Chrissie Hynde Biography

Rock Musician

One of the few female punk rockers to reach mainstream success, Chrissie Hynde is the longtime leader of the group The Pretenders. Hynde is a child of the '60s revolution: she was attending Kent State University in 1970 during the famous incident when National Guard troops opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War. She moved to London and wrote record and band reviews for the New Musical Express and became involved in the growing punk rock scene. By the late 1970s she had formed her own band, and in 1980 The Pretenders released their first LP, which included the hit single "Brass in Pocket." Two members of the band died in 1982 in separate drug-related incidents, but Hynde continued on with The Pretenders using various lineups throughout the 1980s and '90s. Hynde is also a well-known animal rights activist.