Chris Stein

Guitarist and songwriter Chris Stein was born on January 5, 1950, in Brooklyn, New York City. He's the only child of father Ben and mother Estelle. Stein originally wanted to be an Egyptologist, but shifted his interest to music after his parents bought him his first guitar at age 11. Chris attended P.S. 199 for grades one through six, went to junior high school at Andres Hudde, and was kicked out of Midwood High School during his junior year in 1965 for having long hair. (He finished high school at the Quintanos School for Young Professionals.) In the early '70s, Stein joined the glam-rock group the Stilettos, which featured Debbie Harry as its lead singer. After the Stilettos fell apart, Stein and Harry formed the hugely popular and successful punk/New Wave band Blondie. Stein wrote the hit song "Sunday Girl," plus co-wrote with his one-time girlfriend Harry such Blondie songs as their breakthrough disco smash "Heart of Glass," "Dreaming," "Rapture," "Picture This," "Rip Her to Shred