Chrissie Hynde

Hynde formed the Pretenders in Hereford, England, in 1978, with Pete Farndon, James Honeyman-Scott and Chambers.

She has also recorded a number of songs with other musicians, including Frank Sinatra, Cher and UB40. Hynde recorded her first solo album, Stockholm, in 2014. Hynde was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 as a member of the Pretenders.

Early life

Hynde was born in Akron, Ohio, United States, the daughter of a part-time secretary and a Yellow Pages manager, and grew up in nearby Cuyahoga Falls. She graduated from Firestone High School in Akron but stated that "I was never too interested in high school. I mean, I never went to a dance, I never went out on a date, I never went steady. It became pretty awful for me. Except, of course, I could go see bands, and that was the kick. I used to go to Cleveland just to see any band. So I was in love a lot of the time, but mostly with guys in bands that I had never met. For me, knowing that Brian Jones was out there, and later that Iggy Pop was out there, made it kind of hard for me to get too interested in the guys that were around me. I had, uh, bigger things in mind."

Early career

Hynde became interested in hippie counterculture, Eastern mysticism, and vegetarianism. While attending Kent State University's Art School for three years, she joined Sat. Sun. Mat., a band which included Mark Mothersbaugh, later of Devo. Hynde was also caught up in the Kent State massacre on May 4, 1970, in which the boyfriend of one of her friends was among the four victims.

In May 1973, Hynde moved to London. With her art background, she got a job in an architectural firm but left after eight months. It was then that she met rock journalist Nick Kent and landed a position at the music magazine New Musical Express (NME), writing what she subsequently described as "half-baked philosophical drivel and nonsensical tirades." Afterwards Hynde got a job at Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's clothing store, Sex. Hynde attempted to start a band in France, before her return to Cleveland in 1975, and joined a rhythm and blues group, Jack Rabbit.

After living in Tucson, she returned to France in 1975 at the invitation of Michael Fradji Memmi, bass player of the Frenchies (fr), which she joined as the singer. Hynde's version of this episode has it that Rotten "offered to go to a registry office with me and do the unmentionable" but when he subsequently withdrew, Sid Vicious volunteered to take his place. Upon arrival at the registry office the following morning, they found it "closed for an extended holiday" and were unable to attend the following day due to Vicious making a court appearance. In late 1976, Hynde responded to an advertisement in Melody Maker for band members and attended an audition for the band that would become 999. Jon Moss (who would later be in Culture Club) and Tony James of Generation X also auditioned. Later, Hynde tried to start a group with Mick Jones from the Clash.

After the lack of success with the band, Malcolm McLaren placed her as a guitarist in Masters of the Backside but she was asked to leave the group just as it became the Damned. After a brief spell in the band Johnny Moped, Mick Jones invited Hynde to join his band on their initial tour of Britain. Hynde recollected of that period,

Hynde also spent a short time with punk band the Moors Murderers in 1978. Named after a pair of child-killers, the band consisted of future Visage front man Steve Strange on vocals, Vince Ely on drums, with Mark Ryan (a.k.a. the Kid) and Hynde on guitar. The band's name alone was enough to start controversy, and she soon distanced herself from the group, as noted in NME. Hynde said, "I'm not in the group, I only rehearsed with them". She stated that "Steve Strange and Soo Catwoman had the idea for the group, and asked me to help them out on guitar, which I did, even though I was getting my own group together and still am".

The Pretenders

Main article: The Pretenders

In 1978, Hynde made a demo tape and gave it to Dave Hill, owner of the label Real Records. Hill stepped in to manage her career, and began by paying off the back rent owed on her rehearsal room in Covent Garden, London. Hill also advised Hynde to take her time and get a band together. In the spring of 1978, Hynde met bass guitarist Pete Farndon and they selected a band consisting of James Honeyman-Scott (guitar, vocals, keyboards), and Martin Chambers (drums, vocals, percussion). The name "the Pretenders" was inspired by the Sam Cooke version of the Platters' 1955 R&B hit song "The Great Pretender".

They recorded a demo tape (including "Precious", "The Wait" and a Kinks cover, "Stop Your Sobbing"), handed it to Hynde's friend Nick Lowe, produced a single ("Stop Your Sobbing"/"The Wait") and performed their first gig at a club in Paris. The single was released in January 1979 and hit No. 33 in the UK. A second single "Kid" followed to similar success in July 1979. In November 1979, the Pretenders released their first signature single "Brass in Pocket" in the UK, which hit UK number 1 on January 19, 1980, the same date as their eponymous first album. Both went on to similar chart success worldwide.

The band released an EP album, Extended Play, then Pretenders II later in the summer. "Talk of the Town" and "Message of Love" were on both. The Pretenders lineup would change repeatedly over the next decade. Honeyman-Scott died of a drug overdose on June 16, 1982, just days after Farndon had been fired from the band. Farndon also died of a drug overdose the following year. After reforming with a caretaker line-up (Martin Chambers, Billy Bremner, Tony Butler, and Jeremy Allom) for their next single, "Back on the Chain Gang", the band settled down with Robbie McIntosh (guitar) and Malcolm Foster (bass) during the recording of their next album, the worldwide hit Learning to Crawl. Chambers left the band in the mid-1980s before the Get Close album was released in 1986. The album included the hits "Don't Get Me Wrong" and "My Baby". Amidst the ever-changing lineup, Hynde endured as the sole original Pretender until Chambers' return in the mid-1990s. Hynde was the only stable member of the band during this period. In 1994, the band had another hit, the ballad "I'll Stand by You".{{cite book

Hynde continued with the Pretenders into the new century both in new recording as well as multiple tours worldwide. New Pretenders albums emerged in 2002 (Loose Screw), 2008 (Break Up the Concrete) and 2016 (Alone).

Hynde was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 as a member of the Pretenders. The ceremony was held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, New York City.

In 2016, the band collaborated with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys on the album Alone. This album was released as a Pretenders' album, though Hynde was the only original member to appear on it. The new band also played a concert for the BBC at the Maida Vale studio. In 2016, Hynde and the Pretenders opened for Stevie Nicks.

In July 2020, the Pretenders released their 11th studio album Hate for Sale. The album was well received critically and obtained a score of 78 on the critical aggregator Metacritic.

On March 9, 2022, Hynde performed a rendition of the Pretenders song "I'll Stand By You" at Night for Ukraine, a fundraising benefit held at the Roundhouse in north London, with the funds raised being donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, to provide aid to people fleeing Ukraine following the Russian invasion. The event was organized by Fabien Riggall in collaboration with the Ukrainian pop duo Bloom Twins.

On June 24, 2023, Hynde and the band played the Glastonbury Festival with guest artist Johnny Marr. Dave Grohl also guested on drums for one song.

Other musical projects

Hynde, along with Curved Air's Sonja Kristina, sang backing vocals on Mick Farren's 1978 album Vampires Stole My Lunch Money and also on Hurt by Chris Spedding. She also sang backing on a track, "Nite Klub", on the Specials' eponymous debut album. Hynde sang a duet with INXS on their album Full Moon, Dirty Hearts in 1993. She appears on the title track of the album. Hynde sang the vocals on the track "State of Independence Part II" on a Moodswings album named Moodfood, which was played during the closing credits on the soundtrack of Single White Female. She provided backing vocals on Morrissey's single "My Love Life" in 1991 and again on b-side "Shame Is The Name" in 2009.

Hynde recorded a duet with Frank Sinatra on Sinatra's 1994 album Duets II. They performed the song "Luck Be a Lady". In 1995, Hynde made an acting appearance as fictional character Stephanie Schiffer on the US television comedy Friends on the episode "The One with the Baby on the Bus", in which she performed "Angel of the Morning" and the comedy song "Smelly Cat" (which she co-wrote) with Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay on acoustic guitar. Also in 1995, Hynde sang a cover of "Love Can Build a Bridge" with Cher and Neneh Cherry. Eric Clapton appeared on the track, supplying the lead guitar solo that is featured in the song's instrumental bridge.

In 1997, the EMI publishing company issued a cease and desist request to Rush Limbaugh, who for years had been using an edited instrumental version of Hynde's song "My City Was Gone" for the broadcast's opening theme. When the request came to Hynde's attention during a radio interview, she said her parents loved and listened to Rush and she did not mind its use. They agreed to a royalty contract which she retained and at one time used for a payment to PETA to raise awareness of chemical testing on animals.

Hynde's most popular non-Pretenders collaboration with another artist, chartwise, was her 1985 collaboration with UB40 on a cover of Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe". The track topped the UK singles chart and went as high as No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.

On April 10, 1999, Hynde led the memorial concert "Here, There and Everywhere – A Concert for Linda" for her late close friend Linda McCartney at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Proceeds went to animal rights charities. The Pretenders were the backing band for all artists.

In 1999, Hynde played guitar and sang vocals with Sheryl Crow on the song "If It Makes You Happy" during a concert in Central Park. Hynde is mentioned prominently in the lyrics of the Terence Trent D'Arby song "Penelope Please". In 1998, Hynde sang a duet with her friend Emmylou Harris, "She", accompanied by the Pretenders on the Gram Parsons tribute album, Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons. Hynde had previously reviewed Gram and Emmylou's debut country rock classic, GP. The version merges Emmylou's country rock and Hynde's reggae-tinged new wave. Hynde also recorded a song called "Cry (If You Don't Mind)" with the Spanish band Jarabe de Palo for their album Un metro cuadrado – 1m². She supplied the voice for Siri, the clouded leopard in the movie Rugrats Go Wild (2003) in which she sang a duet with Bruce Willis.

In 2004, Hynde moved to São Paulo, Brazil, for a couple of months in order to play with Brazilian musician Moreno Veloso. She was also the vocalist on Tube & Berger's 2004 No. 1 Hot Dance Airplay track "Straight Ahead". The track gave Hynde a No. 1 track on the Billboard charts. Likewise in 2005, Hynde duetted with Ringo Starr on a song entitled "Don't Hang Up" which can be heard on Starr's album Choose Love. Also in 2005, she collaborated with Incubus on a song called "Neither Of Us Can See". The song is on the soundtrack album for Stealth.

On October 17, 2008, she was an opening act for fellow Akron-area musicians Devo at a special benefit concert at the Akron Civic Theater for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. The Black Keys, another Akron-based band, and the then up-and-coming solo artist, Rachel Roberts, performed prior to her.

Hynde features as guest vocalist on Ray Davies' 2009 Christmas single "Postcard From London" and Morrissey's Years of Refusal the same year.

Hynde and Welsh singer J.P. Jones formed a band called "J.P., Chrissie and the Fairground Boys", releasing an album, Fidelity, on August 24, 2010. Several stops on the tour were recorded and sold on USB flash drives.

On February 5, 2011, Hynde and the Pretenders performed live on CMT Crossroads with Faith Hill and her band, including songs from both catalogs.

Along with John Cale and Nick Cave, Hynde played on BBC Four for the Songwriter's Circle program on July 9, 1999. The concert took place at the Subterania Club in London, England and was released on DVD. She also later joined Cave in 2010 for a rendition of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' song "I Put a Spell on You" as a benefit for the Haiti disasters. The song and music video featured performances by Mick Jones, Glen Matlock, Shane MacGowan, and Bobby Gillespie among others.

Hynde released a new album, Stockholm, on June 10, 2014. The album featured contributions from Neil Young and John McEnroe.

Hynde released Valve Bone Woe, a jazz/pop album of selected covers with the Valve Bone Woe ensemble on September 6, 2019, produced by Marius de Vries. The album debuted at No.32 on the Official UK album charts and at No. 1 on the UK Jazz and Blues chart.

Hynde and James Walbourne were inspired by the surprise release of Bob Dylan's songs "Murder Most Foul" and "I Contain Multitudes" during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic to record nine of her favourite Dylan compositions, released initially via YouTube and subsequently on the 2021 album Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan.

A 2023 conversation with Jörn Weisbrodt led Hynde to duet with Weisbrodt's husband Rufus Wainwright on "Always on My Mind", which became part of her 2025 Duets Special album which also features Brandon Flowers, Dave Gahan and Debbie Harry.

Artistry and influence

Hynde has a contralto vocal range. Until 1978, shortly before the advent of the Pretenders, Hynde had little idea what she sounded like. Hynde eschews formal voice training; she contends that "distinctive voices in rock are trained through years of many things: frustration, fear, loneliness, anger, insecurity, arrogance, narcissism, or just sheer perseverance – anything but a teacher." In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Hynde at number 114 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

In a 1994 interview, Madonna recalled of Hynde:

Personal life

Hynde, born in the United States, has long maintained dual citizenship with the UK.

In 1982, Hynde and Ray Davies planned to wed in Guildford, but "the guy in the register office took one look at us and suggested we come back another time". In 1983, Hynde had a daughter, Natalie, with Davies. She married Jim Kerr, lead singer of the band Simple Minds, in 1984. Together they had a daughter, Yasmin, in 1985. They lived in South Queensferry as well as Kilmacolm, Scotland

She follows Vaishnavism, a branch of Hinduism, and travels to India once every year to further her studies.

Hynde lives in London and also has an apartment in the Northside Lofts in her hometown of Akron.

Hynde became a vegetarian in 1969 at the age of 18. She has described becoming a vegetarian as "the best thing that ever happened to me". She says that she came to regard meat-eaters with "distaste, almost contempt" but has learned to "live and associate with [them] but never respected them". Hynde is also an animal rights activist and a supporter of PETA and the animal rights group Viva!.

Hynde has publicly campaigned against the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States, and in February 2020 called on then President Donald Trump to "set him free".

Autobiography

Hynde published an autobiography, Reckless: My Life as a Pretender, on September 8, 2015.

In October 2018, Hynde released a limited edition book of her artworks, titled Adding the Blue, the name being taken from the final track on her 2014 solo album, Stockholm.

Restaurant venture

Hynde opened the VegiTerranean, a vegan restaurant, in the Northside Lofts, Akron, Ohio in November 2007. The restaurant served fusion Italian-Mediterranean food by head chef James Scot Jones. Before the restaurant's opening on September 15, 2007, Hynde performed three songs at the restaurant with Adam Seymour, a former lead guitarist of the Pretenders. The restaurant was voted among the top five vegan restaurants in the U.S. It closed on October 2, 2011, owing to the economic climate, according to Hynde.

Discography

JP, Chrissie and the Fairground Boys

• Fidelity! (2010)

Solo albums

Singles

Notes

References

References

1. (September 7, 2011). "Happy 60th Birthday, Chrissie Hynde!". Starpulse.com.
2. (August 20, 2010). "Chrissie Hynde: Improbable romance leads to new band". [[Los Angeles Daily News]].
3. (December 1986). "Hynde Sight: Our 1986 Chrissie Hynde Cover Story". [[Spin (magazine)]].
4. Cohen, Scott. (December 1986). "Hynde Sight". [[Spin (magazine).
5. Dennis, Justin. (July 24, 2024). "Akron-born rock legend Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders comes 'back to Ohio'". Fox8.com.
6. Loder, Kurt. (1980-05-29). "The Pretenders Ain't Sobbing".
7. Cornwell, Jane. (August 21, 2010). "Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders: Present tense". [[The Australian]].
8. Williams, Mark. (May 28, 2014). "Chrissie Hynde: 'Malcolm McLaren wanted me to dress up like a guy'". [[The Guardian]].
9. (2015). "Reckless". Ebury Press.
10. Price, Simon. (June 10, 2014). "Talker of the Town: Chrissie Hynde Interviewed By Simon Price". [[The Quietus]].
11. (2015). "Reckless". Ebury Press.
12. Shepherd, Fiona. (April 28, 2014). "Chrissie Hynde grabs attention with debut solo LP". [[The Scotsman]].
13. Light, Alan. (October 3, 2008). "Her City's Not Gone, and Neither Is She". [[The New York Times]].
14. (September 22, 2015). "How Chrissie Hynde Nearly Married Two Sex Pistols".
15. "999 – A history Part 1".
16. Loder, K. "Pretenders", p. 13. ''Rolling Stone'', May 29, 1980.
17. Hynde, Chrissie. "No Turn Left Unstoned". The Pretenders Greatest Hits.
18. Letters page, ''NME'', January 21, 1978.
19. Lifton, Dave. (January 19, 2015). "35 Years Ago: The Pretenders Roar to Life with Their Self-Titled Debut". [[Ultimate Classic Rock]].
20. White, Timothy. (October 14, 1995). "Pretenders' Hynde Appreciates the 'View'". [[Billboard (magazine).
21. Shedden, Iain. (May 31, 2015). "Chrissie Hynde the real pretender". [[The Australian]].
22. "The One after the Big One: Pretenders, GET CLOSE".
23. (September 6, 2015). "Chrissie Hynde". CBS News.
24. Allen, Craig. (June 8, 2013). "Meet the Pretenders [PHOTOS, VIDEOS]". [[WKXW]].
25. (January 1, 2012). "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2005". [[The Plain Dealer]].
26. Hinckley, David. (March 15, 2005). "That's Hall Folks!. Rockers Roll in For 20th Induction Ceremony". Daily News.
27. Horowitz, Hal. (October 20, 2016). "The Pretenders: Alone". [[American Songwriter]].
28. "The Pretenders". [[BBC]].
29. "Stevie Nicks and the Pretenders: fandoms collide at first concert of Australian tour". The Guardian.
30. (July 23, 2020). "Hate For Sale critic reviews". Metacritic.
31. (March 10, 2022). "Bob Geldof shows solidarity with Ukraine in fundraising event at London's Roundhouse".
32. (June 20, 2023). "The Pretenders announce surprise set at Glastonbury 2023".
33. (June 24, 2023). "Dave Grohl and Johnny Marr rumored to be surprise guests for the Pretenders Glastonbury set".
34. "The Specials". The Specials.
35. Kot, Greg. (November 25, 1993). "Sassy Aussies". [[Chicago Tribune]].
36. "Single White Female". [[Turner Classic Movies]].
37. Herzog, Kenny. (February 25, 2014). "20 Great Unheralded Morrissey Songs". [[Vulture.com]].
38. "Friends". [[TV Guide]].
39. Duke, Simon. (February 16, 2015). "BBC 6 Music Festival Newcastle: Sage Hall One act profiles – Neneh Cherry, The Charlatans and more". [[Chronicle Live]].
40. "Really Randoms: Chrissie Hynde, Ricky Martin, Jimmy Page".
41. (May 13, 2011). "Origins of the EIB Theme Song". The Rush Limbaugh Show.
42. McCormick, Ken. (October 24, 2014). "Pretenders star Chrissie Hynde to play Bristol – tickets on sale now". [[Bristol Post]].
43. Allen, Craig. (June 15, 2013). "Meet UB40 [PHOTOS, VIDEOS]". [[WKXW]].
44. Soto, Alfred. (August 16, 2005). "Terence Trent D'Arby – Symphony Or Damn". [[Stylus Magazine]].
45. Moran, Paul. (October 11, 2012). "Crossing borders: Spain's Jarabe de Palo". [[Creative Loafing]].
46. Phares, Heather. "Original Soundtrack: Rugrats Go Wild". [[AllMusic]].
47. Masters, Tim. (June 1, 2009). "Pretenders' rockabilly return". [[BBC News]].
48. (January 31, 2004). "Chrissie Hynde – Straight to the point". [[The New Zealand Herald]].
49. "Tube & Berger".
50. (June 17, 2005). "Ringo Starr Thrills Fans in Bryant Park". [[ABC News (United States).
51. (May 18, 2005). "Incubus Tracks To Lead 'Stealth' Soundtrack".
52. Abram, Malcolm X. (October 17, 2008). "Devo's benefit concert whips up vote". Ohio.
53. Davies, Ray. (December 11, 2009). "Observations: Ray Davies' ode to icons of London". [[The Independent]].
54. D'Addario, Daniel. (October 18, 2013). "The ultimate Morrissey memoir playlist". [[Salon (website).
55. (September 3, 2010). "Chrissie Hynde's tell-all album". CNN.
56. "JP, Chrissie & The Fairground Boys". Jpchrissie.com.
57. Graff, Gary. (February 3, 2011). "Faith Hill, Chrissie Hynde Ready for 'Chaotic' Super Bowl Weekend".
58. (July 4, 2008). "BBC Press Office". [[BBC]].
59. Cooke, Jennifer. (May 29, 2010). "Shane MacGowan and Friends – "I Put a Spell on You" (video)". [[PopMatters]].
60. Mansfield, Brian. (March 24, 2014). "Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde to release 'Stockholm'". USA Today.
61. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. (September 26, 2019). "Chrissie Hynde with the Valve Bone Woe Ensemble".
62. (August 28, 2019). "Chrissie Hynde Turns Out Jazzy, Trippy Version of a Kinks Deep Cut: Premiere".
63. (May 21, 2021). "Chrissie Hynde Brings It All Back Home on Her Dylan Covers LP ‘Standing in the Doorway’".
64. (August 13, 2025). "Chrissie Hynde Recruits Brandon Flowers, Dave Gahan, Debbie Harry for Duets Album".
65. (December 14, 2012). "The 10 Best Pretenders Songs". Stereogum.
66. (January 1, 2023). "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time".
67. ''[[Q (magazine). Q]]'', #99, December 1994. Madonna interview by [[Paul Du Noyer]]
68. (October 3, 2017). "Tired of Pretending: An Interview with Chrissie Hynde".
69. (September 28, 2015). "Rock 'n' roll stars nearly wed in Guildford, reveals new book". [[SurreyLive]].
70. (July 18, 1997). "Chrissie Hynde Marries Colombian Artist". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
71. (July 11, 1997). "CHRISSIE'S WEDDING IS A RIGHT PIZZA-UP". [[thefreelibrary.com]].
72. "Homegrown Heroes". The Plain Dealer.
73. Rosen, Steven. (September 8, 2004). "Holy Cow: The Hare Krishna Contribution to Vegetarianism and Animal Rights". Lantern Books.
74. (October 25, 2015). "The trip that changed my life: Chrissie Hynde discovers London". [[CNN]].
75. "City Stars as Hynde's Muse, Pretenders Singer's Passion For Hometown, Its Revitalization Is Clear On Latest Album".
76. (February 6, 2019). "Rocker's sure got a beef". Miami Herald.
77. Grow, Kory. (July 17, 2020). "The Unsinkable Chrissie Hynde". Rolling Stone.
78. (2015). "Reckless". Ebury Press.
79. "Flock Star: Pretender Sticks Up for Chickens".
80. "Star Supporters: Chrissie Hynde".
81. (February 18, 2020). "Chrissie Hynde directly appeals to Trump to drop charges against Julian Assange".
82. "Vegan Italian-Mediterranean Restaurant and Bar".
83. "VegiTerranean NOW Open". Groovyvegetarian.com.
84. (October 3, 2011). "Chrissie Hynde's VegiTerranean restaurant closes". Cantonrep.com.
85. "Chrissie Hynde Chart History: Billboard 200".
86. "Discografie Chrissie Hynde".
87. "Discographie Chrissie Hynde".
88. "Discographie Von Chrissie Hynde".
89. "Discography Chrissie Hynde". Hung Medien.
90. "Discography Chrissie Hynde". Hung Medien.
91. "Discography Chrissie Hynde". Hung Medien.
92. "Discographie Chrissie Hynde".
93. "Jazz Albums: Week of September 21, 2019".
94. "Top Album Sales: Week of September 4, 2021".
95. "Discographie Chrissie Hynde". Hung Medien.
96. "Discografie Chrissie Hynde".
97. "Discographie Chrissie Hynde".
98. "Alternative Airplay: Week of September 10, 1988".
99. "Dance Club Songs: Week of March 6, 2004".