Pat Benatar

More than two decades ago, Pat Benatar began breaking rules and blazed a new trail for female rock stars.  Songs such as “Love Is a Battlefield,” “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “We Live For Love” and “Heartbreaker” became anthems for a new attitude.  At the dawn of MTV, Benatar was the image of the female rocker for an entire generation of young women and men. Still going strong, Benatar has been married for 23 years to guitarist, songwriter, producer, collaborator and soul mate, Neil Giraldo.  The parents of two daughters, Pat and Neil have been touring almost non-stop for more than two decades.

 

Benatar is acknowledged as the leading female rock vocalist of the ’80s.  Of the nine original albums released between 1979 and 1989, seven were certified platinum and two went gold.  During that decade, she was nominated nine times for Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance (female), winning an unprecedented four Grammy Awards in consecutive years.   Benatar has also won three American Music Awards. 

 

Benatar debuted with the platinum album In the Heat of the Night (1979) and both “Heartbreaker” and “We Live For Love” charted in the Top 40.  Her next album, Crimes of Passion (1980), rocketed to number two, reaching quadruple platinum and including her first Top 10 hit, the gold-certified “Hit Me with Your Best Shot.”  The album also spawned the video for “You Better Run,” the second ever to air on MTV, which debuted that year.  In addition, Crimes of Passion copped the first of her Grammy Awards.

 

Her next album, Precious Time (1981), went double platinum and outdid its predecessor by hitting number one.  Fire and Ice brought Benatar her second Grammy.  Get Nervous (1982) was top five and featured the Grammy winning “Shadows of the Night.” Live From Earth (1983) boasted the gold, Grammy winning, top five hit “Love is a Battlefield” (and it’s classic video).  Tropico (1984) shined its spotlight on the top five charting “We Belong,” nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance (female).

 

Between 1988 and 1989, Benatar released Wide Awake in Dreamland that spun off the Top 20 hit “All Fired Up.” The song earned her another Grammy nomination along with another nomination for “Let’s Stay Together.” In August 2001, her greatest hits compilation Best Shots was certified platinum.

 

In 1999, Benatar and Giraldo opened their private vaults and compiled an extensive three-CD collection, Synchronistic Wanderings: Recorded Anthology 1979-1999 (Chrysalis/Capitol).  This definitive collection spans her entire career and contains rare photos and previously unreleased material.  Synchronistic Wanderings includes the album versions of all 19 of her Top 40 singles.  In August 2003, Benatar released her first album of new songs in seven years, titled GO.  

 

Over the last couple years, Benatar has been busy in front of the camera appearing in cameo roles in several hit TV shows.  Her story has also been featured on shows like A&E Biography, Lifetime’s Intimate Portrait and on VH-1’s hit series Behind the Music.