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The Pretenders
The Pretenders
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The word obscure doesn't aptly describe the Pretenders' brief association with the recording industry. Their recordings were virtually unknown until the reissue of various CDs of Carnival Records recordings. The only Carnival acts to receive any exposure nationally were the Manhattans and Lee Williams & the Cymbals; Carnival's many other releases by a laundry list of artists never saw much action. Carnival was a tiny company that owner Joe Evans ran out of his house; his wife and a part-time employee were his only staff. While running Carnival, Evans also played sax and toured with Motown's road band under the direction of Choker Campbell; ex-Temptation guitarist Cornelius Grant says Evans would promote Carnival recordings while touring and backing the Motown acts. The Pretenders also suffered because Joe Evans had practically lost interest in the record business. He earned a G.E.D. and started taking college courses at Rutgers University. This action by Evans was directly related to his money makers, the Manhattans, jumping ship; Evans felt betrayed since he had groomed and polished the group from nothing. However, he was persuaded to make another attempt at making records when he heard a tape of the Pretenders that floored him. They had a different name that Evans didn't like so he changed it. The original group was Harry Simpkins, Eugene Cohen, Neil Page, and Valerie Scott. Page and Scott alternated singing lead. Changes came quick. Though Scott appeared on their first recording, a remake of the Manhattans' "I Wanna Be," her husband didn't want her to tour so she quit. Enter Patricia Tandy who fit right in and had a stronger voice. Their recordings were vocal masterpieces, with exciting harmonies and emotional leads. Three good examples of this are, "For the Rest of My Days," "Hearts Were Made to Love," and an exciting remake of the Manhattans' "I'm the One Love Forgot." They appeared with groups like the Chi-Lites, Kool & the Gang, the Persuaders, the Intruders, Main Ingredient, and the Drifters, mostly in the Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, PA, areas. Although they never had a record to chart on Billboard, the Pretenders were a versatile and talented group. Member Eugene Cohen went on to write and produce, some of his work appears on the Philadelphia International label. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music GuideMore

Official Profile

Pretenders
The Pretenders' Newest Album: Break Up The Concrete"SANTA MONICA, CA – July 23, 2008 R...
Songs: 1, Videos: 2, Playlists: 0, Blog Posts: 2, Polls: 0, Battles: 0

Fan Comments

Sep 14th, 1:23am Last edited Sep 14th, 1:24am.
Where did this "Bio" for The Pretenders come from??? Because this has NOTHING to do with this band, not even close. Someone must have screwed this one up or hacked this Bio, because this is not The Pretenders that it's talking about.

The Pretenders are a British/American rock band. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion). Tragically, two of the four original members were dead by April of 1983, Chrissie Hynde, the sole remaining original member continues on today as The Pretenders.
Jul 15th, 7:19am
Jan 25th, 5:16am Last edited Jan 25th, 5:17am.
Thanks for the contest consideration. I am soooo camera shy. I love the new record and will continue to support your endeavors in other ways not involving the vid camera. LOL. Look forward to watching the new video for Boots of Chinese Plastic. A great record!
Dec 1st, 4:04am
I'm so into the new record! I can't wait to see you guys at Club Nokia for Wreck the Halls! It's been a long time since I've seen you live, and it's a hot new club in downtown LA...going to be a perfect night! Can't wait!
Nov 22nd, 12:41am

Thanks for the music!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs,
Gypsy
Nov 12th, 2:01am Last edited Nov 12th, 2:02am.
Excited to hear the new music!! Chrissie. what's the secret? You still look and sound 21...

In Memoriam.

a href="http://www.imeem.com/pimpinpromqueens/photo/zE_VgEc3na/">
Aug 26th, 11:30pm
Excellent. I'm so sad I missed you play at KOKO.
Aug 15th, 1:14am