Short answers, pulled from the story.
Blondie formed in New York City in 1974, founded by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The two had previously been members of a band called the Stillettoes before breaking away in July 1974 to form their own group.
Blondie had four US number one singles: "Heart of Glass", "Call Me", "The Tide Is High", and "Rapture". "Rapture" was the first song featuring rapping to reach number one in the United States.
Blondie publicly disbanded in November 1982 after their sixth studio album, The Hunter, was poorly received and a planned UK and European tour was cancelled due to poor ticket sales. In 1983, guitarist Chris Stein was diagnosed with pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disease, and Debbie Harry cared for him through his illness.
Blondie broke through in Australia after the television program Countdown mistakenly played the video for "In the Flesh", the B-side of their single "X-Offender", instead of the A-side. The song reached number two in Australia and the debut album entered the Australian top twenty in November 1977.
Blondie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2006, with an introductory speech delivered by Shirley Manson of Garbage. Seven members were invited to the ceremony, where a live dispute arose when former member Frank Infante asked to perform with the group and was refused by Harry.
"Maria" became Blondie's sixth UK number one single in 1999, arriving exactly 20 years after their first UK chart-topper, "Heart of Glass". The feat made Blondie one of only two American acts to reach number one on the UK singles charts in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, the other being Michael Jackson.