Dinner with
David Bowie, kissing with Jackie Wilson, close encounters with Iggy Pop, Rod
Stewart and Ron Wood. Not even 20, still less a rock goddess, but Chrissie
Hynde wasn’t hanging around. The talented, charismatic writer-singer escaped
Ohio for Britain in 1973, hoping to form a rock’n’roll band. She befriended
journalist Nick Kent, designer Vivienne Westwood, hustler Malcolm McLaren and
famous musicians from Nick Lowe to Lemmy. She wrote for The NME and narrowly
avoided becoming Mrs. Sid Vicious. Meeting Pete Farndon, James Honeyman-Scott
and Martin Chambers, Chrissie finally realised her dream: The Pretenders, one
of the world’s most exciting, enduring and best-loved rock groups.



 



   The Pretenders proved revelatory, lashing
hard rock to the sexy, sassy swagger of streetwise punk and catchy,
chart-busting pop. ‘Brass In Pocket’ was a worldwide hit. America took to its
heart the ex-pat from the Heartlands, as Chrissie became an international star
and a reluctant flagbearer for rock’s sisterhood.



 



  
Weathering tragic loss, The Pretenders have continued to make great
music. Combining dry wit with diligent research and a deep knowledge of rock
music, Richard Butterworth appraises The Pretenders’ turbulent, vital early
years: from Chrissie’s arrival in Britain, through the band’s 1978 birth to
1990 and their fifth album. Enjoy the ride