Most people

know that the first video to air on MTV was The Buggles, "Video Killed

the Radio Star," but very few know what the second video was. The

answer is "You Better Run," by Pat Benatar. Benatar and her

husband and longtime collaborator, Neil Giraldo, will take the stage at

the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater this Friday and Saturday to kick

off the second half of their summer concert series.

For anyone

who even had a faint idea of what has happening in the pop music and rock

and roll scenes in the 1980s, Benatar is a legend. She recorded nine original

albums from 1979-1989 and of those nine, seven went platinum and two went

gold. Nineteen of her songs charted in the top 40 and several of those

reached the top 10. Benatar won four Grammy awards and three American

Music Awards but her legacy must also include paving the way for other

female singers to find success in rock music.

Benatar began

her love affair with music at a young age, singing in school and church

choirs. She continued to study privately in high school and then took

her voice to clubs and lounges. She was cast in an off-Broadway sci-fi

musical composed by Harry Chapin and also began performing at Catch a

Rising Star, a club featuring up and coming singers and comedians trying

to make it. In 1977, Benatar performed at the club still dressed in a

Halloween costume. The audience, which usually gave her a war response,

gave her a standing ovation for her performance. She signed with Chrysalis

Records the following year.

It was while

recording her first album that she met Giraldo, a well-respected session

artist and member of Rick Derringer's band. The two hit it off instantly

and have been a team both in and out of the studio ever since. Her first

album, "In the Heat of the Night" went platinum and gave listeners

the top 40 hits "Heartbreaker" and "We Live for Love."

The next album went quadruple platinum and produced the hit "Hit

Me With Your Best Shot." The album "Precious Time" followed

and hit number one on the charts and started a string of successful albums

featuring huge hits and famous videos.

"Love

is a Battlefield" is believed by many to be Benatar's most famous

video. It still resonates with listeners and viewers of all ages and was

even recently paid an homage in a recent episode of "South Park."

Other than perhaps Madonna, no other female artist of the time used the

rock video to such an advantage in spreading her music to a wide audience.

This also translated to a number of songs being used in movies. Her song

"Invincible" was the theme song for the film "The Legend

of Billie Jean," while other songs have appeared in the films, "Metropolis,"

"Speed," and "An Extremely Goofy Movie" among others.

Benatar and

Giraldo have still been extremely active. In 1999 they released a three

CD collection "Synchronistic Wanderings: Recorded Anthology 1979-1999"

and in 2002 they released a live CD and DVD, "Summer Vacation Live."

Benatar's newest album, "Go" will hit stores in a few weeks

and she and Giraldo will perform this Friday and Saturday at "The

Fred."

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