer (scoring "Union City, "Wild Style" and other projects) and photographer.
Worn Free is proud to offer t-shirt designs worn by Chris Stein. Our Chris Stein T-shirts are fully licensed, endorsed and made from the softest, prewashed and shrunk cotton. They faithfully reproduce the original article as tracked down by Worn Free from archive images.
Vintage Rock T-shirts for today.
|
Chris Stein T-Shirts
|
