By the time she was 14, Chrissie Hynde knew she had to get out of Akron, Ohio. Her perfect '50s American childhood upturned by a newly acquired taste for rock 'n' roll, motorbikes and the 'get down boys' seen at gigs in and around Cleveland - Mitch Ryder, the Jeff Beck Group, the Velvet Underground and David Bowie among the many.

Wrapped up in the Kent State University riots and getting dangerously involved in the local biker and drug scenes, she escaped - to Mexico, Canada, Paris and finally London where she caught the embryonic punk scene just in time not only to witness it first-hand, but more importantly to seize the opportunity to form her own band, the Pretenders.

Iggy Pop, the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Vivienne & Malcolm, Ray Davies ... on every page household names mingle with small town heroes as we shift from bedroom to biker HQ; from squat to practice room; from pub gig to Top Of The Pops - the long and crooked path to stardom, and for the Pretenders, ultimately, tragedy.

That Chrissie Hynde is alive to tell the tale is, by her own admission, something of a miracle. Throughout she is brutally honest, wryly humorous and always highly entertaining. She has written one of the most evocative and colourful music memoirs to be published in recent years.

A powerful and uncompromising memoir from one of rock's most charismatic stars

About the Author
CHRISSIE HYNDE is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known as the leader of the Pretenders. Hynde released nine studio albums as the Pretenders, beginning with1980's Pretenders, which Rolling Stone ranked in the top 15 best debut albums of all time. Most recently, she released the album Stockholm, under her own name, in 2014. She lives in London.

Reviews
Chrissie Hynde has just written the rock memoir of the year * Sunday Times *
Chrissie Hynde's autobiography Reckless ... out-rocks them all * Washington Post *
She writes just like she lives, and just like she makes music. She does it her way, which is an inimitable multiplicity of things: impulsive, untamed, ragged, proud, a little sad around the edges * Daily Beast *
Full of engaging stories, dry wit and revelations * Guardian *
She writes beautifully -- Mail on Sunday


Awards
Long-listed for Penderyn Music Book Award 2015 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9781785031465
Author Chrissie Hynde
Format Paperback
Page Count 448
Imprint Ebury Press
Publisher Ebury Publishing
Weight(grams) 348g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 126mm * 28mm