Pioneers of New York New Wave: Debbie Harry on the Bands That Shaped a Movement

Before the explosion of new wave in New York, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein were already deeply entrenched in the city’s burgeoning underground music scene. Frequenting renowned punk venues such as CBGB and Club 82, the duo played a crucial role in shaping what would later become one of the most influential musical movements of the late 20th century. Even before Blondie’s meteoric rise, they were laying the groundwork for a new era of sound and style.

In the early days, the scene thrived on raw energy and instinctive performances. The philosophy was simple: less thinking, more feeling. While meticulous effort went into songwriting and arrangements behind the scenes, the live shows were all about visceral impact and spontaneity.

This is where Harry and Stein excelled—not just in stage presence but in their overall musical approach. They initially joined The Stilettos, a band formed alongside Elda Gentile, Billy O’Connor, Fred Smith, and Rosie Ross. With their unfiltered energy and fearless approach to performance, The Stilettos embodied the chaotic spirit of the evolving punk and new wave sound, setting the stage for what was to come.

One of the defining aspects of their appeal was their challenge to traditional rock group dynamics. At a time when commercial music was largely male-dominated and formulaic, The Stilettos presented a more progressive and inclusive image. The integration of both male and female musicians into a single, unified force was groundbreaking. This vision of equality and artistic innovation would later become central to Blondie’s identity and success.

Harry has often reflected on this transformative period, emphasizing how instrumental they were in igniting the New York scene. In a 1979 interview with Interview magazine, she recalled the fluid and dynamic nature of their lineup: “We never had steady musicians. Sometimes we worked with Tommy Miami, sometimes with Jimmy Miami. We worked with a lot of different musicians—maybe forty or fifty. Chris was our only steady musician. We played a lot of gigs at Kenny’s Castaways, at the Mushroom, at clubs that no longer exist. We really paved the way, you know. We really got the New York scene going.”

She also acknowledged the lasting presence of another key band from that time: Television. “The only other group from that time that still exists, sort of, is Television,” she noted.

While The Stilettos themselves never reached the same level of fame as Blondie, their emergence alongside Television played a pivotal role in shaping the CBGB scene. Their presence helped establish an artistic hub that would later nurture and propel acts like Talking Heads, among others. These early pioneers created a platform for a new wave of expression, allowing space for boundary-pushing musicians to experiment and redefine the soundscape of the era.

Blondie would go on to break even greater ground, pushing musical and stylistic boundaries far beyond their punk and new wave origins. Yet, it all started in the raw, unfiltered world of New York’s underground clubs, where Harry and Stein’s relentless drive helped crack open the door for countless artists who followed. Without their fearless innovation and relentless passion, it’s hard to say how the scene would have evolved—or if it would have flourished at all.

Once bands like The Stilettos and Television carved out alternative pathways for artistic expression, the floodgates were open, and the cultural landscape of music was forever changed.