Long-running and highly influential rock band the Pretenders had its roots in the London punk scene of the late ’70s, but from its earliest releases the band’s music stood apart from the sound of its contemporaries within that scene. Unlike the punched-up, adrenalized punk rock of the Sex Pistols or the Clash, the Pretenders created more pop-savvy sounds, built on chiming guitars, deftly syncopated rhythms, and the pensive, self-aware songwriting of bandleader Chrissy Hynde.

The band’s 1980 self-titled debut and its 1982 follow-up Pretenders II featured a lineup of Akron, Ohio native Hynde on vocals and guitars, with Brit bandmates James Honeyman-Scott on guitar, Pete Farndon on bass, and Martin Chambers on drums. The group’s dynamic, innovative sound had commercial impact and earned great fan response, and was well-showcased on tunes such as “Brass in Pocket,” “Precious,” and “Message of Love.” But within a year after the release of Pretenders II both Honeyman-Scott and Farndon were dead of drug overdoses. Hynde successfully rebuilt the band for 1983’s Learning to Crawl, which featured the hit single “Middle of the Road.”

The band has toured and recorded sporadically over the past 25 years, with Hynde helming shifting lineups and allowing the group’s music to evolve without ever losing its distinctive edge. In 1995, when many original punks were plotting reunion tours, Hynde and the Pretenders scored a Top 40 hit with the ballad “I’ll Stand By You.” In 2005, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the fall of 2008, a new Hynde-led Pretenders lineup released Break Up the Concrete. Legendary session drummer Jim Keltner is featured on the record, though mainstay Chambers continues to tour with the band.

Provenance: London, England

Latest Release: Break Up the Concrete (2008)



© 2008 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.

<--- Back