Pretenders

Biography

The Pretenders are a British-American rock band formed in March 1978 in London by American-born Chrissie Hynde, who moved from Akron, Ohio to London in 1973. Before forming the Pretenders, Hynde immersed herself in London's punk and new wave scene, working at the music paper NME and at Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's clothes store, while becoming involved with early versions of the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Damned. She assembled the original Pretenders lineup with lead guitarist James Honeyman-Scott, bassist Pete Farndon, and drummer Martin Chambers, all from the United Kingdom. The band's debut album, released in January 1980, became the first UK number one album of the decade and established them as major forces in post-punk rock with their innovative songwriting and raw, stripped-down instrumentation rooted in new wave aesthetics.

The band's early success was marked by critical and commercial hits including "Stop Your Sobbing" (1979), "Kid" (1979), and "Brass in Pocket" (1980), which reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the band was devastated by the drug-related deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983, which could have ended their career. Instead, Hynde and Chambers persevered, recruiting guitarist Robbie McIntosh and bassist Malcolm Foster to record their third album, Learning to Crawl (1984), which became their most commercially successful release and featured iconic hits like "Back on the Chain Gang" (which reached No. 5 in the US), "Middle of the Road," and "2000 Miles." Throughout their four-plus decade career spanning 12 albums, Chrissie Hynde has remained the sole constant member, establishing the Pretenders as a testament to artistic resilience and enduring songwriting excellence in rock music.

Fun Facts

• Chrissie Hynde named the band 'The Pretenders' after 'The Great Pretender,' a 1955 hit by The Platters that was the favorite song of one of her former boyfriends.
• The B-side of 'Middle of the Road,' titled '2000 Miles,' became the theme music for The Rush Limbaugh Show from its inception (except for a few weeks in July and August 1999).
• The Pretenders' debut album, released in January 1980, was the first UK number one album of the entire decade and achieved critical acclaim across Europe, the US, and Australia.
• After the deaths of two founding members within 18 months (Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983), the band could have disbanded, but Hynde's determination to preserve the original music led to the formation of a new lineup that produced their most commercially successful album, Learning to Crawl (1984).

Members

• James Honeyman‐Scott - background vocals, guitar, keyboard, original (from 1978-03 until 1982-06-16)
• Martin Chambers - original, percussion (from 1978-03 until 1985)
• Martin Chambers - drums (drum set), original (from 1978-03 until 1985)
• Martin Chambers - background vocals, original (from 1978-03 until 1985)
• Chrissie Hynde - guitar, lead vocals, original (from 1978-03)
• Pete Farndon - background vocals, electric bass guitar, original (from 1978 until 1982-04-14)
• Malcolm Foster - background vocals, electric bass guitar (from 1982 until 1985)
• Robbie McIntosh - background vocals, guitar (from 1982 until 1987)
• Blair Cunningham - drums (drum set), percussion (from 1985 until 1987)
• T. M. Stevens - electric bass guitar (from 1985 until 1987)
• Johnny Marr - guitar (from 1987 until 1987)
• Andy Hobson - electric bass guitar (from 1993 until 2005)
• Adam Seymour - guitar (from 1993 until 2008)
• James Walbourne (from 2008)
• Carwyn Ellis
• Nick Wilkinson

Original Members

• Chrissie Hynde - guitar, lead vocals, original
• James Walbourne

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Dave Hill (Anchor Records) - Record label executive who heard Hynde's demos and arranged the initial rehearsal studio in Denmark Street, London, facilitating the band's formation (Initial band formation and early recordings) [1978]
• Nick Lowe - Producer of the Pretenders' debut single, helping establish their signature sound (Stop Your Sobbing (1979)) [1978-1979]
• Chris Thomas - Producer credited as the 'fifth Pretender' who produced their third album (Learning to Crawl (1984)) [1983-1984]

Key Collaborators

• James Honeyman-Scott - Lead guitarist and founding member of the original Pretenders lineup (Debut album (1980), Pretenders II (1981)) [1978-1982]
• Pete Farndon - Bassist and founding member of the original Pretenders lineup (Debut album (1980), Pretenders II (1981)) [1978-1983]
• Martin Chambers - Drummer and founding member who continued with the band after the deaths of Honeyman-Scott and Farndon (All albums from 1980-1984 and beyond) [1978-1984+]
• Robbie McIntosh - Guitarist who joined the reformed band after Honeyman-Scott's death (Learning to Crawl (1984) and subsequent albums) [1983-1984+]
• Malcolm Foster - Bassist who joined the reformed band after Farndon's death (Learning to Crawl (1984) and subsequent albums) [1983-1984+]
• Billy Bremner - Rockpile guitarist who participated in recording the comeback single (Back on the Chain Gang (1982)) [1982]
• Tony Butler - Big Country bassist who participated in recording the comeback single (Back on the Chain Gang (1982)) [1982]

Artists Influenced

• Post-punk and new wave artists - The Pretenders' innovative songwriting and raw instrumentation influenced the broader post-punk and new wave movements (Debut album (1980), Learning to Crawl (1984)) [1980s onwards]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. I'll Stand by You (Last of the Independents)
2. Don't Get Me Wrong - 2007 Remaster (Get Close (Expanded & Remastered))
3. Brass in Pocket - 2018 Remaster (Pretenders (2018 Remaster))
4. Back on the Chain Gang - 2007 Remaster (Learning to Crawl (Expanded & Remastered))
5. Don't Get Me Wrong - 2007 Remaster (Get Close (2007 Remaster))
6. Brass in Pocket - 2006 Remaster (Pretenders)
7. 2000 Miles - 2007 Remaster (Learning to Crawl (Expanded & Remastered))
8. Brass in Pocket
9. Middle of the Road - 2007 Remaster (Learning to Crawl (Expanded & Remastered))
10. Hymn to Her - 2007 Remaster (Get Close (2007 Remaster))

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #british, #hard-rock, #jangle-pop