Cabaret artist turned full on platinum status Rock Chick. PAT BENATAR broke the Billboard charts wide open in the early 80s with a barrage of smash hits such as 'Heartbreaker', 'We Live For Love', 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' and 'Treat Me Right' paving the way for successive maturer releases with a social edge such as 'Love Is A Battlefield' and 'Sex As A Weapon' which only served to further her reputation. During her rise to fame PAT BENATAR would set a record achievement by reaping four consecutive Grammy awards.

Benatar has been fortunate to have been aided throughout virtually her entire public career by guitarist and later husband Neil Giraldo. For many years Giraldo's surname had been mispelt so many times as 'Geraldo' that the six stringer simply rode the flow and allowed the error to become the established norm.

The daughter of a labourer in sheet metal plant and a former singer in the New York City Opera's chorus, Pat Andrezejewski married G.I. Dennis Benatar at an early age. The couple later divorced as her career took off. Benatar was discovered by nightclub owner Rick Newman after auditioning at the 'Catch A Rising Star' club in New York. Newman promptly placed her on a regional 'Catch' package tour that also featured comedians Richard Belzer and Bob Shaw.Early Benatar releases included a 1974 single 'Day Gig' for the Trace label and an appearance as part of the Cabaret COXON'S ARMY group EP of the same year. BON JOVI's Tico Torres used to bash the skins for Pat back in her earliest club days.

Singing Judy Garland material until making a well chosen switch to Rock n' Roll, Pat was signed by Chrysalis' A&R department after a gig at another New York club, Tramps, in 1978.

The debut album was originally slated to have producer Ron Dante at the helm but fate stepped in when legendary producer Mike Chapman heard Pat's demo tapes. Chapman, in partnership with colleague Nicky Chinn, had masterminded the success of acts like the SWEET, SUZI QUATRO and BLONDIE and thus knew talent when he heard it.

Chapman promptly produced Ms Benatar's debut album, 'In The Heat Of The Night' filling it with a mish-mash of covers. Included were JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP's 'I Need A Lover', NICK GILDER's 'Rated X' and ALAN PARSONS PROJECT' 'Don't Let It Show'. Also in evidence were Chinni Chap tunes ('No You Don't' and 'If You Think You Know How To Love Me', previously performed by SWEET and SMOKIE respectively) and the odd Benatar co-write.

Benatar's recording band for this first effort was assembled by former RICK DERRINGER guitarist Neil Geraldo and comprised of second guitarist Scott St. Clair-Sheets, bassist Roger Capps and drummer Glen Alexander Hamilton.

Immediately going out on tour with her new band, Myron Grombacher taking up his position on the drum stool, Pat played a selection of European dates in early 1980. These dates included a show at the Apollo Theatre in London's Victoria district and her first appearance on BBC television's 'Old Grey Whistle Test'.

During the summer of 1980 second album 'Crimes Of Passion', produced by Keith Olsen was recorded although it was later admitted that it was a rather rushed job. It did reach its tentacles into the American top ten eventually pushing past the quadruple platinum sales mark and bore the popular EDDIE SCHWARTZ written 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot'. A huge radio hit 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' would later suffer the indignity of being used as theme music for a weedkiller advert! Benatar's ascendancy was confirmed as she won a Grammy award for best female vocal performance for 'Crimes of Passion'.

Like the debut album, 'Crimes Of Passion' was filled with outside compositions. Opening with RIFF RAFF man Doug Lubahn's 'Treat Me Right'. The record also offered Cavialiere and Brigate's 'You Better Run', Billy Steinberg's 'I'm Gonna Follow You', the aforementioned 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' and a rather ambitious rendition of KATE BUSH's classic 'Wuthering Heights'. Surreally KISS drummer PETER CRISS issued his debut solo album almost in parallel, also including a version of 'You Better Run'. Not to be outdone Canadian Rockers TORONTO delivered their debut album the same year boasting inclusion of the same song.

Pat and band returned to Britain later in the year to play rather low-key shows at the Dominion Theatre in London and Reading's Top Rank club. A second guest slot on the 'Old Grey Whistle Test' was almost a formality.

'Precious Time' boasted a more polished melodic style and the album hit the Number One slot on Billboard's American album charts within weeks of release and easily exceeding in excess of two million sales. Once more Benatar grabbed a Grammy for her performance on the track 'Fire And Ice'.

Geraldo and Benatar were finally married on the 20th of February 1982. The album of that year 'Get Nervous' saw the departure of Sheets and his place was now filled by keyboard player Charles Giordano. Touring in America during 1982 would find Canadians SAGA as support.

Benatar was supported on her 1983 British tour by CONNOLLY'S ENCORE, an act fronted by ex SWEET vocalist Brian Connolly. 1984 would bring a further global hit for Benatar in the ambitious Electro Rock anthem 'Love Is A Battlefield'. Originally excluded from the UK release of the 'Tropico' album heavy airplay saw a rush re-release to include the track.

In early 1985 Capps departed in favour of Donnie Nossov. His position in turn was taken following 1985's 'Seven The Hard Way' album by session men Fernando Saunders and Frank Linx. PAT BENATAR would make a further large dent on the American singles charts with 'Invincible' going top ten. The follow up and controversial 'Sex As A Weapon' would suffer from radio prudishness but nevertheless still make a keen impression. The same year Benatar keenly contribute vocals to the all star anti-apartheid song 'Sun City'. Geraldo too would embark on outside activities producing the DEL LORDS 'Johnny Comes Marching Home' album, a record which Benatar adds backing vocals.

PAT BENATAR scored another top twenty hit in July of 1988 with 'All Fired Up' charting high on both sides of the Atlantic. Touring in 1988 to promote the 'Wide Awake In Dreamland' album would be brought to an abrupt halt in September when Benatar was rushed to hospital just prior to a gig at the Denver Pine Knob Music Center, the singer undergoing emergency abdominal surgery.

Grombacher would decamp later appearing on the LITA FORD albums 'Lita' in 1988, 'Stiletto' in 1990 and 1991's 'Dangerous Curves'.

Benatar re-emerged in 1995 as part of arena touring package dubbed the 'Can't Stop Rockin' tour billed alongside FLEETWOOD MAC and REO SPEEDWAGON. The band included former CINDERELLA man Ray Brinker on drums. She returned to recording in 1997 with a new label, C.M.C. International, and a new sound. Her acclaimed album 'Innamorata' being more of an acoustic affair than previous works. Benatar took to the road in support of the release opening for veterans STYX.

In November the singer put in a nostalgic show at the venue that started it all, Tramps in New York, joined for this special ocassion by erstwhile keyboard player Charlie Giordano. A further notable concert would see ALLANAH MYLES joining Benatar onstage at her Ontario concert. Interestingly, 1997 would also see a return to action for erstwhile PAT BENATAR keyboard player Scott Sheets touting a solo album under the ST. CLAIR monicker featuring his own rendition of 'Fire And Ice'.

During 1999 a lavish retrospective 'Synchronistic Wanderings' arrived in stores compiling not only the lady's many hits but also pulling together rare B sides as well as unreleased studio outtakes. The following year up and coming American Metal band SEVEN WITCHES weighed in with a larger than life version of 'Hell Is For Children' on their second album 'City Of Lost Souls'.

Benatar and husband released the 2001 seasonal single 'Christmas In America'. All profits from this release went to the 9-11 disaster fund. By September of 2002 Neil Giraldo was formulating a fresh band project in league with erstwhile DICTATORS guitarist Scott Top Ten' Kempner.