Pat Benatar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pat Benatar
Benatar performing in 1981
Background information
Birth name	Patricia Mae Andrzejewski
Born	(1953-01-10) January 10, 1953 (age 72) New York City, U.S.
Genres	Rock hard rock pop rock
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1972–present
Labels	Chrysalis CMC International Bel Chiasso

Pat Benatar (born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski on January 10, 1953) is a famous American singer and songwriter. She is known for her powerful voice and rock songs. Pat Benatar has sold over 36 million albums around the world. She has won four Grammy Awards, which are big awards in music. In November 2022, she was welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Her first album, In the Heat of the Night, came out in 1979. It became very popular, especially in Canada. Hit songs from this album included "Heartbreaker" and "We Live for Love." Her second album, Crimes of Passion (1980), was even more successful. It featured her well-known song "Hit Me with Your Best Shot."

In 1981, her third album, Precious Time, reached number one in the U.S. The song "Fire and Ice" was a big hit from this album. Her 1982 album, Get Nervous, included the popular song "Shadows of the Night." By 1983, Pat Benatar's music started to sound a bit more like pop. Her song "Love Is a Battlefield" became her biggest hit in many countries. It was number one in the Netherlands and Australia. In 1984, she released the album Tropico, which had the hit song "We Belong."

Her 1985 album, Seven the Hard Way, included the songs "Invincible" and "... as a Weapon." In 1988, she released Wide Awake in Dreamland, which was very popular in Canada, Australia, and the UK. The song "All Fired Up" was a major hit from this album. She continued to release albums between 1991 and 2003.

Early Life and Beginnings

Patricia Mae Andrzejewski was born in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York City, on January 10, 1953. Her mother, Mildred, was a beautician, and her father, Andrew, worked with metal. Her family later moved to Lindenhurst, New York, on Long Island.

Pat trained to be a singer and thought about going to a special music school called the Juilliard School. However, she decided to study health education instead. At 19, she left college to marry her high school boyfriend, Dennis Benatar. She worked at a bank for a while.

Starting a Music Career

Pat Benatar decided to become a singer after seeing a concert by Liza Minnelli. She started by singing at a Holiday Inn and then became a singing waitress at a nightclub. There, she met pianist Phil Coxon, and they formed a band called Coxon's Army. This band became quite popular.

In May 1975, Pat and Dennis moved to New York so she could focus on her singing. She performed at an amateur night at a comedy club called Catch a Rising Star. Her performance impressed the club owner, Rick Newman, who became her manager. She became a regular performer there. In 1976, she also had a role in a rock musical called The Zinger.

A special night for Pat was Halloween in 1977. She went on stage at Catch a Rising Star dressed as a character from a movie. This costume helped create her early stage look. She also recorded jingles for commercials. In 1978, she performed at a club called Tramps, where record company representatives heard her. Soon after, she signed with Chrysalis Records. She and Dennis divorced around this time, but she kept his last name, Benatar.

Music Success in the Early 1980s

First Albums and Hit Songs

Pat Benatar's first album, In the Heat of the Night, came out in August 1979. It reached number 12 on the U.S. Billboard album chart. The album was very successful in Canada, where it reached number 3.

Her second single, "Heartbreaker", released in October 1979, slowly became a hit. It reached number 23 in the U.S. and number 16 in Canada. Her third single, "We Live for Love," written by her future husband Neil Giraldo, was released in February 1980. It became her first top 10 hit in Canada, reaching number 8.

In August 1980, she released her second album, Crimes of Passion. This album included her famous song "Hit Me with Your Best Shot." This song was her first to reach the top 10 in the U.S., selling over a million copies. It was also a top 10 hit in Canada. The album itself reached number 2 in the U.S. in January 1981. A month later, she won her first Grammy Award for "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance" for this album.

Other songs from Crimes of Passion included "Treat Me Right" and "You Better Run." The music video for "You Better Run" was the second music video ever played on MTV. Crimes of Passion stayed on the U.S. album charts for a long time and became her best-selling album in the U.S. and Canada. In October 1980, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo were on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

Continued Success and New Sounds

In July 1981, Pat Benatar released her third album, Precious Time. This album was her first to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S. It was also very successful in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The main song from the album, "Fire and Ice", was another hit. It won Pat Benatar her second Grammy Award for "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance."

Her album Get Nervous was released in 1982. It featured the hit song and music video "Shadows of the Night." This album also sold very well, reaching number 4 in the U.S. "Shadows of the Night" earned Pat Benatar her third Grammy Award. The music video for "Shadows of the Night" was set during World War II and featured actors Judge Reinhold and Bill Paxton before they became famous.

By 1983, Pat Benatar's music started to change from hard rock to a more pop sound. Her song "Love Is a Battlefield", released in December 1983, became one of her biggest hits. The music video for "Love Is a Battlefield" was very popular on MTV. It even featured a group dance scene, similar to Michael Jackson's "Beat It" video. This song reached number 5 in the U.S. and number 1 in Australia and the Netherlands. It also won her fourth Grammy Award.

"Love Is a Battlefield" was one of two new songs on her live album, Live from Earth. This album was recorded during her 'Get Nervous' tour in 1982 and 1983. It was very successful in Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Later Albums and Recent Years

In 1984, Pat Benatar released her fifth album, Tropico. The song "We Belong" from this album became another top 10 hit in the U.S. and other countries. Pat and Neil Giraldo said that with this album, they started trying out new, sometimes "gentler" music styles.

Her 1985 album, Seven the Hard Way, included the rock songs "Invincible" and "... as a Weapon." In July 1988, she released her seventh album, Wide Awake in Dreamland. This album was very popular in the UK, Canada, and Australia. The song "All Fired Up" was a huge hit in Australia.

Pat Benatar released four more albums between 1991 and 2003. These included True Love (1991), which was a blues record, and Gravity's Rainbow (1993). Her album Go (2003) included a song called "Christmas in America" for charity.

Recent Activities

In November 2015, Pat Benatar released a holiday song called "One December Night." In 2017, she released "Shine" to support the Women's March. Later that year, she released "Dancing Through the Wreckage" for a documentary soundtrack. This song reached number 22 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart.

In 2020, Pat Benatar was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was nominated again in 2022 and was officially included in the Hall of Fame class of 2022. In July 2022, Pat Benatar announced that she would stop performing "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" out of respect for victims of recent mass shootings.

Personal Life

In 1972, Pat Benatar married her high school boyfriend, Dennis Benatar. They divorced in 1979. Since 1982, she has been married to her lead guitarist, Neil Giraldo. They live in Malibu, California. They have two daughters, Haley (born in 1985) and Hana (born in 1994). Both of their daughters have appeared on reality TV shows.

In June 2010, Pat Benatar released her memoir, Between a Heart and a Rock Place. A memoir is a book about a person's own life. In her book, she talked about her challenges with her record company and how her career affected her personal life. The book became a New York Times bestseller.

Tours

Pat Benatar has toured many times throughout her career, performing for fans around the world. Here are some of her major tours:

• 1979–1980: Tours for In the Heat of the Night and Crimes of Passion
• 1981: Precious Time Tour
• 1982–1983: Get Nervous Tour, which led to the Live from Earth album
• 1985–1986: Seven the Hard Way Tour
• 1988: Wide Awake in Dreamland Tour
• 1991: True Love Tour with Hall and Oates
• 1993: Gravity's Rainbow Tour (shortened due to pregnancy)
• 1995: Can't Stop Rockin' Tour with Fleetwood Mac and REO Speedwagon
• 1997: Toured with the Steve Miller Band and appeared at Lilith Fair
• 1998: Innamorata Tour
• 1999: Synchronistic Wanderings 20th Anniversary Tour
• 2000: PB2000 Tour
• 2001–2002: Summer Vacation Tour
• 2003: I Won't Go Tour
• 2004: Let's Go Tour
• 2005: Almost II Tour
• 2006: Polyamnesia Off the Rock Tour
• 2007: Summarized Tour
• 2008: Fired Up! Tour
• 2009: Call Me Invincible Tour with Blondie
• 2010: Love on the Run Tour with REO Speedwagon; also toured Australia with The Bangles
• 2011: The Elements of Five Tour
• 2012: Toured with Loverboy and Journey
• 2013: New Zealand tour with Bachman & Turner and America; North American tour with Cheap Trick
• 2014: Dressed to Kill Tour with Cher; 35th Anniversary tour with Rick Springfield
• 2015: 35th Anniversary tour continued (canceled due to Neil Giraldo's eye surgery); acoustic tour with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo
• 2016: We Live For Love Tour with Melissa Etheridge. She donated ticket proceeds in some states to organizations working to change anti-LGBT laws.
• 2017: Let's Go Tour
• 2018: Almost II Tour
• 2019: 40th Anniversary Tour
• 2021–2022: De Novo Tour
• 2023: Summer Carnival (supporting Pink)
• 2023: De Novo Tour
• 2024: Funtastic '24 Tour

Band Members

Even though Pat Benatar is a solo artist, she has worked with a consistent group of talented musicians throughout her career:

• Neil "Spyder" Giraldo is the lead guitarist and has played on all of her albums.
• Myron Grombacher was the drummer on many of her albums and is known for his appearances in her music videos.
• Charlie Giordano played keyboards on several albums and later joined the E Street Band.
• Roger Capps was the original bassist for her first five albums and helped write "Hell Is For Children."
• Scott St. Clair Sheets (Scott Sheets) was an original guitarist and co-wrote the hit "Fire and Ice."
• Mick Mahan has been the band's bassist since 1995.
• Donnie Nossov and Frank Linx were also bassists for some of her albums.
• Glen Alexander Hamilton played drums on her first album.
• Chuck Domanico was the bassist for the True Love album.
• Chris Ralles is the band's current drummer.

Appearances in Media

Benatar and Giraldo, October 2010

• Pat Benatar acted in the film Union City (1980).
• She played a character named Zephyr in a rock musical called The Zinger.
• Benatar has appeared on many TV shows, often as herself. She was on Charmed and Dharma & Greg. In 2001, she played a fictional rock star on the TV show Family Law. She also appeared on That 80's Show.
• She was a special guest at the VH1 Divas concert, where she performed "Heartbreaker" with Lisa Marie Presley.
• In 2003, her music was featured on CMT Crossroads, where she performed with country singer Martina McBride.
• Benatar and Giraldo performed for the Tiny Desk Concerts series by NPR Music in November 2014. They played "We Live For Love," "We Belong," and "Promises In The Dark."

Awards and Recognitions

Pat Benatar has received many awards and nominations for her music:

Discography

• In the Heat of the Night (1979)
• Crimes of Passion (1980)
• Precious Time (1981)
• Get Nervous (1982)
• Live from Earth (1983)
• Tropico (1984)
• Seven the Hard Way (1985)
• Wide Awake in Dreamland (1988)
• True Love (1991)
• Gravity's Rainbow (1993)
• Innamorata (1997)
• Go (2003)

Images for kids

• 

  Benatar performing in Sydney in October 2010

• 

  Benatar performing in 2025

• 

  Benatar with her husband and lead guitarist, Neil Giraldo, in 2009

See also

In Spanish: Pat Benatar para niños