Pat Benatar — Lindenhurst, New York Origins

Pat Benatar — Patricia Mae Andrzejewski — was born on January 10, 1953, and grew up in Lindenhurst on Long Island, New York, before studying at the Juilliard School and pursuing a career that initially pointed toward opera and classical music. She was working as a bank clerk and performing in a cocktail lounge when she was discovered and signed to Chrysalis Records in 1978. Her debut In the Heat of the Night (1979) and its follow-ups Crimes of Passion (1980) and Precious Time (1981) made her one of the most commercially successful rock artists of the early 1980s, winning four consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Benatar's voice — a trained soprano used with rock aggression — was the central element of her appeal, and songs like 'Heartbreaker,' 'Hit Me with Your Best Shot,' 'Love Is a Battlefield,' and 'We Belong' combined radio-friendly production with genuine vocal power. Her visual presentation — the spandex, the kohl, the athletic physicality — was also significant in defining what female rock could look like on MTV. Her husband and producer Neil Giraldo was her musical partner throughout and remains so.

Lindenhurst is a suburban township on the South Shore of Long Island. There is no formal Benatar landmark in the town. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 alongside Giraldo. Juilliard, where she briefly studied, is in New York City's Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side.