the autograph collection of
Brian Borup
Debbie Harry (Blondie)
The E Center - Aug 18th 1999
It was a free ticket weekend (my favorite kind of weekend) on 107.5, the end. I just happened to be the lucky caller and
picked myself up two tickets to see Blondie at the E Center in Salt Lake City on August 18th, 1999. I had never been to a
show at the E Center so I was anxious to see if I liked the venue. I normally prefer something smaller and more intimate.
I was surprised to find that the E Center is a good place to see a concert. I took my friend, Craig, with me since I knew
he had a "thing" for the young Debbie Harry. Towards the end of the show I leaned over to Craig and said, "I wouldn't be
surprised if I could get an autograph." He thought it was worth a try because he wanted to be up close to Debbie.
We hung around after the show in hopes that the band might come back out and sign stuff. It wasn't too long before we had people clearing us out. We didn't move too quickly. As we were about out the doors, we noticed a group of people congregating with backstage passes. Then one guy, as he was headed out the door, said, "Here, want this?" And he put a backstage pass in my hands. Cool! I said, "Got another one?" Unfortunately he didn't. I tried to get Craig to come with me and just pretend that he knew what he was doing. But they wouldn't let him in back. I thought for a minute that I should give him the pass, but then I got hold of my senses and again and went backstage to meet the band.
The security people took us down the hall and into a room where we were to wait for the band to come in. While we were waiting I started talking to a guy at the same table. It turned out that he was "Vince Clorthough" on 107.5 the end. He asked if I would take a picture of him, his friend, and the band. I said, "Of course." I then asked him if he would do the same for me with his camera. (Since I wasn't prepared for this.) So when the band came out I had Debbie Harry sign my newly acquired backstage pass and a ticket stub (for Craig) and then I had my picture taken with her. If I ever do get that picture, I will be sure to post here.
Craig was slightly bummed out when I came from backstage. But he was a bit happier when I gave him the autographed ticket stub.
About Blondie
Blondie was the most commercially successful band to emerge from the much vaunted punk/new wave movement of the late '70s. The group was formed in New York City in August 1974 by singer Deborah Harry (b. July 1, 1945, Miami), formerly of Wind in the Willows, and guitarist Chris Stein (b. Jan. 5, 1950, Brooklyn) out of the remnants of Harry's previous group, the Stilettos. The lineup fluctuated over the next year. Drummer Clement Burke (b. Nov. 24, 1955, New York) joined in May 1975. Bassist Gary Valentine joined in August. In October, keyboard player James Destri (b. Apr. 13, 1954) joined, to complete the initial permanent lineup. They released their first album, Blondie, on Private Stock Records in December 1976. In July 1977, Valentine was replaced by Frank Infante.In August, Chrysalis Records bought their contract from Private Stock and in October reissued Blondie and released the second album, Plastic Letters. Blondie expanded to a sextet in November with the addition of bassist Nigel Harrison (born Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, England), as Infante switched to guitar. Blondie broke commercially in the U.K. in March 1978, when their cover of Randy and the Rainbows' 1963 hit "Denise," renamed "Denis," became a Top Ten hit, as did Plastic Letters, followed by a second U.K. Top Ten, "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear." Blondie turned to U.K. producer/songwriter Mike Chapman for their third album, Parallel Lines, which was released in September 1978 and eventually broke them worldwide. "Picture This" became a U.K. Top 40 hit, and "Hanging on the Telephone" made the U.K. Top Ten, but it was the album's third single, the disco-influenced "Heart of Glass," that took Blondie to #1 in both the U.K. and the U.S. "Sunday Girl" hit #1 in the U.K. in May, and "One Way or Another" hit the U.S. Top 40 in August. Blondie followed with their fourth album, Eat to the Beat, in October. Its first single, "Dreaming," went Top Ten in the U.K., Top 40 in the U.S. The second U.K. single, "Union City Blue," went Top 40. In March 1980, the third U.K. single from Eat to the Beat, "Atomic," became the group's third British #1. (It later made the U.S. Top 40.)
Meanwhile, Harry was collaborating with German disco producer Giorgio Moroder on "Call Me," the theme from the movie American Gigolo. It became Blondie's second transatlantic chart topper. Blondie's fifth album, Autoamerican, was released in November 1980, and its first single was the reggaeish tune "The Tide Is High," which went to #1 in the U.S. and U.K. The second single was the rap-oriented "Rapture," which topped the U.S. pop charts and went Top Ten in the U.K. But the band's eclectic style reflected a diminished participation by its members -- Infante sued, charging that he wasn't being used on the records, though he settled and stayed in the lineup. But in 1981, the members of Blondie worked on individual projects, notably Harry's gold-selling solo album, KooKoo. The Best of Blondie was released in the fall of the year. The Hunter, Blondie's sixth and last new album, was released in July 1982, preceded by the single "Island of Lost Souls," a Top 40 hit in the U.S. and U.K. "War Child" also became a Top 40 hit in the U.K., but The Hunter was a commercial disappointment. At the same time, Stein became seriously ill with the genetic disease pemphigus. As a result, Blondie broke up in October 1982, with Deborah Harry launching a part-time solo career while caring for Stein, who eventually recovered. In 1998, the original line-up of Harry, Stein, Destri and Burke reunited to tour Europe, their first series of dates in 16 years; a new LP, No Exit, followed early the next year.
-- William Ruhlmann, All-Music Guide
Other Blondie CDs
