The Pretenders
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The Pretenders are a New Wave and rock band, known best for innovative songwriting and charismatic performances by bandleader, guitarist, and vocalist Chrissie Hynde. Along with Hynde, the original band consisted of James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon and Martin Chambers.
Hynde was originally from Akron, Ohio, but moved to England and began writing for the British music publication New Musical Express, but quickly moved from writing to performing. The Pretenders formed during the peak of the British punk music movement in 1978; as the first punk/new wave band fronted by a woman the band quickly rose to critical attention and released a successful single, "Stop Your Sobbing" (written by Ray Davies), followed by "Kid" and "Brass in Pocket". The Pretenders, a self-titled album, came out in 1980 and was a success in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The Pretenders released their second album, Pretenders II, in 1981. The following year, Pete Farndon was kicked out of the group for drug abuse; ironically, Honeyman-Scott died of a heroin and cocaine overdose two days later. In 1983, Farndon also died of a drug overdose.
Hynde reformed the Pretenders with guitarist Robbie McIntosh and Malcolm Foster. The band's first album with this lineup, Learning to Crawl was released to critical acclaim in 1984. Yet another new lineup including McIntosh, Hynde and a bevy of session musicians released Get Close in 1986. The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr joined the Pretenders for brief period after the Smiths's breakup in 1987. Aside from a brief return to popularity with 1994's Last of the Independents, the Pretenders have remained largely silent since then. Viva el Amor was released in 1999, as was their collaboration with Tom Jones on the album Reload.
