The Punk Rock Blonde: Debbie Harry

“Being hot never hurts!”

Many don’t know this, but Debbie Harry was actually the world’s first rap superstar – at least technically. In 1980, Blondie’s “Rapture” – spit by Harry herself – was the first #1 song in America to feature rap. But before she was a killer MC, Debbie Harry was a model, punk rocker, and gorgeous, black-clad presence at famous venues like CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City. On stage, on posters, and stomping the streets of lower Manhattan – Debbie Harry is the towheaded sex symbol of a generation. 

Photos by Photo by Richard McCaffrey/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images