After working in London as a reporter for New Musical Express, Ohio expat Chrissie Hynde formed the Pretenders there in 1978. The band's eponymous 1979 debut immediately shot to No.1 on the UK charts, making it the first of their five gold records. But by 1983, substance abuse had claimed the lives of guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon, leaving Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers to finish the next 30 years with a rotating cast. With more than 40 hit singles under their belts, the Pretenders were inaugurated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.