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Pat Benatar preps new album, plots summer tour

Pioneering female rocker Pat Benatar heads back out on tour this summer, and is expected to release her first new studio album in six years.

Benatar's outing kicks off in early June, and the singer has lined up a busy itinerary that stretches into early August.

Before she hits the road, Benatar--along with husband and longtime guitarist Neil Giraldo--plans to release a new studio set titled "Girl," which is her first collection of new material since 1997's "Innamorata."

Prior to launching their tour, Benatar and Giraldo will make a guest appearance on the April 6 episode of the WB television series "Charmed," according to Benatar's official fan-club website.

Benatar released her debut album, "In the Heat of the Night," in 1979, followed by "Crimes of Passion" in 1980. The two albums spawned some of Benatar's best-known hits, including "Heartbreaker," "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Treat Me Right" and "You Better Run."

From 1979-1989, Benatar received eight GRAMMY® nominations for Best Female Rock Performance, and won trophies in four consecutive years for the album "Crimes of Passion" and the singles "Fire and Ice (1981), "Shadows of the Night" (1982) and "Love Is A Battlefield" (1983).

Benatar was a vanguard among female rockers in the late-'70s and early-'80s, and helped usher in the MTV-era. Her video for 1980's "You Better Run" was the second ever aired on MTV (the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" preceded it).