Chrissie Hynde facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie 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 musician. She is best known as a founding member of the rock band The Pretenders. Chrissie Hynde is the band's lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter. She and drummer Martin Chambers are the only original members still in the band. Chrissie has been on every album the Pretenders have released.

Hynde started the Pretenders in Hereford, England, in 1978. The original band included Pete Farndon, James Honeyman-Scott, and Martin Chambers. She has also sung with many other famous musicians. These include Frank Sinatra, Cher, and UB40. In 2014, Chrissie Hynde released her first solo album, Stockholm. In 2005, she was welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Pretenders.

Early Life and Music Dreams

Chrissie Hynde was born in Akron, Ohio. Her mother was a part-time secretary, and her father managed for the Yellow Pages. She went to Firestone High School in Akron. Chrissie said she was not very interested in high school. She loved going to see bands play, especially in Cleveland. She dreamed of bigger things, like meeting famous musicians.

Starting Out in Music

Hynde became interested in the hippie movement and vegetarianism. She studied art at Kent State University 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.

In 1973, Chrissie moved to London. She worked at an architectural firm for a short time. Then, she got a job writing for the music magazine New Musical Express (NME). Later, she worked at a clothing store owned by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. Chrissie tried to start a band in France before returning to Cleveland in 1975. She went back to France in 1976 to try again, but it didn't work out.

She returned to London during the early punk music scene. Chrissie tried to join different bands. She even tried to form a group with Mick Jones from the Clash. She also spent a short time with the punk band Johnny Moped.

The Pretenders: A Rock Journey

In 1978, Chrissie Hynde made a demo tape. She gave it to Dave Hill, who owned Real Records. Hill became her manager and helped her form a band. In the spring of 1978, Chrissie met bass guitarist Pete Farndon. They chose James Honeyman-Scott (guitar, vocals, keyboards) and Martin Chambers (drums, vocals, percussion) to join them. They named the band the Pretenders. This name came from the Platters' 1955 song "The Great Pretender".

First Hits and Albums

The band 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." It reached number 1 in the UK 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 in London in 1981

The band released an EP 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 members changed many times over the next ten years.

Continuing Success

After some changes, the band released their next album, Learning to Crawl. This album was a worldwide hit. Martin Chambers left the band in the mid-1980s. The album Get Close was released in 1986. It included popular songs like "Don't Get Me Wrong" and "My Baby".

Chrissie Hynde was the only original member who stayed with the band through all these changes. Martin Chambers returned in the mid-1990s. In 1994, the band had another hit song, the ballad "I'll Stand by You".

The Pretenders continued to make new music and tour around the world. They released 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 Chrissie was the only original member on this album, it was released as a Pretenders album. In 2016, Hynde and the Pretenders opened concerts for Stevie Nicks.

In July 2020, the Pretenders released their 11th studio album, Hate for Sale. Critics liked the album very much.

In 2022, Chrissie Hynde sang "I'll Stand By You" at a special concert called Night for Ukraine. This event raised money to help people in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

In June 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 Adventures

Chrissie Hynde has sung on many other projects. She sang backing vocals for 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.

In 1994, Chrissie recorded a duet with Frank Sinatra for his album Duets II. They sang 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, Chrissie sang a cover of "Love Can Build a Bridge" with Cher and Neneh Cherry. Eric Clapton played guitar on this song.

Chrissie Hynde in 2007

Chrissie Hynde's most famous collaboration outside of the Pretenders was in 1985. She teamed up with UB40 to cover Sonny and Cher's song "I Got You Babe." This song became a number 1 hit in the UK and reached number 28 in the U.S.

In 1999, Chrissie Hynde led a memorial concert for her friend Linda McCartney. The concert raised money for animal rights charities. The Pretenders were the backing band for all the artists.

Chrissie also sang with Sheryl Crow on the song "If It Makes You Happy" at a concert in Central Park. She sang a duet with her friend Emmylou Harris called "She" for a tribute album to Gram Parsons. Chrissie also sang with the Spanish band Jarabe de Palo. In 2003, she provided the voice for Siri, a clouded leopard, in the movie Rugrats Go Wild. She sang a duet with Bruce Willis in the film.

In 2004, Chrissie Hynde moved to São Paulo, Brazil, for a few months to play with musician Moreno Veloso. She also sang on Tube & Berger's song "Straight Ahead" in 2004. This song became a number 1 hit on the Billboard dance charts. In 2005, she sang with Ringo Starr on his album Choose Love. She also worked with Incubus on a song called "Neither Of Us Can See" for the movie Stealth.

In 2008, she performed at a benefit concert in Akron, Ohio, for Barack Obama. She was an opening act for Devo.

Chrissie 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.

In 2011, Hynde and the Pretenders performed live with Faith Hill on CMT Crossroads. They sang songs from both their music catalogs.

Chrissie Hynde released a new solo album, Stockholm, in 2014. It featured contributions from Neil Young and John McEnroe.

In 2019, Hynde released Valve Bone Woe, a jazz/pop album of cover songs. It was produced by Marius de Vries. The album reached number 1 on the UK Jazz and Blues chart.

Chrissie Hynde's Style and Impact

Chrissie Hynde performing in 2021 at the Royal Opera House

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

Personal Life

Chrissie Hynde was born in the United States but also has UK citizenship.

In 1983, Hynde had a daughter, Natalie, with Ray Davies. In 1984, she married Jim Kerr, the lead singer of the band Simple Minds. They had a daughter named Yasmin in 1985. They divorced in 1990. Chrissie was married to Colombian 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.

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

Hynde is a strong supporter of animal rights. She has been a vegetarian for a long time and calls it "the best thing that ever happened to me." She supports groups like PETA and Viva!.

Autobiography and Art

Chrissie Hynde published her autobiography, Reckless: My Life as a Pretender, in 2015.

In 2018, she released a special book of her artworks called Adding the Blue. The name came from a song on her 2014 solo album, Stockholm.

Restaurant Venture

The VegiTerranean restaurant in Akron, Ohio

In November 2007, Chrissie Hynde opened the VegiTerranean. It was a vegan restaurant in Akron, Ohio. The restaurant served Italian-Mediterranean food. It was voted one of the top five vegan restaurants in the U.S. However, it closed in October 2011 due to the economy.

Discography

JP, Chrissie and the Fairground Boys

• Fidelity! (2010)

Solo albums

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Chrissie Hynde para niños