10 Unusual 1970s Lead Singers

By Nathan Hastings /

7. Debbie Harry, Blondie (Est. 1974)

From secretary, to waitress, to go-go dancer, to Playboy Bunny, to punk rocker: Debbie Harry seems plain unreal in so many ways. She stood way out from her mostly male, mostly gross contemporaries. Fronting the NYC punk group Blondie, she was snarling yet calm, shouting yet zoned-out. Harry remembers her persona as a schizophrenic mix of dainty and vicious. She wore headbands, Coke logo pants, and beach sunglasses. Her voice was like velvet, and her hair seemed to catch fire under lights. Harry was obviously aware of the effects of her image€” the €œBlondie€ band name originated in a catcall she€™d often heard. Debbie Harry may have posed for the television eye but not without a healthy dose of spite. Every wink reaffirmed: €œA girl should know better, and I do.€