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UNCOVERED: Pretenders | History Defined

“I did get some bad reviews. Some people called me ‘the guy who ruined the Pretenders’”: Robbie McIntosh on his trial by fire when he replaced the late James Honeyman-Scott

The guitarist had huge shoes to fill, and the press weren’t exactly on his side

Guitar World

“I was working on this song which he liked, and then he died, and it turned into more of a tribute to him”: How Chrissie Hynde channeled grief into The Pretenders’ classic comeback hit

And why George Harrison claimed to have inspired the song

MusicRadar

“Think The Pretenders, Tom Petty or Sam Fender”: 5 easy open-position alternate chord voicings that will give you extra jangle

James Honeyman-Scott of The Pretenders was a master at creating interesting parts from simple alternate chords. We look at five you can use in your playing

Guitar World

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"We exchanged no words. He eyed me up and down, dipped the silver tube he wore on a chain into a bag of white powder, shoved it up my snout, then walked out. I was up for three days." The day The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde met Motorhead's Lemmy

"Without Lemmy, The Pretenders wouldn’t have happened"

Louder

Chrissie Hynde 'may never tour again'

The Pretenders star Chrissie Hynde has declared she "may never tour again" because she hates seeing so many phones in the audience at her gigs.

BANG Premier

They were bottled off stage by Alice Cooper's audience, derailed by a death in The Pretenders and made U2's producer cry: How Big Country made one of the biggest albums of the 80s

In an exclusive extract from a new book about the life of Stuart Adamson, we look at the hidden story behind The Crossing

Louder

“I took Gem Archer’s job when he joined Oasis. Brian Robertson from Thin Lizzy came in on Saturdays and we’d just play”: How a job in the “party guitar shop” gave Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne his start in the industry

Walbourne reminisces about the guitar store that started it all – and why music shops and venues are crucial for up-and-coming musicians

Guitar World

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"We left mistakes in, we didn't clean it all up – which is a hard thing to do when you're a musician": How His Lordship hit the rock'n'roll bullseye with one of the best albums of 2025

Pretenders' sidemen James Walbourne and Kris Sonne's second album as His Lordship is a savage blast of high-octane, garage-rooted R&B

Louder

“It’s insane. He died aged 25, only guitar players remember him, and yet he was the sound of the Pretenders”: Chrissie Hynde pays tribute to the underrated guitar hero who defined the Pretenders

The guitarist died just a few years after the band’s debut album, but his imprint on their sound can still be felt today

Guitar World

Chrissie Hynde ‘regretted’ Friends cameo opposite Lisa Kudrow

Rock star admits she hadn’t heard of the show before agreeing to make a guest appearance during the second season

The Independent UK

Chrissie Hynde: ‘I pierced Johnny Rotten’s ear in a toilet with an earring and a bar of soap’

The Pretenders bandleader answers your questions on her friendship with Morrissey, her love of Van Gogh and why her cameo on Friends ruined her school run

The Guardian - UK

Post your questions for Chrissie Hynde

The Pretenders star will take on your questions as she releases an album of duets

The Guardian - UK

Miley Cyrus’ Avatar song sounds a lot like this Pretenders ballad (and I love it)

Jake Sully WOULD stand by you though

The Mary Sue

“There are people who bought my signature Jaguar because of its reputation – they don't have to be a fan of my music”: Johnny Marr on reinventing the Fender Jaguar (again), the “biggest reunion of all time” and why Nile Rodgers deserves more credit

Marr is one of guitar's most prolific collaborators, having played with The Smiths, The Pretenders, Modest Mouse, The Cribs, The The, and even Hans Zimmer – now, he’s pushing the limits of the Fender Jaguar’s design, all while keeping both eyes firmly on the evolution of the guitar world and…

Guitar World

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BANG Premier

Graham Gouldman says 10cc's music reached 'a different audience' thanks to Doja Cat sample

10cc's ;70s classic I'm Not in Love has become a cross-generational hit.

Guitar World

“Chrissie Hynde was getting fed up with our performance. So she stood in front of us and bent over, so we were staring at her backside”: How bassist Tony Butler helped relaunch The Pretenders with this 1982 rock classic

Having fired bassist Pete Farndon for his erratic drug-fuelled behaviour, The Pretenders tapped Rockpile guitarist Billy Bremner and bassist Tony Butler

Louder

Chrissie Hynde and k.d. lang hook up for smoky version of soul classic Me And Mrs Jones

Me And Mrs Jones comes from the Pretenders' singer's upcoming album of duets with Mark Lanegan, Lucinda Williams, Debbie Harry, Shirley Manson and more

Guitar World

“Pretty much everyone who used chorus during the ’80s had a Boss CE-2 at some point or another”: How a little dual-knob blue chorus pedal from Boss took over the world

What was so great about the CE-2? It had everything. It was affordable, built like a tank, had simple controls and lush tones that defined an era

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Guitar World

“It was so hot I had to strap ice packs around my waist”: As Glastonbury Festival kicks off, Chrissie Hynde warns how global warming will likely impact the existence of outdoor summer shows

The Pretenders icon recalls playing shows with Foo Fighters and Guns N’ Roses over the last few years amid intense heatwaves

Louder

"Fired up, furiously fashioned and bug-shit crazy": His Lordship define rock'n'roll on Bored Animal

A second album of fevered garage rock from Pretenders' guitarist

MusicRadar

“Robbie came to us in 2022 with an idea... His favourite guitar was the 1953 Esquire he used for many years with Paul McCartney”: Robbie McIntosh and Monty’s unveil pickup set offering best of both worlds for Tele and Esquire fans

The Pretender is the upgrade that can give your Telecaster a new lease of life – and the “vibe” and sound of McIntosh's Esquire

Louder

“Most celebrities are dullards. I met a lot of these clowns and you assume they’re smart. They are not!” Why the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde is one of the last rock stars unafraid of saying what’s on her mind

In 2016, the Pretenders released their 10th album, Alone - but Chrissie Hynde was showing no sign of playing the game

Guitar World

“I’d go into a soundcheck, there’d be all these cases open and they’d say, ‘Choose one. We’ll give you a guitar.’ I’d be like, ‘No, thanks. I have a guitar’”: The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde and James Walbourne on what it takes to be a real guitar hero

Kick ’Em Where It Hurts is the new live album from the Pretenders and it serves as a testament to a creative rebirth as they emerged from lockdown

Guitar World

“I had never done that before. I thought Jimmy was going to go, ‘Nice one’ – he looks at me and goes, ‘Don’t you ever do that again’”: That time Chrissie Hynde enraged one of her Pretenders bandmates because she stopped playing mid-gig

The guitar icon once decided to spontaneously shake things up on stage, and ended up feeling the wrath of Jimmy Scott

Guitar World

“I don’t classify myself as a rock ’n’ roll or rockabilly player… I was trying tobe as all-around as I could be”: Billy Bremner on his greatest sessions with Pretenders, Nick Lowe and countless others – and the story behind Rockpile

Rockpile was a band that came and went too soon, but its guitarist, session great Billy Bremner, played on hundreds of recordings, including the Pretenders’ Learning to Crawl and Nick Lowe’s Cruel to be Kind. This is his story

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