Debbie Harry's Real Name: Deborah Ann Harry

Quick answer: Debbie Harry's documented full name is Deborah Ann Harry. Britannica lists that form, dates her birth to July 1, 1945, in Miami, Florida, and gives the original name Angela Trimble. AllMusic independently uses Deborah Ann Harry, the same date and city, and lists an also-known-as form Angela Tremble, a different spelling of the earlier name (Britannica; AllMusic).

Real name and early life

She is known professionally as Debbie Harry. Both sources agree on Deborah Ann Harry and on a July 1, 1945, birth in Miami. They disagree on the spelling of the name she was given at birth: Britannica says she was born Angela Trimble and was renamed Deborah, shortened to Debbie, after being adopted at three months old by Richard and Catherine Harry of Hawthorne, New Jersey. AllMusic likewise says the Harrys of Hawthorne gave her the name Deborah Ann Harry, but its also-known-as line uses Angela Tremble. Those two spellings are both recorded here. AllMusic adds that she graduated from Hawthorne High School in 1963 and received an Associate of Arts degree from Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey, then moved to New York City in the late 1960s. Britannica also dates a move to New York City to 1965 and notes early choir singing and work in an assortment of jobs.

Career highlights

AllMusic says she was a backup singer and percussionist in the folk-rock band the Wind in the Willows, which released a self-titled debut album on Capitol in 1968, and that she later joined the Stilettos, where she met the guitarist Chris Stein. In 1974, AllMusic says, Harry and Stein formed a group first called Angel and the Snake and then Blondie. The band became regulars at the New York club CBGB, released a debut album on Private Stock in 1976, moved to Chrysalis, and broke through in the United States with Parallel Lines (1978). AllMusic notes earlier European success for Plastic Letters and the singles "Denis" and "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear." Britannica independently treats her as the lead singer of Blondie and as a major figure in rock, fashion, and culture, and lists later solo albums including KooKoo, Rockbird, Def, Dumb & Blonde, Debravation, and Necessary Evil.

Name notes for searchers

Deborah Ann Harry is the documented full name in both sources; Debbie Harry is the professional short form. The earlier name is given as Angela Trimble by Britannica and Angela Tremble by AllMusic. Searchers looking for Blondie or Parallel Lines are usually aiming at the same person.