PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO

Pat Benatar is a certified rock'n'roll superstar, a four-time Grammy winner with six platinum and four gold albums to her credit as well as such hit singles as "I Need A Lover," "Heartbreaker," "Fire and Ice," "Treat Me Right," "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Hell Is For Children," "Shadows of the Night," and "Love Is A Battlefield." Long acknowledged as one of the leading female rock vocalists in the industry, Benatar will be embarking on her first live concert dates in over two years before going into the studio to record her first album since '93's Gravity's Rainbow.

After capturing industry ears with her showcases at New York's Catch A Rising Star, Benatar signed to Chrysalis Records and released the million selling "In The Heat of the Night" in 1979, followed by the multi-platinum "Crimes of Passion" a year later. From 1980-83, she captured an unprecedented four straight Grammys in the category "Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female" for the Top Five album "Crimes of Passion" ('80) and the hit singles "Fire and Ice" ('81), "Shadows of the Night" ('82) and "Love Is A Battlefield" ('83). With the latter, she emerged as one of the leading stars of the emerging music video scene with a Bob Giraidi-directed clip which proved to be an MTV mainstay.

She followed with the most successful album of her career in "Precious Time" ('81), which topped the U.S. charts. Platinum records "Get Nervous" ('82), "Live From Earth" ('83) and "Tropico" ('84)-came next, succeeded by gold records "Seven The Hard Way" ('84) -- which featured "Invincible," the theme from the hit movie Legend of Billie Jean, starringHelen Slater -- "Wide Awake In Dreamland" ('88), "Best Shots" ('89) and "True Love" ('91), her critically-acclaimed blues album which had her covering B.B. King's "Payin' The Cost To Be The Boss." The record was a labor of love for Benatar and husband/producer/long-time collaborator Neil Giraldo and proved the rock vocalist was equally adept at belting out the blues. In addition, Pat has been an active participant in numerous charity and fund-raising events, including Artists United Against Apartheid in 1985, and recorded a version of "Please Come Home For Christmas" in 1990 especially for the Desert Storm coalition troops who served in the Mideast during the Gulf War.

Benatar and Giraldo have been a working couple since Neil penned the song, 'We Live For Love" from her debut album "In The Heat of the Night", and has continued to wear many different hats, including producer, guitarist, and songwriter as well as soulmate. "Musically, we're still in touch with each other. We like to play together," says Pat. "It's who's cooking dinner tonight that's the problem."

In 1985, Pat and Neil became the proud parents of a baby girl, Haley, but Benatar continued to record and tour right up until '93, when she was forced to come off the road after the release of "Gravity's Rainbow" to give birth to her second daughter, Hana. Benatar began to concentrate on her writing, which lead to more than two dozen new songs. Around the same time, she decided to leave the only label she'd ever recorded for, Chrysalis.

Finding herself free of any ties fueled her creative instincts. "It's like starting over," she admits. "It's pretty liberating, though, like getting another chance, a new lease on life."

Pat Benatar has always been best in a live situation and two recent concert tours have given a whole new generation of fans a chance to see one of the great rock belters of all time. As well as someone who's been a real influence on the latest crop of female Riot Grrrl rockers.

"It's great," beams Pat. "Whatever form it takes from generation to generation, people are still feeling it."

Don't let Pat Benatar's humility fool you. Despite two kids and a career going on 18 years, she still feels it, and all you need to do is hear that classic voice and you'll feel it, too.

Neil Thomas Giraldo was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 29, 1955. Born of Sicilian parents, he got into music at an early age, and was heavily influenced by Elvis Presley when he was very young. Later, musician Scotty Moore made a big impression on him, as well as the British guitarists Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Neil began playing the guitar at 6-years-old at his father's urging. "My father always wanted to play guitar and sing, so consequently he encouraged his off-spring. My sister played accordion and so my father said to me, 'You're gonna play guitar,' and that was it!" At age 12 he expanded his musical repertoire by learning to play the piano.

Neil's first public performance was at a church when he was 12-years-old. Living in Cleveland, one of the most prolific musical cities in the country, he soon found himself 'hanging out' on the scene and playing in a variety of local combos. His first professional recording job was with Rick Derringer on the album "Guitars and Women". Unfortunately, he primarily played the keyboards instead of guitar. "He (Rick) was pretty easy to get on with - if you didn't play guitar! I ended up having to play keyboards and eventually left because I didn't feel that the situation was working out. It was always like, he was the guitar player and that was that."

So Neil packed his bags and headed for New York. That was when he met up with Jeff Aldridge from Chrysalis Records and producer Mike Chapman. They, in turn, hooked him up with Pat. Neil was brought in before the making of In The Heat Of The Night as the lead guitarist and musical arranger for the Benatar band. Neil put the band together and has always had a large role in the way their music sounds.

Today, Neil is known not only as an accomplished guitarist and songwriter but as a prolific producer as well. Not many people are aware that Neil actually began producing during their recording of the Crimes of Passion album. "I really started producing during Crimes Of Passion, even though I didn't get credit. On Pat's first record, In The Heat Of The Night, I was more of an arranger. I would say stuff like, 'I don't like the snare tone' or 'The backbeat feels wrong,' but I wasn't sophisticated enough to know exactly how to fix a problem."

"One day, while I was still composing songs for CoP, Keith Olsen gave me the keys to his Porsche, because he knew I liked to write while driving. I drove around for a while, when I came back, Pat was crying. We were tracking the first song for the record, which was probably "Hell Is For Children," and Keith said, 'I don't know what to do. She can't sing this part.' I went into the control room, set up a better headphone mix, talked her through the song a little bit, and got the vocal happening. That's basically when I took over the production chores." And he's been doing it ever since.

Today Neil has produced all of Pat's albums as well as a few other artists'. His first outside production credit was on John Waite's debut album Ignition. He has given a helping musical hand to artists such as The Del Lords, Rick Springfield, and Kenny Loggins. Fans are anxious for Neil to spread out even more. He has talked about putting together a side band called The Sicilians with fellow band mates Mick Mahan and Ray Brinker, but so far no concrete plans have been made.

There is so much more to Neil than can be mentioned in one short biography. Pat often refers to him as The Big Kahuna, and the name fits. Neil is the major reason Pat's music sounds the way it does in the recording studio and on tour. The majority of the fans seem to know that, too.

Pat isn't the only one attracting attention when they're on stage. While performing, girls of all ages can't help but swoon just a bit. And when that shirt comes off revealing the white tank top and muscular arms, watch out! The verdict is in! Neil is like a fine wine. . .He only gets better with age.