 Not only did Pretenders' frontwoman Chrissie Hynde help bring the sounds of punk and new wave across the Atlantic and into the mainstream, but she set the standard for bad-ass rock 'n' roll chicks everywhere. Hynde, an Akron, Ohio, native, moved to London in the mid-'70s just in time for the explosion of punk. She got into the scene working at the "Sex" boutique owned by Malcolm McLaren and started hanging around Sid Vicious and future members of the Clash and the Damned. In early 1978 Hynde put together a demo that attracted the attention of a local record exec, who offered her a deal. The original incarnation of the group included bassist Pete Farndon, who became Hynde's lover, drummer Martin Chambers and guitarist James Honeyman-Scott. They recorded a cover of the Kinks' "Stop Your Sobbing," which was released to critical acclaim in 1979. It was followed by "Kid" b/w "Tattooed Love Boys," and then the group's first big hit, "Brass in Pocket." The much-anticipated Pretenders II arrived in 1981 with more of Hynde's sexy growl and Honeyman-Scott's rapid-fire riffs. Meanwhile, the band was in turmoil. Strung out on drugs, Farndon became increasingly isolated and was kicked out of the group in 1982. Within a week, Honeyman-Scott was found dead in London from a drug overdose. Less than a year later, Farndon also died. Chambers and Hynde persevered, returning to the studio with guitarist Billy Bremner and bass player Tony Butler to record "Back on the Chain Gang," the band's biggest hit. Hynde then took some time off to give birth to her first daughter, who was fathered by Davies. The two surviving members of the original group formed a new version of the band in 1983, with Robbie McIntosh on guitar and Malcolm Foster on bass. At Live Aid in 1985, Hynde premiered a cover of Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe," with UB40. It was followed the next year with Get Close, the band's fourth album, though Hynde was the only remaining member from the original lineup. It furthered the band's shift toward a middle-of-the-road sound. By the end of the decade, Hynde was spending most of her time raising money for various charities and preaching the benefits of vegetarianism. She divorced Kerr in 1990. The Pretenders' latest effort, Viva El Amor, was released on Warner Bros. in the spring of 1999.
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