The Pretenders
Chrissie Hynde was squatting in London doing such things as working at Vivien Westwood's shop and being invloved in bands when she met Tony Secunda who had been the manager of groups such as Steeleye Span and the Move.
Through Secunda she met Dave Hill of Anchor records who in turn introduced her to Gas Wild a drummer from Hereford.
Whilst visiting Hereford, Gas bumped into an old mate, bass-player Pete Farndon who had just got back from Australia where he'd toured with a band called the Bushwakers. Gad told Pete that his band needed more musicians.Pete Farndon was keen, so he moved to London.
Pete himself brought in fellow Herefordian Jim Honeyman-Scott, who used to work at the legendary Buzz Music record-shop, on guitars.
Chrissie Hynde decided that Gas Wild was not right for the band, so the others suggested Hereford boy Martin Chambers who was living near the others in London's Tufnel Park.
So apart from yankie Chrissie Hynde, the rest of the line up were all Hereford born and bred.
Soon afterwards their first single "Stop Your Sobbing" entered the charts, and their eponymous debut album The Pretenders topped the charts. Other hits included "Kid", "Talk of the Town", and the number one single "Brass in Pocket".
However, after tasting success the band experienced tragedy too. In 1982 Honeyman-Scott died of sustained cocaine and heroin addiction, and the following year Farndon died of a drug overdose in the bath.