The Wind in the Willows was an American psych folk band, best known for being the first band of Blondie co-founder, Debbie Harry.[1][2] The group took its name from British writer Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, a classic of children's literature.[3]
The band's only album, the self-titled The Wind in the Willows (1968, Capitol Records LP2956),[4] grazed the charts at #195. The band broke up shortly after failing to achieve commercial success or critical acclaim. The following year Artie Kornfeld, the producer of the album, went on to be the music producer of the Woodstock festival in 1969.[5][6] Debbie Harry went on to join The Stillettoes in 1973[7] and other bands until subsequently achieving success fronting the new wave band Blondie, which she co-founded in 1974 with guitarist Chris Stein.
Wind in the Willows recorded a second album in 1969, which was never released. The tapes are with Paul’s second wife Alice Anne. According to Cathay Che's biography on Harry, it has never surfaced, but Harry was said to have contributed more vocals than on the first album, as well as writing lyrics for a track entitled "Buried Treasure" on the second album.[8] Another track from the second album, "A Quite Respectable Older Lady", was released by Wayne Kirby in 2022.[9]