Chrissie Hynde, originally from Akron, OH moved to London in ’73 and found work with the New Musical Express (NME), a weekly music newspaper, and at trendy clothing shops. Those very visible jobs led to her involvement with many emerging acts including the Sex Pistols and The Clash. But after being in and out of a number of unsuccessful bands Hynde recorded a demo that led to another demo and finally a record deal. Needing a permanent band for recording Hynde formed The Pretenders in 1978. The name came from the ’59 Platters’ song “The Great Pretender,” which had been a favorite of an ex-boyfriend. Having released their platinum certified self-titled album, often regarded as one of the best debut albums of all time (with “Stop Your Sobbing,” “Brass In Pocket” and the jangling “Mystery Achievement), and “Pretenders II” (containing “Message Of Love,” “I Go To Sleep” and “Talk Of The Town”) The Pretenders’ story took tragic turns. Bassist Peter Farndon’s escalating drug and alcohol abuse had come to a head. The decision was made to kick him out of the band. Ironically, two days later (6/16/82), guitarist James Honeyman-Scott died of heart failure as a result of cocaine intolerance. Farndon wasn’t any luckier. A year later, he passed out after taking heroin and drowned in his bathtub. Back On The Chain Gang Only Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers were left. They started working with Rockpile guitarist Billy Bremner and bassist Tony Butler recording “My City Was Gone” and “Back On The Chain Gang.” Then Robbie McIntosh and his pal Malcolm Foster were installed on guitar and bass. Hynde, Chambers, McIntosh and Foster recorded the rest of the tracks on the group’s premier album “Learning To Crawl.” It peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200. The set featured the rollicking hit “Middle Of The Road,” reached #5 on the Billboard 200 becoming the band’s highest charting record. Band instability, a true Pretender’s trait, surfaced again. During the “Get Close” sessions Chambers was sacked and that led Foster to also leave. “My whole argument was that Martin Chambers was the rhythm section of The Pretenders and it didn’t really matter who was playing bass,” Foster explained. “So I just said I didn’t want to be involved anymore.” Hynde and McIntosh finished the album supported by session musicians. The “Get Close” album, with “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” landed in ‘86. The supporting tour saw Foster reinstated but McIntosh left in ’87, replaced by ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who remained with the group until early ’88. “Packed,” with “Never Do That” and “Sense Of Purpose,” arrived in ’90. Four years passed before “Last Of The Independents,” containing the emotional ballad “I’ll Stand By You,” arrived. Chambers played on four tracks on the band’s sixth album. “¡Viva El Amor!” (Spanish for ‘Long Live Love‘) marked Chambers’ full-time return. Don’t Get Me Wrong I’ll Stand By You Aside from her musical career Hynde, a vegan, was also known as a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) activist. In ’00 she was charged with criminal damage after allegedly using a knife to rip leather and suede clothing displayed in the window of a New York branch of the Gap fashion chain. Hynde and three other PETA members were later released. Then. four years later, Hynde led a protest against KFC in France, where she and other activists shut down traffic by blocking the street and smeared the restaurant’s windows with red paint which symbolized the blood of dead chickens. And in ’24, Hynde was detained by police following a PETA protest outside a Paris KFC. In town for a festival performance days later. She told reporters that she was willing to pay any fine but planned to continue the protest. Her other animal rights activities ranged from opening a vegan restaurant to calling for an end to New York City’s horse drawn carriage business. Getting back to the music, ’20s “Hate For Sale” was the first Pretenders album since ’02’s “Loose Screw” to feature Chambers, who was absent from “Break The Concrete” (’08).  the band’s first U.S. Top 40 album in in twenty-two years, and “Alone” (’16). It was also the first album cover in decades to have a band photo. All the covers between Learning To Crawl” and “Hate For Sale” featured only Hynde – another telltale sign of the band’s volatility. Fifteen years earlier, only Hynde and Chambers attended The Pretenders’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (’05). In her acceptance speech, Hynde remembered the musicians who’d been in the group before making a special, if cryptic, tribute. “We’re paying tribute to James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, without whom we wouldn’t be here. And on the other hand, without us, they might have been here, but that’s the way it works in Rock ‘n’ Roll.” ### The post The Pretenders appeared first on RockinTown.