1977 was a breakthrough year for Blondie. In February, the band played 10 sold-out shows at the Whisky in Los Angeles. The following month, Blondie launched their first major tour, opening for Iggy Pop and David Bowie. Before that, the band had not strayed from the New York club scene, where they gained considerable attention for their new wave sound and their magnetic bleach-blonde lead singer, Debbie Harry.
They were mainstays at the legendary CBGB's, but in spite of this, Blondie found their first wave of success in the UK, notching three Top Ten singles.
It wasn't until early 1979, when “Heart of Glass” made it to #1, that they conquered the U.S. market. Harry was suddenly placed on a pedestal as a sex symbol for the ‘80s, which she neither embraced nor avoided. Blondie remained an intriguing combination of cynical humor and lollipop innocence.
As Harry once told Cosmopolitan: "I happen to have a sensual nature and I suppose it comes out in pictures. My face seems to sell. I can't help that." Debbie Harry grew up in Paterson, NJ, having been adopted at 3 months. Paterson is also home to a Navy Recruiting Sub-Station and the inventor credited with building the modern submarine.
The Bluejackets’ Manual is the Navy’s reference book of basic sailor’s information. Blondie played a series of shows at the Village Gate in July 1977.
The T-shirt Debbie Harry wore at one of the shows bore the Cadet Bluejackets Training Corps logo, a tip of the floppy pink cap to her roots. |