A Brief History of Pat Benatar

Born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski in 1953, Pat wanted to follow in the steps of her mother who was an opera singer. She married Dennis Benatar in 1971 and moved to Richmond, Virginia. She moved back to New York City in 1975 and sadly divorced Dennis in 1979. Pat was discovered one night performing at an amateur night contest. She went one night dressed up in a leather cat suit and the crowd went wild. Chrysalis Records signed her that night because of that particular performance. 1979 also brought the release of her first album “In the Heat of the Night” whose first single “Heartbreaker” went to number twelve on the charts.

In 1980, she released her second album “Crimes of Passion” which brought us her well known hit “Hit Me with Your Best Shot.” The song was actually about protecting dolphins. The album went to number two on the chart. 1981 brought us another release. “Precious Time” came with the single “Fire and Ice” which went to number seventeen on the charts. Pat decided to marry her guitarist, Neil Giraldo, in 1982. They have two daughters, Hana and Haley. In 1982, she would also win the Grammy for Best Female Rock Performance. Her song “Love is a Battlefield” was a big hit topping the charts at number five.

In 1985, a movie came out featuring one of best known hits. It was the Legend of Billie Jean and the song was “Invincible.” This song went to the top ten. After that her career seemed to die down a little. 1986's single “Sex as a Weapon” only reached number twenty eight. Since 2000, Pat and her family have lived in Hawaii. She still tours and makes television appearances when she can. What she really enjoys is getting her hands dirty on the organic farm that she and her husband own.