With her swagger, signature shag haircut, electric guitar and breathy voice, Chrissie Hynde encapsulates a detached ambivalence rockers wish they could imitate. As the lead singer of The Pretenders, Hynde is the core reason many fans were drawn to the band in the late 1970s.
Hynde was born in Akron, Ohio in 1951. Eventually, she relocated to London, her move coinciding with the height of the British punk scene in the 70s. During this time she would play with seminal rockers who would go on to start bands like The Clash and The Damned. At this time, she also met James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon and Martin Chambers, all of whom were from Hertford. Together, they would start The Pretenders.
The Pretenders gained success with their self-titled album released in 1979. Their first single, “Stop Your Sobbing” (A cover of a song by The Kinks) reached #34 on the Top 40 charts in the UK and #65 in the U.S. However, the song that shot the band into the public sphere was their third single, “Brass in Pocket.”
Hynde expresses in a 2004 interview with the Observer that “when we recorded the song I wasn’t very happy with it and told my producer that he could release it over my dead body, but they eventually persuaded me.” Though there would be other massive hits, the song has become one the band’s most widely-loved pieces.
Hynde was not only the lead singer of the band – she wrote the songs, played the guitar and acted as the frontwoman. And while the band may not be considered traditional punk today, Hynde has always upheld the values of punk and rock n’ roll in her music. Even after the band’s achievements and her own success as a solo icon, Hynde maintains loyalty to her core values in terms of music.
In an interview with NPR about her 2014 solo album “Stockholm” she states, “See, the thing is, again we’re really going back now ‘cause I’m old school now, but I’m very traditional. And I think there’s rules but there’s no rules. So in being traditional, as far as rock n’ roll, its anti-establishment.”
The original band would stay together till the early 80s until bassist Peter Fardon was kicked out for his drug use and guitarist Honeyman-Scott passed away from heart failure.
Despite this, The Pretenders continued performing and putting out hits like 1994’s “Stand by You.” Eventually, the band would dwindle down to just Hynde and touring session players. They have not played since 2012.
However, In 2015, Hynde went on to publish her memoir titled “ Reckless: My Life as a Pretender.” Sadly, most of the press focused not on the content of Hynde’s story, but on Hynde’s unsavory comments that implied victims were to blame for rape.
The book stated in the context of Hynde’s rape at 21 years old, “If I’m walking around in my underwear and I’m drunk? Who else’s fault can it be? If I’m walking around and I’m very modestly dressed and I’m keeping to myself and someone attacks me, then I’d say that’s his fault … You know, if you don’t want to entice a rapist, don’t wear high heels so you can’t run from him.”
In an interview with NPR, Hynde responded to the criticism she received stating, “I’d rather say, just don’t buy the f****** book, then, if I’ve offended someone. Don’t listen to my records. Cause I’m only telling you my story, I’m not here trying to advise anyone or tell anyone what to do or tell anyone what to think, and I’m not here as a spokesperson for anyone. I’m just telling my story.”
The comment was especially prevalent due to a recent piece put out by fellow female rock icon Jackie Fuchs of Fox of The Runaways, in The Huffington Post, talking about her time in the band and her sexual assault at the hands of manager Kim Fowley Fuchs. This perhaps put best in an interview with Yahoo music that stated “I don’t want to cast a stone at Chrissie Hynde — just at that one particular statement. Because it’s a really dangerous message.”
While Hynde’s notoriety in recent years has been due to these unfortunate comments, she herself has been a pioneer for other women in the music industry.
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