January 5: Chris Stein and Blondie

Lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the band Blondie, Chris Stein was born in Brooklyn to leftwing Jewish parents on this date in 1950. While studying at the School of Visual Arts, Stein photographed the downtown New York scene of the early 1970s and became lovers with Deborah Harry, the singer with whom he created Blondie. The band helped pioneer punk and new wave music while selling than 40 million copies of their nine albums worldwide. Blondie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Stein’s creative collaboration with Harry withstood the dissolution of their relationship in 1989 and his being struck with pemphigus vulgaris, a rare autoimmune disease. Stein has also released two books of photographs and overseen numerous independent music projects. To see them playing their hit, “One Way or Another,” look below.

“We’re a pop art band. Not a pop band.” —Chris Stein