Pat Benatar

Patricia Mae Andrzejewski (better known as Pat Benatar) was born January 10, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in the Lindenhurst New York area with her Polish-Irish family. Benatar’s mother Millie sacrificed her own singing career in order to raise her children, and Benatar quickly picked up where her mother’s training had left off. Both avid studiers of opera, Benatar began her singing career in a very classical vein. Her 4.5 octave voice had won her acceptance into the highly selective and prestigious Julliard.

However, at the age of nineteen Benatar shocked her family by marrying high school boyfriend Dennis T. Benatar (thus obtaining the name with which she would become famous). Dennis was a soldier, and the two quickly moved to Virginia where he was stationed. She worked as a bank clerk but the monotony of day to day life began to drag her spirits down. She missed the excitement and thrill of singing and performing. Benatar joined a Richmond-based band called Coxon’s Army. Led by Benatar’s voice and persona, the band quickly rose to quasi-fame. Spirits lifted by this success, Benatar and her husband moved to New York City. But lifestyles and circumstances were just too different. She was a rock star destined for fame, and he was a soldier. They two divorced soon after the move to New York.

In 1977, Benatar attended amateur night at Manhattan’s famous club “Catch a Rising Star.” She performed to a successful reception on several occasions, but it wasn’t until Halloween when she would truly launch her career. Wearing outrageous makeup and an equally as outrageous costume, she sang as she always did for the crowd. Instead of their polite applause she was met with a raucous reception. Benatar had always known she had the singing talent, but now she had the persona as well. Destine for fame, she was quickly signed to Chrysalis Records.