Chrissie Hynde facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chrissie Hynde
Hynde in 2013
Born	Christine Ellen Hynde (1951-09-07) September 7, 1951 (age 73) Akron, Ohio, U.S.
Citizenship	United States United Kingdom
Occupation	Singer songwriter musician
Years active	1975–present
Spouse(s)	Jim Kerr ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 1990)​ Lucho Brieva ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 2002)​
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	Rock new wave punk rock
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Labels	Sire WEA Rhino

Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American-British singer, songwriter, and musician. She is best known as a founding member of the rock band The Pretenders. Chrissie Hynde is the lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter for the band. She is the only member who has been with The Pretenders since the very beginning.

Hynde started The Pretenders in Hereford, England, in 1978. The original band members were Pete Farndon, James Honeyman-Scott, and Martin Chambers. She has also recorded songs with many other famous musicians. These include Frank Sinatra, Cher, and UB40. In 2014, Hynde released her first solo album, Stockholm. She was honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 as part of The Pretenders.

Early life and interests

Chrissie Hynde was born in Akron, Ohio, United States. Her father managed a phone book company, and her mother was a part-time secretary. She grew up in a nearby town called Cuyahoga Falls. Chrissie went to Firestone High School in Akron. She once said she was not very interested in high school activities. Instead, she loved going to see bands play music. She would travel to Cleveland just to watch any band perform.

Starting a music career

Hynde became interested in hippie culture and vegetarianism. She studied at Kent State University's Art School for three years. During this time, she joined a band called Sat. Sun. Mat. Mark Mothersbaugh, who later formed the band Devo, was also in this group. Hynde was at Kent State during a sad event on May 4, 1970. A friend's boyfriend was among those who died there.

In May 1973, Hynde moved to London, England. She used her art skills to get a job at an architectural firm. After eight months, she left that job. She then met music journalist Nick Kent and started working at New Musical Express (NME). She wrote articles for the music magazine. Later, Hynde worked at a clothing store owned by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood.

Hynde tried to start a band in France before returning to Cleveland in 1975. There, she joined a rhythm and blues group called Jack Rabbit. After living in Tucson, she went back to France in 1975. She joined a French band called The Frenchies as their singer. In 1976, she returned to London during the early punk rock movement. She tried to form groups with different musicians. These included Jon Moss (who later joined Culture Club) and Mick Jones from The Clash.

Chrissie Hynde really wanted to be in a band. She once said it was hard to see all her friends in bands while she was not. She felt like a "loser" at that time. She also spent a short time with a punk band in 1978. She helped them on guitar while also working on her own band.

Forming The Pretenders

In 1978, Chrissie Hynde made a demo tape of her songs. She gave it to Dave Hill, who owned Real Records. Hill decided to help manage her music career. He told Hynde to take her time and find the right band members. In the spring of 1978, Hynde met bass guitarist Pete Farndon. They then found James Honeyman-Scott (guitar, vocals, keyboards) and Martin Chambers (drums, vocals, percussion).

The band chose the name "The Pretenders." This name came from a 1955 song called "The Great Pretender" by The Platters. They recorded a demo tape with songs like "Precious" and "The Wait." They also covered a Kinks song, "Stop Your Sobbing." Their first single, "Stop Your Sobbing," was released in January 1979. It became a hit in the UK. Their second single, "Kid," also did well.

In November 1979, The Pretenders released their famous song "Brass in Pocket" in the UK. It reached number 1 on January 19, 1980. On the same day, their first album, Pretenders, was released. Both the song and the album became very popular around the world.

The Pretenders playing at London's Dominion Theatre in 1981

The band released an EP (Extended Play) album called Extended Play. Then, Pretenders II came out later that summer. Songs like "Talk of the Town" and "Message of Love" were on both. The band's lineup changed many times over the years. Honeyman-Scott and Farndon sadly passed away in the early 1980s.

After these changes, the band reformed with new members. They released the worldwide hit album Learning to Crawl. Martin Chambers left the band for a while but returned in the mid-1990s. Chrissie Hynde was the only member who stayed with the band through all these changes. In 1994, The Pretenders had another big hit with the song "I'll Stand by You."

Hynde continued to make music and tour with The Pretenders into the new century. They released new albums like Loose Screw (2002), Break Up the Concrete (2008), and Alone (2016).

In 2005, Chrissie Hynde was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Pretenders. The ceremony took place in New York City.

In 2016, the band worked with Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys on the album Alone. Even though Hynde was the only original member on this album, it was released as a Pretenders album. In 2016, Hynde and The Pretenders also opened concerts for Stevie Nicks.

In July 2020, The Pretenders released their 11th studio album, Hate for Sale. Critics liked the album, and it received good reviews.

On March 9, 2022, Hynde performed "I'll Stand By You" at a special concert called Night for Ukraine. This event raised money to help people affected by the conflict in Ukraine. The funds went to a charity appeal.

On June 24, 2023, Hynde and the band played at the Glastonbury Festival. They had guest artists like Johnny Marr and Dave Grohl join them for some songs.

Other musical projects

Chrissie Hynde has worked with many other musicians. She sang backing vocals on albums by Mick Farren and Chris Spedding. She also sang on a song called "Nite Klub" for The Specials' first album. In 1993, she sang a duet with INXS on their album Full Moon, Dirty Hearts. She also provided backing vocals for Morrissey's songs.

In 1994, Hynde sang a duet with Frank Sinatra on his album Duets II. They performed the song "Luck Be a Lady." In 1995, Hynde appeared on the TV show Friends. She played a character named Stephanie Schiffer and sang "Angel of the Morning" and "Smelly Cat" with Lisa Kudrow. Also in 1995, Hynde sang a cover of "Love Can Build a Bridge" with Cher and Neneh Cherry. Eric Clapton played guitar on this song.

Hynde's most popular song collaboration was in 1985 with UB40. They covered Sonny and Cher's song "I Got You Babe." This song reached number 1 on the UK singles chart. It also reached number 28 in the U.S.

Hynde in 2007

On April 10, 1999, Hynde led a concert called "Here, There and Everywhere – A Concert for Linda." This concert was a memorial for her friend Linda McCartney. The money raised went to charities that help animals. The Pretenders were the backing band for all the artists at this event.

In 1999, Hynde played guitar and sang with Sheryl Crow on the song "If It Makes You Happy" at a concert in Central Park. Hynde also sang a duet with her friend Emmylou Harris in 1998. This was for a tribute album to Gram Parsons. She also recorded a song with the Spanish band Jarabe de Palo. In 2003, she provided the voice for a character in the movie Rugrats Go Wild. She sang a duet with Bruce Willis in the film.

In 2004, Hynde lived in São Paulo, Brazil, for a few months. She played music with Brazilian musician Moreno Veloso. She also sang on the song "Straight Ahead" by Tube & Berger. This song became a number 1 hit on the Billboard charts. In 2005, she sang with Ringo Starr on his album Choose Love. She also worked with Incubus on a song for the movie Stealth.

On October 17, 2008, she performed at a benefit concert for Barack Obama in Akron, Ohio. Other bands from Akron, like Devo and The Black Keys, also performed.

Hynde sang on Ray Davies' Christmas single "Postcard From London" in 2009. She also sang on Morrissey's album Years of Refusal that same year.

Hynde and Welsh singer J.P. Jones formed a band called "J.P., Chrissie and the Fairground Boys." They released an album called Fidelity in 2010.

On February 5, 2011, Hynde and The Pretenders performed live with country singer Faith Hill on the show CMT Crossroads.

Hynde also performed with John Cale and Nick Cave for a BBC program in 1999. In 2010, she joined Nick Cave again to sing "I Put a Spell on You" to help with the Haiti disasters. Many other musicians were in the song and music video.

Hynde released her solo album Stockholm on June 10, 2014. This album included contributions from Neil Young and John McEnroe.

On September 6, 2019, Hynde released Valve Bone Woe. This was a jazz/pop album of cover songs. It reached number 1 on the UK Jazz and Blues chart.

Singing style and influence

Chrissie Hynde performing in 2021 at the Royal Opera House

Chrissie Hynde has a deep, rich singing voice. She has said that she did not have formal voice training. She believes that unique voices in rock music come from years of experience and strong feelings. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine listed Hynde as one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

In 1994, Madonna talked about Chrissie Hynde. Madonna said she saw Hynde perform in Central Park in 1980. She thought Hynde was amazing and had a lot of confidence. Madonna said seeing Hynde gave her courage and inspiration.

Personal life

Chrissie Hynde was born in the United States but also has UK citizenship. She has two daughters. Her daughter Natalie was born in 1983 with Ray Davies. She married Jim Kerr, the lead singer of Simple Minds, in 1984. They had a daughter named Yasmin in 1985. They divorced in 1990. Hynde was also married to artist Lucho Brieva from 1997 to 2002.

She follows Vaishnavism, a part of Hinduism. She travels to India every year to learn more about it.

Hynde lives in London and also has an apartment in her hometown of Akron, Ohio.

Chrissie Hynde is a strong supporter of animal rights. She has said that becoming a vegetarian was a very important decision for her. She supports groups like PETA and Viva!.

Autobiography and art

Hynde published her autobiography, Reckless: My Life as a Pretender, on September 8, 2015.

In October 2018, Hynde released a special book of her artworks. It was called Adding the Blue. This name came from a song on her 2014 solo album, Stockholm.

Restaurant business

The VegiTerranean restaurant and bar and bakery at Northside Lofts, 21 Furnace St., Akron, Ohio

In November 2007, Chrissie Hynde opened a vegan restaurant in Akron, Ohio. It was called the VegiTerranean. The restaurant served Italian-Mediterranean style food. Before it opened, Hynde performed some songs there. The restaurant was named one of the top five vegan restaurants in the U.S. However, it closed on October 2, 2011, due to economic reasons.

Discography

JP, Chrissie and the Fairground Boys

• Fidelity! (2010)

Solo albums

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Chrissie Hynde para niños