- Born Patricia Andrzejewski in 1953, in Brooklyn NY.
- Her professional career in music began in 1972, and continues today.
- As a child, she had interest in theatre, and took singing lessons. She decided to pursue a singing career after seeing a Liza Minnelli concert in 1971. She got a job as a singing waitress in Richmond VA. In 1975, she performed in New York at the comedy club Catch a Rising Star, where she became a regular. In 1978, she headlined at a New York City nightclub, which got the attention of recording studios.
- Her debut album, In the Heat of the Night, was released in 1979. Three singles were released – most notably, Heartbreaker, which reached #23 on the Billboard charts.
- The album was followed the next year by Crimes of Passion, which contains her signature song, Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Another song from the album, You Better Run, was the second video ever shown on MTV (after Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles). No doubt that MTV was a major contributor to her success, and for that matter, she contributed to MTV’s success with her great looks, great songs, great vocals and great videos.
- More albums and hits followed. In total, she has released 12 studio albums, 12 live albums, 39 singles and 34 music videos. Six of the albums went platinum. She has sold more than 25 million records worldwide. Her highest charting singles were Love Is a Battlefield, and We Belong.
- She has won 4 Grammy awards, all in the Best Female Rock Performance category. The winning songs were Crimes of Passion, Fire and Ice, Shadows of the Night, and Love Is a Battlefield.
- She actively tours today with the band that has been backing her for many years, typically playing at casinos, outdoor festivals, and amphitheaters.
- She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
- Benatar is a pop rock star, one of the early female performers with a powerful vocal supported by a strong rock band. Let’s flashback to 1984, when MTV played music videos, and enjoy Pat Benatar and her great mezzo-soprano voice, as she sings We Belong.