After working in London as a reporter for New Musical Express, Ohio expat Chrissie Hynde formed the Pretenders there in 1978. The band's eponymous 1979 debut immediately shot to No. 1 on the UK charts, making it the first of their five gold records. But by 1983, substance abuse had claimed the lives of guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon, leaving Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers to finish the next 30 years with a rotating cast. With more than 40 hit singles under their belts, the Pretenders were inaugurated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.