Elda and the Stillettos
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Elda and the Stillettos were a 70s New York City punk band with an
extremely raw and energetic stripped-down rough'n'ready sound. The
group was formed by lead singer Elda Gentile (a.k.a. Elda Stilletto) in
1972. As The Stillettoes, the original band line-up was: Chris Stein (guitars), Billy
O'Connor (drums), Fred Smith (bass), Deborah Harry (vocals), and Rosie
Ross (vocals). Elda and the Stillettos played in such notable Big Apple
punk venues as CBGB, Club 82, and Max's Kansas City. The group broke
up in summer 1974 after only the female members were offered a record deal.
Stein and Harry went on to form the hugely popular and successful New
Wave outfit Blondie. Elda Gentile continued with a solo career before
reforming the band, as The Stillettos, with an all-new line-up in late 1976. Members of
this particular incarnation of the group included Cheetah Chrome,
Walter Lure, and Billy Rath. Elda and the Stillettos appear as
themselves and perform two songs live in the enjoyably sordid
exploitation private eye mystery thriller "Punk Rock." The band
eventually broke up a second and final time in the late 70s.
