 
The Pretenders formed in 1978 as a rock quartet
featuring Chrissie Hynde as the lead vocalist,
songwriter, and guitarist. The band has seen numerous
changes in members due to deaths and conflicts, yet
Chrissie has remained the focal point and the
backbone of the group. Her distinctive vocals and
cavalier charm have established her as one of the
premier singers of rock and alternative music.
Chrissie's provocative and often personal songwriting
skills and singing presentation showed the world that
she not only can sing with the big boys of rock, but
often surpass their abilities. Chrissie may be the
first 'chick rocker." Although Chrissie hails
from Akron, Ohio, she made her musical move in
England in the early 70s. Before the Pretenders,
Chrissie played with a few other bands including Jack
Rabbit and the Berk Brothers.
 The first formation of the Pretenders
included Chrissie, James Honeyman-Scott (guitar),
Pete Farndon (bass), and Martin Chambers (drums). The
band grew out of the disappearing punk sound and
emerged successfully into the new wave trend of the
late 70s and early 80s. Their first successful
recordings in England was a version of Ray Davie's
"Stop Your Sobbing," "Kid," and
the eventual U.S. hit, "Brass In Pocket."
 # 65
Singles Artist of the Year
The Pretenders first LP, The
Pretenders,
was released.
The Pretenders topped the UK singles chart
for 2 weeks with "Brass In Pocket."
The Pretenders topped the UK LP chart for 4
weeks with The
Pretenders.
The Pretenders hit the Top 40 with "Brass In Pocket."
The Pretenders hit the Top 10 with "Brass In Pocket."
The Pretenders were nominated for 3 Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or
Group ("Brass In Pocket"), and Best Rock Instrumental Performance ("Space Invader").
 The
Pretenders followed up their introduction to American
audiences with touring, an EP, "Extended
Play," and their second LP, The
Pretenders II. The band was quickly becoming one of
the premier alternative acts in the U.S. and England,
and Chrissie continued to present herself as a tough,
sexual musician.
Conflict and tragedy began affecting the group when
Honeyman-Scott died on June 16, from
"cocaine-related heart failure" in London -
two days after Farndon was fired from the band (due
to his drug use and resulting unreliability).
 # 45
Singles Artist of the Year
The Pretenders hit the Top 40 with "Back On The Chain Gang."
The Pretenders hit the Top 10 with "Back On The Chain Gang."
Farndon died amidst rumors of a drug overdose on
April 14.
By the end of the year, Chrissie and Ray Davies
became parents, and the Pretenders regrouped with new
members Robbie MacIntosh on guitar and Malcolm Foster
on bass.
The Pretenders hit the Top 40 with "Middle Of The Road."
 # 55
Singles Artist of the Year
The Pretenders recorded the Christmas track,
"2000 Miles" and released Learning
To Crawl.
The LP found the Pretenders finding more success on
the pop charts as well as rock and alternative radio,
with the tracks "Back On The Chain Gang," "Middle Of The Road," and "Show
Me."
Hynde married Simple Mind's Jim
Kerr.
The video for "Middle Of The Road" was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Stage Performance Video.
 Chrissie
Hynde: # 160
Singles Artist of the Year
The Pretenders appeared at Live Aid and Chrissie
could be heard on a cover version of "I Got Your
Babe" with UB40.
Year-End Chart Position: # 186
 # 101
Singles Artist of the Year
Chrissie and Macintosh finished their next LP, Get
Close,
with the help of session musicians. Tracks such as
"Don't Get Me Wrong" helped maintain the
Pretenders' success.
 # 134
Singles Artist of the Year
A greatest hits collection, The
Singles,
was released.
Chrissie once again joined forces with UB40
for the cover, "Breakfast In Bed."
Chrissie and Kerr divorced and The Pretenders
released Packed! which found little commercial
success.
Rolling Stone:
"The 100 Top Music Videos" included "Back On The Chain Gang" at # 92.
 # 41 Singles
Artist of the Year
 The Pretenders released Last
Of The Independents, and the band found success once again
with tracks such as "Night In My Veins" and
their biggest pop hit, "I'll Stand By You." The LP marked the
return of original member, Martin Chambers.
The Pretenders hit the Top 40 with "I'll Stand By You."
The Pretenders hit the Top 10 with "I'll Stand By You."
The Pretenders appeared on the Boys
On The Side soundtrack with "Everyday Is Like
Sunday."
The Pretenders were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group
with Vocal
("I'll Stand By You").
Chrissie topped the UK Singles chart with Cher, Neneh Cherry
and Eric
Clapton for a week with "Love Can Build A
Bridge."
The Pretenders released a live LP, The
Isle Of View, offering acoustic recordings of many
of their hits.
Chrissie married a 32 year old sculptor.
New Pretenders material appeared in the form of movie
music with 2 tracks on the G.I.
Jane soundtrack,
"Goodbye" and "The Homecoming."
Ranked # 69 on VH1: Greatest Artists of Rock
& Roll (and # 41 on Rock On The Net's Poll).
The Pretenders could be heard with the track
"Loving You Is All I Know" from the film The
Other Sister.
A new Pretenders LP, Viva
El Amor,
was released with the single, "Human." The
cover of the LP is from a photo taken by Chrissie's
friend, the late Linda McCartney.
VH1: 100 Greatest Women of Rock
& Roll includes Chrissie at # 7.
Chrissie Hynde’s Advice to Chick
Rockers
Don't moan about being a chick, refer to feminism or
complain about sexist discrimination. We’ve all
been thrown down stairs and f--ed about, but no one
wants to hear a whining female. Write a loosely
disguised song about it instead and clean up ($).
Never pretend you know more than you do.
If you don't know chord names, refer to the dots.
Don't go near the desk unless you plan on becoming an
engineer.
Make the other band members look and
sound good. Bring out the best in them; that's your
job. Oh, and you better sound good, too.
Do not insist on working with
"females"; that's just more b.s. Get the
best man for the job. If it happens to be a woman,
great - you’ll have someone to go to department
stores with on tour instead of making one of the road
crew go with you.
Try not to have a sexual relationship
within the band. It always ends in tears.
Don't think that sticking your boobs out
and trying to look f--able will help. Remember you're
in a rock and roll band. It's not "f-- me,"
it's "f-- you"!
Don't try to compete with the guys; it
won't impress anybody.
Hynde won a Gibson Guitar Award for Best
Rock Guitarist (Female). She also headlined a rally
in British Columbia protesting the import of cow
hides from India and the demand for leather.
For the first time, the Pretenders performed live in
their hometown - Akron, Ohio.
March 10: Chrissie was arrested with
PETA President, Ingrid Newkirk, in New York for
reportedly damaging leather products at a Manhattan
Gap store as part of a PETA (People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals) protest. A month later the Gap
Inc. announced they would no longer buy skins from
black markets in India.
The Pretenders opened for Neil Young's
tour.
Rolling Stone & MTV: 100
Greatest Pop Songs includes "Brass In Pocket" at # 87.
VH1: 100 Greatest Albums includes The
Pretenders
at # 52.
The
Pretenders II was certified gold.
VH1: 100 Sexiest Artists includes Chrissie at # 89.
The Pretenders opened for the Rolling
Stones
for several concert dates
The Pretenders released Loose
Screw.
Rolling Stone: 50 Essential
'Woman In Rock' Albums includes The
Pretenders
at # 12.
The Pretenders contributed the track "Something
To Believe In" to We're
A Happy Family - A Tribute To The Ramones.
VH1: 100 Best Songs of the Past
25 Years includes "Brass In Pocket" at # 62.
The Pretenders were heard on the dance floors and
dance charts with the Junior Vasquez remixes of
"Time."
 Rolling Stone: The 500
Greatest Albums of All Time: # 155: The
Pretenders.
# 195 on the Top Pop Artists of the Past 25
Years
chart.
The Pretenders were inducted into the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame.
The Pretenders released the box set Pirate
Radio.
The set included 4 CDs and a DVD with 81 tracks
and 19 videos.
 VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the
80's
included "Brass In Pocket" at # 89.
Entertainment Weekly: 100 Best
Albums of the Last 25 Years included Learning
To Crawl
at # 83.
Chrissie could be heard on the tribute LP Born
To Breed: A Tribute To Judy Collins on the track "My
Father."
The Pretenders performed at the 21st annual Farm Aid
concert held at the Comcast Center in Massachusetts.
The Pretenders released Break
Up The Concrete.
 Live
In London
was released.
Chrissie released the solo LP Stockholm.
|
The
Pretenders
Released: January, 1980
US:
Platinum
Billboard peak: # 9
Rolling Stone: 
Tracks: "Precious" - "The
Phone Call" - "Up The Neck" -
"Tattooed Love Boys" - "Space
Invader" - "The Wait" - "Stop
Your Sobbing" - "Kid" -
"Private Life" - "Brass In Pocket" - "Lovers Of
Today" - "Mystery Achievement" |
 |
Extended Play (EP)
Released: 1981
Billboard peak: # 27
Rolling Stone review: 
Tracks: "Message Of Love" -
"Talk Of The Town" -
"Porcelain" - "Cuban Slide" -
"Precious" (live) |
|
The
Pretenders II
Released: August, 1981
US:
Gold
Billboard peak: # 10
Rolling Stone review:
Tracks: "The Adulteress" -
"Bad Boys Get Spanked" - "Message
Of Love" - "I Go To Sleep" -
"Birds Of Paradise" - "Talk Of The
Town" - "Pack It Up" - "Waste
Not Want Not" - "Day After Day" -
"Jealous Dogs" - "The English
Roses" - "Louie Louie" |
 |
Learning
To Crawl
Released: January, 1984
US:
Platinum
Billboard peak: # 5
Rolling Stone review:
Tracks: "Middle Of The Road" - "Back On The Chain Gang" - "Time The
Avenger" - "Watching The Clothes"
- "Show Me" - "Thumbelina" -
"My City Was Gone" - "Thin Line
Between Love And Hate" - "I Hurt
You" - "2000 Miles" |
|
Get
Close
Released: November, 1986
US:
Gold
Billboard peak: # 25
Tracks: "My Baby" - "When I
Change My Life" - "Light Of The
Moon" - "Dance!" - "Tradition
Of Love" - "Don't Get Me Wrong" -
"I Remember You" - "How Much Did
You Get For Your Soul?" - "Chill
Factor" - "Hymn To Her" -
"Room Full Of Mirrors" |
|
The
Singles
Released: November, 1987
US:
Gold
Billboard peak: # 69
Rolling Stone review:
Tracks: "Stop Your Sobbing" -
"Kid" - "Brass In Pocket" - "Talk Of The
Town" - "I Go To Sleep" -
"Day After Day" - "Message of
Love" - "Back On The Chain Gang" - "Middle Of The Road" - "2000
Miles" - "Show Me" - "Thin
Line Between Love And Hate" - "Don't
Get Me Wrong" - "Hymn To Her" -
"My Baby" - "I Got You Babe"
(Chrissie Hynde & UB40) |
 |
Packed!
Released: 1990
Billboard peak: # 48
Rolling Stone review:
Tracks: "Never Do That" -
"Let's Make A Pact" -
"Millionaires" - "May This Be
Love" - "No Guarantee" -
"When Will I See You" - "Sense Of
Purpose" - "Downtown (Akron)" -
"How Do I Miss You" - "Hold A
Candle To This" - "Criminal" |
|
Last
Of The Independents
Released: May, 1994
US:
Gold
Billboard peak: # 41
Tracks: "Hollywood Perfume" -
"Night In My Veins" - "Money
Talk" - "977" -
"Revolution" - "All My
Dreams" - "I'll Stand By You" - "I'm A
Mother" - "Tequila" - "Every
Mother's Son" - "Rebel Rock Me" -
"Love Colours" - "Forever
Young" |
|
The
Isle Of View
Released: October, 1995
Billboard peak: # 100
Rolling Stone review: 
Live Tracks: "Sense Of
Purpose" - "Chill Factor" -
"Private Life" - "Back On The Chain Gang" - "Kid" -
"I Hurt You" - "Criminal" -
"Brass In Pocket" - "2000
Miles" - "Hymn To Her" -
"Lovers Of Today" - "The Phone
Call" - "I Go To Sleep" -
"Revolution" |
|
Viva
El Amor
Released: June, 1999
Billboard peak: # 158
Rolling Stone review:
Tracks: "Popstar" -
"Human" - "From The Heart
Down" - "Nails In The Road" -
"Who's Who" - "Dragway 42" -
"Baby's Breath" - "One More
Time" - "Legalize Me" -
"Samurai" - "Rabo De Nube" -
"Biker" |
|
Loose
Screw
Released: November, 2002
Tracks: "Lie To Me" -
"Time" - "You Know Who Your
Friends Are" - "Complex Person" -
"Fools Must Die" - "Kinda Nice, I
Like It" - "Nothing Breaks Like A
Heart" - "I Should Of" -
"Clean Up Woman" - "The
Losing" - "Saving Grace" -
"Walk Like A Panther" |
|
Break
Up The Concrete
Released: October, 2008
Billboard peak: # 32
Rolling Stone: - Entertainment
Weekly: B
Tracks: "Boots Of Chinese
Plastic" - "The Nothing Maker" -
"Don't Lose Faith In Me" - "Don't
Cut Your Hair" - "Love's A
Mystery" - "The Last Ride" -
"Almost Perfect" - "You Didn't
Have To" - "Rosalee" - "Break
Up The Concrete" - "One Thing Never
Changed" |
|
Live
In London
Released: February, 2010
Live Tracks: "Boots Of Chinese
Plastic" - "Don't Cut Your Hair" -
"Talk Of The Town" - "Kid" -
"The Nothing Maker" - "Don't Lose
Faith In Me" - "Back On The Chain
Gang" - "Love's A Mystery" -
"Don't Get Me Wrong" -
"Tequila" - "Stop Your
Sobbing" - "Day After Day" -
"Cuban Slide" - "Middle Of The
Road" - "The Wait" -
"Tattooed Love Boys" -
"Precious" - "I'll Stand By
You" - "Brass In Pocket" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3
vinyl |
Alone
Released: October 21, 2016
Tracks: "Alone" - "Roadie
Man" - "Gotta Wait" - "Never
Be Together" - "Let's Get Lost" -
"Chord Lord" - "Blue Eyed
Sky" - "The Man You Are" -
"One More Day" - "I Hate
Myself" - "Death Is Not Enough" -
"Holy Commotion" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3
vinyl |
Hate
For Sale
Released: July 17, 2020
Tracks: "Hate For Sale" -
"The Buzz" - "Lightning Man"
- "Turf Accountant Daddy" - "You
Can't Hurt A Fool" - "I Didn't Know
When To Stop" - "Maybe Love Is In
NYC" - "Junkie Walk" -
"Didn't Want To Be This Lonely" -
"Crying In Public" |
 |
Relentless
Released: September 15, 2023
Tracks: "Losing My Sense Of
Taste" - "A Love" - "Domestic
Silence" - "The Copa" -
"Promise Of Love" - "Merry
Widow" - "Let The Sun Come In" -
"Look Away" - "Your House Is On
Fire" - "Just Let It Go" -
"Vainglorious" - "I Think About
You Daily" |
| Note: Song title and position
links lead you to the song's Top 40 chart run
(from the ARC Weekly Top 40) and LP links take you to Amazon.com's page for that LP (often
including track listings and sound samples). |
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