Heart
Biography
Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson are the creative spark behind Heart, a hard rock group who initially found success in the mid-'70s, only to reach greater heights after engineering a major comeback a decade later. The daughters of a Marine Corps captain, Ann (born June 19, 1950) and Nancy (born March 16, 1954) grew up in both Southern California and Taiwan before the Wilson family settled in Seattle, WA. Throughout their formative years, both were interested in folk and pop music; while Ann never took any formal music lessons as a child (she later learned to play several instruments), Nancy took up guitar and flute. After both sisters spent some time at college, they decided to try their hand as professional musicians, and while Nancy began performing as a folksinger, Ann joined the all-male vocal group Heart.
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Heart was actually formed in 1963 by bassist Steve Fossen and brothers Roger Fisher and Mike Fisher; initially dubbed the Army, they later became White Heart before settling on simply Heart at the beginning of the '70s. After her arrival in the group, Ann became romantically involved with guitarist Mike Fisher; when Nancy joined in 1974, she in turn began a relationship with guitarist Roger Fisher. Soon after Nancy's arrival, Mike Fisher retired from active performing to become the band's sound engineer. After gaining a following in Vancouver, Heart was approached by Shelly Siegel, the owner of the Canadian label Mushroom; augmented by keyboardist Howard Leese and drummer Michael Derosier, they recorded their debut album, Dreamboat Annie, in 1975.
After selling more than 30,000 copies north of the border, Mushroom issued the LP in the U.S., where it quickly achieved platinum status on the strength of the hit singles "Crazy on You" and "Magic Man." In 1977, Heart jumped ship to the CBS affiliate Portrait, resulting in a protracted legal battle with Siegel, who in 1978 released the unfinished LP Magazine on Mushroom shortly after the band issued its true follow-up, Little Queen, on Portrait. The single "Barracuda" was another massive hit, and like its predecessor, Little Queen sold over a million copies.
After 1978's Dog & Butterfly, both of the Wilson/Fisher romances ended and Roger Fisher left the group. In 1980, Heart issued Bebe le Strange; following a lengthy U.S. tour, both Fossen and Derosier exited and were replaced by ex-Spirit and Firefall bassist Mark Andes and former Gamma drummer Denny Carmassi. After 1982's Private Audition and 1983's Passionworks slumped, the group was largely written off by industry watchers, and moved to Capitol Records.
In 1985, however, Heart emerged with a self-titled effort that ultimately sold more than five million copies on its way to launching four Top Ten hits: "What About Love?," "Never," the chart-topping "These Dreams," and "Nothin' at All." 1987's Bad Animals continued their comeback success; "Alone" was another number one hit, and both "Who Will You Run To" and "There's the Girl" achieved considerable airplay as well. Brigade, issued in 1990, featured the number two smash "All I Want to Do Is Make Love to You," as well as the Top 25 hits "I Didn't Want to Need You" and "Stranded." In the early '90s, the Wilson sisters took a brief hiatus from Heart to form the Lovemongers, an acoustic quartet fleshed out by Sue Ennis and Frank Cox; in 1992, they issued a four-song EP that included a cover of Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore." Heart returned in 1993 with Desire Walks On, on which Andes and Carmassi were replaced with bassist Fernando Saunders and drummer Denny Fongheiser. With 1995's The Road Home, Heart enlisted onetime Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones to produce a live, acoustic set reprising hits like "Dreamboat Annie," "Crazy on You," and "Barracuda."
Heart went on hiatus by the late '90s, as the Wilson sisters concentrated on the Lovemongers, issuing a pair of albums: 1997's Whirlygig and 1998's Here Is Christmas. But Heart wasn't completely silent: they were the subject of one of the better episodes of VH1's Behind the Music; a pair of best-of sets were issued (1998's Greatest Hits covered their early classics, while their later years were spotlighted on 2000's Greatest Hits: 1985-1995); and their music continued to pop up in movie soundtracks (2000's The Virgin Suicides, among others). In 1999, Nancy released her first solo album, Live at McCabe's Guitar Shop, and a year later penned the score to her husband Cameron Crowe's hit motion picture Almost Famous, while Ann continued to play with others -- in the summer of 2001, she participated in the A Walk Down Abbey Road: A Tribute to the Beatles tour, which also featured Todd Rundgren, John Entwistle (the Who), and Alan Parsons (the Alan Parsons Project). Heart returned to active recording for Jupiters Darling, released on Sovereign Artists in 2004, and issued Dreamboat Annie Live (a live performance of tracks from the band's debut album, recorded in Los Angeles in 2007) three years later. ~ Jason Ankeny & Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Selected Discography
My stepmom was a roadie with these girls. I love to hear some of the stories she has about them.
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Some of the best music for your two sides of classic rock can be found here. If you like blues and folk rock, go for teir seventies stuff. If you like power ballads and the occasional aggresive popish metalish go fot the eighties stuff.
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I met these sisters in Mlps. Mn. back in 1981, they were so nice and sweet and let's not forget beautiful! Great concert if you get a chance...the best R&R chics on stage!
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Some of their covers too are more beautiful than the originals. For example I love their version of "Seasons", I just felt so much more... like winter then Elton John's version. I also think their cover of "Battle of Evermore" compliments "Dream of the Archer".
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I think it's strange sometimes. I enjoy several of Hearts more popular songs- "These Dreams" is quite good and I consider the acoustic version of "All I Wanna Do" to be one of the most beautiful songs, but I'd like to hear more of some of their other songs. "Blue Guitar" was very beautiful I thought, as was "Dreamboat Annie", "Straight On", and "Back to Avalon", yet I think "Straight On" is the only one I've ever heard on the radio.
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Um, Heart isn't similar to roxette!!!! Pandora doesn't use the 70"s heart as a reference, they compare them to 80's hair bands. Pandora, listen to the album Little Queen and then make your comparisons! ! !
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When you look at Nancy's body of work with Heart, lovemongers and feature film soundtracks, she just gets it. Some artists you can tell when you hear them that they just have 'it' whatever 'it' is, who knows? Its more than a little musical talent lets put it that way. In my mind above everything else I think of Nancy as probably one of the most overlooked and underrated guitarists in rock music. Its not like she just goes around playing pop rock tracks because songs like 'Barracuda' scream metal
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Not only is Nancy married to the guy he also throws her the scores to some of his best flicks like 'Almost Famous'. Heart is awesome or should I just say The Wilson Sisters because throughout the years the rhythm section has been inconsistant at best but they continue to rock, they kicked so much a** a few years back when they had Mike Inez (bass)and Sean kinny (drums) both of Alice in Chains. Ann still doesn't get the credit she deserves as one of the greatest singers the music worlds witnessed
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Their cover(as the Lovemongers) of Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore" is one of my favorite covers of all times. If you like both groups, then you should really track it down and give it a listen.
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Do you know Nancy Wilson is married to Cameron Crowe? What an awesome duo!
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i grew up listening to these to ladies . thank you ann & nancy wilson for the most beautiful music ever
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There music has a sense of style that captures your evey mood! It is somehow a sort of release to have what you feel captured in words and harmony.
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Wonderful memories of the 80's and my highschool years.....Th e y are the original Queens of Rock!!!!Stra n d e d brings back memories of a love lost...Oh well
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I think that they are the queens of music in general and I absolutly love them
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i like this band, they seem to put a lot of emotion in their song without making it corny or anything
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Magic Man and Crazy on You, fabulous!
Bad Animals, first half, excellent! Big chunk of Heart from 1985, and Barracuda. All I need really. 8) Nope the REM cover is incorrect, they have many wrong at the moment. |
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I have nineth row tickets to an upcoming show and i can not wait for the girls to rock my world.
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The album cover for Desire Walks On is the image from R.E.M.'s Out Of Time. Please delete this comment if it gets corrected or I am just wrong.
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not to downplay the sisters success at all with this comment..... b u t the band wasn't quite the same after Roger Fisher left.
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Two of the most beautiful women in music and in life. I miss there music and there respect to entertain there fans.
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Heart was my comming of age group. Wilson sisters never get the credit they deserve. This group should so be in the R&R hall of fame.
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Heart is exactly that, you feel it deep inside you and when they sing......ha r m o n y and fire all in one. One of the most legendary bands in history.
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HEART....HEA T . . . . T H E ONLY WORD TO DESCRIBE THEM...THE GIRLS CAN SING......
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They are simply awesome! I like the variety of their music, as well as those beautiful voices. One song " Stranded" didn't get much airplay, but is wonderful. Nancy at her best!!
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I totally agree about Heart being the female Led Zeppelin.... f o r an amercian band, too! But i must also add that i prefer there 70's stuff over their 80's. I guess it was hard for most bands to transition to the style of the 80's.
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HEART with the Wilson sisters should have been the female Led Zeppelin and should have had more success but were held back by the MAN. Their sound and technical skill is awesome they will always be the HEART of Rock n Roll. There isn't a HEART song that doesn't take you back to a time and place in your past that held great memories. My god, they're beautiful and sexy to boot!
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Everytime I see hearts label as "Hard Rock" in the 70's I think of Jethro Tull being metal XD I LOVE HEART!
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I think their version of the Who song is amazing, though I do need to correct the title of it given by Sarah. It's "Love Reign O'er Me". It's also been done by Pearl Jam. I would also love to find it on a cd or to be downloaded. Ann can sing anything and make it sound the best.
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