Debbie Harry Before Blondie Deborah Ann Harry (July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, model, and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the new wave band Blondie. Born Angela Trimble in Miami, Florida, she was adopted at three months old by Richard Smith Harry and Catherine (née Peters), owners of a gift shop in Hawthorne, New Jersey, and renamed Deborah Ann Harry. She located her biological mother, a concert pianist, in the late 1980s, who chose not to establish a relationship with Harry. She graduated from Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey, with an Associate of Arts degree in 1965. After graduating, Harry traded suburban life for the vibrant Manhattan scene of the late 1960s. In New York City, Harry experienced the height of the counterculture. To support herself, she took on various jobs that would shape her public image years later: she was a secretary at BBC radio, a waitress at the legendary Max's Kansas City, a Go-Go dancer at a disco, and even a Playboy Bunny. Max's Kansas City in New York was a meeting point for musicians, poets, and artists in the late sixties. At that time, you would be in the company of Andy Warhol and his superstars, emerging actors Al Pacino, Sylvester Stallone, and Robert De Niro, graced by the presence of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and even Dalí or Fellini. Her musical debut was in 1968 with the folk-rock band The Wind in the Willows. The band was named after Kenneth Grahame's book, *The Wind in the Willows*, one of the greatest classics of children's literature, and released a single self-titled album. Harry, in addition to vocals, played guitar and tambourine. It was in this environment—which blended the aesthetics of Warhol's "Superstars" with the rawness of Jackie Curtis's (February 19, 1947 – May 15, 1985) underground theater—that in 1973, Harry joined The Stilettos, a theatrical art-punk band led by vocalist Elda Gentile (also known as Elda Stiletto). The band's original lineup was: Chris Stein (guitar), Billy O'Connor (drums), Fred Smith (bass), Deborah Harry (vocals), and Rosie Ross (vocals). The Stilettos were one of the first bands to perform at CBGB, alongside Television, The Ramones, and Patti Smith. Elda Gentile continued with the name, and in their fifteen-year career, The Stilettos became a revolving door for some of New York's most talented musicians: with Elda at the helm. Elda Stiletto passed away in 2018 at the age of 69. Debbie Harry alongside Elda and Rosie Ross. Alex