The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original line-up consisted of Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion). Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983, the band underwent numerous line-up changes. Hynde has remained the only continuous member.
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The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original line-up consisted of Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion). Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983, the band underwent numerous line-up changes. Hynde has remained the only continuous member.
The band achieved chart success with songs including "Kid" (1979), "Brass in Pocket" (1979), "Talk of the Town" (1980), "Message of Love" (1981), "My City Was Gone" (1982), "Back on the Chain Gang" (1982), "Middle of the Road" (1983), "2000 Miles" (1983), "Don't Get Me Wrong" (1986), "My Baby" (1986), and "I'll Stand by You" (1994). The Pretenders were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
Chrissie Hynde, originally from Akron, Ohio, moved to London in 1973. She worked for the music publication NME and at Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's clothing shop. During the mid-1970s she was associated with early members of groups such as the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Damned, and played in short-lived bands including Masters of the Backside and the Moors Murderers.
The Pretenders formed in 1978 after Anchor Records executive Dave Hill heard demo recordings of Hynde's songs and encouraged her to form a band. After early rehearsals with temporary musicians, Hynde recruited Pete Farndon, James Honeyman-Scott, and drummer Gerry Mcilduff. Mcilduff was soon replaced by Martin Chambers. The band recorded several songs in 1978, including a cover of the Kinks song "Stop Your Sobbing". Hynde named the group after the song "The Great Pretender" by the Platters.
The band's first single, "Stop Your Sobbing", produced by Nick Lowe, was released in February 1979. It was followed by "Kid" in June 1979. In January 1980, "Brass in Pocket" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and also charted in the United States. Their debut album "Pretenders" was released the same month and achieved commercial and critical success.
The second album, "Pretenders II", was released in August 1981 and included songs such as "The Adultress", "Birds of Paradise", "Bad Boys Get Spanked", and "The English Roses". In September 1981, the band appeared on the television programme "Fridays", performing "The Adultress", "Message of Love", and "Louie, Louie".
In June 1982, Pete Farndon was dismissed from the band due to drug-related issues. Two days later, James Honeyman-Scott died of heart failure related to cocaine use. Farndon died the following year in April 1983. Hynde and Chambers continued the band and recorded the single "Back on the Chain Gang" in 1982 with Billy Bremner and Tony Butler. The song became a major success in the United States. Its B-side, "My City Was Gone", later became widely known as the theme music of "The Rush Limbaugh Show".
A new line-up consisting of Hynde, Chambers, Robbie McIntosh (guitar), and Malcolm Foster (bass) recorded the single "Middle of the Road". The band's third album, "Learning to Crawl", was released in 1984 and produced by Chris Thomas. The Pretenders also performed at the charity concert "Live Aid" in 1985.
During the mid-1980s the band experienced further personnel changes. The album "Get Close" was released in 1986 and included the singles "Don't Get Me Wrong", which was featured in the film "Gung Ho", and "Hymn to Her". Both "Don't Get Me Wrong" and "My Baby" reached number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in the United States. Guitarist Johnny Marr later joined the group for a short period in 1987–1988.
In 1990 Hynde recorded the album "Packed!" using session musicians. In 1993 she formed a new line-up with guitarist Adam Seymour. The resulting album "Last of the Independents" was released in 1994 and included the singles "Night in My Veins" and "I'll Stand by You", the latter becoming one of the band's best-known songs.
In 1999 Hynde organised the memorial concert "Here, There and Everywhere – A Concert for Linda" at the Royal Albert Hall in tribute to Linda McCartney, with the Pretenders serving as the backing band. The band released the album "Viva el Amor" the same year and collaborated with Tom Jones on the album "Reload".
The Pretenders released the compilation album "Greatest Hits" in 2000 and the studio album "Loose Screw" in 2002. In March 2005 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The album "Break Up the Concrete" was released in 2008 and became the band's first top 40 album in the United States in more than two decades.
In 2016 the band released their tenth studio album, "Alone", on which Hynde was the only official member, with session musicians providing the instrumental performances. The Pretenders continued touring during the late 2010s.
The album "Hate for Sale" was released in 2020 after a delay related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A planned tour with Journey that year was cancelled. In 2022 the band performed at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium. In 2023 they released the album "Relentless" and resumed extensive touring in Europe and North America. The group released the live album "Kick 'Em Where It Hurts" in 2025 and also toured South America around the same period.
Studio albums
Pretenders (1980)
Pretenders II (1981)
Learning to Crawl (1984)
Get Close (1986)
Packed! (1990)
Last of the Independents (1994)
¡Viva El Amor! (1999)
Loose Screw (2002)
Break Up the Concrete (2008)
Alone (2016)
Hate for Sale (2020)
Relentless (2023)
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…shrink me down again