Chrissie Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician best known as the lead singer of the rock band The Pretenders. She has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history. She has also released a number of collaborations with other musicians – two of which reached No.1 in the UK Charts. (More from Wikipedia)
Later, Deborah Harry in Blondie and Chrissie Hynde in Pretenders led two of the most successful rock bands of the 1970’s and 1980’s. The above record covers illustrate the difference in the way the women appeared within their groups, with Deborah Harry standing out among the men, though frankly, it could hardly have been any other way. Chrissie Hynde though is often regarded as being of equal status with the male bandmembers; what’s more, Hynde was also a guitarist in the band, whereas Harry primarily sang. This is a stance that alternative rockers would take later on, such as identical twins Kim Deal and Kelley Deal in Pixies and the Breeders.
After taking several years off from making music, Mick Farren resurfaced in 1978 with a brilliant solo album, Vampires Stole My Lunch Money. The album opens with what might be the best cover of a Frank Zappa song by anybody: “Trouble Coming Every Day”, a seething litany of what’s wrong with the world that could surely have come straight from Farren’s pen.
Vampires Stole My Lunch Money is a more personal record than his other albums. There are no less than three songs about drinking – “I Want a Drink”, “Half-Priced Drinks”, and “Drunk in the Morning” – plus a monologue about personal demons called “(I Know from) Self-Destruction”. Whether this is just a persona or the actual state of Mick Farren’s life at that point – I doubt anyone could tell the difference, the music is that heartfelt. Musicians on hand include Larry Wallis of the Pink Fairies and Wilko Johnson of Dr. Feelgood; supporting vocals are provided by Sonja Kristina of Curved Air and Chrissie Hynde, the lead singer of Pretenders (a year and half before their first album, Pretenders came out).
On October 7, 2014, a remarkable assemblage of musicians came together under the name “The Impossible Orchestra” to perform the Beach Boys song “God Only Knows”. The event was simulcast on BBC Television and BBC Radio stations in order to herald the launch of BBC Music, and the event also made national news in this country. A recording of the song was released on a single the following day as a fund-raising effort for Children in Need 2014. The musicians span the spectrum of popular music and included Brian Wilson, Pharrell Williams, One Direction, Lorde, Chrissie Hynde, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Chris Martin, Kylie Minogue, Dave Grohl, Brian May, and many others.
(October 2014)
