American rock band Blondie shot to fame in the mid-late 1970s. Founded by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein, the band was a pioneer in the early American new wave and punk scenes and its first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although successful in the United Kingdom and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles including "Heart of Glass", "Call Me", "Rapture" and "The Tide Is High" and became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop, reggae, and early rap music.

Rock Band: Blondie

In the early part of their career, three members of the band, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and Gary Valentine were all living in a loft space located on one floor of a three-story building at 266 Bowery, above a liquor store and restaurant supply store called Globe Slicers, which had been in business since 1947. The Bowery was then a low-rent neighbourhood, and their loft building has been described variously as being old, filthy, graffiti-covered and lacking central heating. Stein has said that the entire rent for the building was around $300 each month. The loft would serve as the band’s unofficial headquarters after Gary Valentine moved onto Chris Stein and Debbie Harry’s floor, and thereafter “Blondie’s Loft” would be where the band would meet up and rehearse, or crash out after a long evening out.

Front Entrance to 266 Bowery	Front Window for Blondie's Apartment

Blondie disbanded after the release of its sixth studio album “The Hunter” in 1982. Debbie Harry continued to pursue a solo career with varied results after taking a few years off to care for partner Chris Stein, who was diagnosed with pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disease of the skin. The band re-formed in 1997, achieving renewed success and a number one single in the United Kingdom with "Maria" in 1999, exactly 20 years after their first UK No.1 single "Heart of Glass".

The group toured and performed throughout the world during the following years, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Blondie has sold 40 million records worldwide and is still active. The band's tenth studio album “Ghosts of Download”, was released in 2014 and their eleventh studio album “Pollinator” was released on May 5, 2017.