Chrissie Hynde

Tough, uncompromising, controversial and supremely talented, Chrissie Hynde led The Pretenders to a string of classic new wave pop hits in the 1980s including Brass In Pocket, Precious, Kid, 2000 Miles and Don't Get Me Wrong as she became one of the most iconic women in rock. Born in Akron, Ohio, Hynde followed her rock and roll dreams to London where she wrote for the NME and found herself in the middle of the punk explosion, hanging out with Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols. She was briefly in a variety of bands (including an early incarnation of The Damned) before forming The Pretenders in 1978. They hit Number 1 in the UK with Brass In Pocket just over a year later and with a sound that mixed post punk attitude and Phil Spector-melodies and heralded a sharp new beginning at the start of the 1980s. The band went on to have a career that stretched over 30 years, while Hynde went on to have a varied solo career. She topped the UK charts by collaborating with UB40 on I Got You Babe and with Cher, Eric Clapton and Neneh Cherry on the Comic Relief charity record Love Can Build A Bridge in 1995. She also recorded with a varied selection of artists, including Frank Sinatra, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Willis, Ringo Starr, Emmylou Harris, Morrissey and Brazilian Merino Veroso. In 2010 Hynde formed a new band with Welsh performer JP Jones, called JP, Chrissie & the Fairground Boys, releasing their debut album Fidelity the same year. In 2014 she finally released her first official solo album Stockholm, featuring guest appearances from Neil Young and ex-tennis star John McEnroe. Away from music Hynde is a strict vegan, animal rights activist and loyal campaigner for animal rights group PETA. She was also formerly married to Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr and had a child with Ray Davies of The Kinks.