Following the departure of founding bassist Fred Smith, Stein and Harry contemplated disbanding the nu-wave ensemble, but he is credited for keeping them together.
Burke, who was born in New Jersey in 1954, said that one of his first recollections was of playing the Four Seaons on his father’s drum equipment before joining.
The local drum and bugle corps. Burke had already performed in the renowned New York bar CBGB by the time he was in his teens.
in the age of 14, he had played at Carnegie Hall in a battle of the bands competition with his group, The Total Environment.
He brought his buddy Gary Valentine on as bassist after joining Blondie, and he later played with other bands, such as The Ramones, during the band’s 15-year break from 1982 to 1997.
In 2006, Burke and his Blondie comrades were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ellen Burke, his wife, is his surviving spouse. During this tragic time, our thoughts are with Burke’s family, friends, and fans.
