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Heart (band)
Encyclopedia
Heart is an American rock
band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann
and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock
as well as folk music
. After diminishing in popularity for a couple of years in the early 80s, the band enjoyed a comeback in 1985, experiencing further successes with their power ballads and pop hits into the 1990s.
Over their four-decade career, Heart has had chart successes with songs in genres ranging from hard rock and metal to folk rock. With Jupiter's Darling
(2004) and Red Velvet Car
(2010), Heart made a return to their hard rock/acoustic roots of the late 70s. To date, Heart has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Heart was ranked #57 on VH1
's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock
".
In 1967, bassist Steve Fossen formed The Army along with Roger Fisher
on guitar, Don Wilhelm on guitar, keyboards and lead vocals, Ray Schaefer on drums. They played for several years in and around the Bothell, Washington
area (northeast of Seattle). They frequently played Bothell High School, Inglemoor High School and Shorecrest High School, as well as many taverns and club venues. They frequented the club "Parker's" on Aurora Avenue in north Seattle during the 1970s when it was known as the "Aquarius Tavern". In 1969 the band went through line-up changes (Gary Ziegelman on lead vocals, Roger
on guitar, Steve on bass, James Cirrello on guitar, Ron Rudge on drums, Ken Hansen on percussion, and Debi Cuidon on vocals) and a new name, White Heart (from Tales from the White Hart
, a collection of short stories by Arthur C. Clarke
). For a brief time in 1970 this line-up shortened its name to Heart; however, the band went through more personnel changes. In 1971, Heart consisted of Steve Fossen, Roger Fisher, David Belzer (keys) and Jeff Johnson (drums).. When Ann Wilson
joined in 1972, the band was named Hocus Pocus.
Mike Fisher, Roger's brother, was set to be drafted. Nancy Wilson has stated that when he did not report for duty, his home was raided, but he slipped out a rear window, escaped to Canada
and became a Vietnam War
draft dodger
.
One day in 1972, Mike crossed the border to visit family and, by chance, met Ann at a Hocus Pocus show. According to Nancy, that meeting was "when she and Michael fell in love" and Ann decided to follow Mike back to Canada. Steve Fossen finished his college education before he also decided to move to Canada in late 1972, and Roger followed in late 1972 / early 1973, and along with Mike and Ann, the band Heart was officially formed.
Nancy joined in 1974, and soon after became involved with Roger. In 1974 the Heart lineup consisted of Ann, Nancy, Roger, Steve, John Hannah (keyboards), and Brian Johnstone (drums).
and Taiwan
before their Marine Corps
father retired to the Seattle
suburb
s. After Ann graduated from Sammamish High School
in Bellevue, Washington
, she joined Roger Fisher in the band Hocus Pocus where she met Roger's brother Mike in 1971, and followed him back to Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
. Meanwhile, Nancy finished high school then went to college where she majored in art and German literature. She then played solo gigs until 1974 when she quit college and moved to Canada to join Heart.
and therefore received increased attention from radio programmers. In their early days the group told audiences that they were from Canada, even though all the members of Heart were citizens of the United States
and were never permanent residents of Canada.
After many one-night shows around their new home in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the group recorded a demo tape with the assistance of producer Mike Flicker
and session-guitarist and keyboard player, Howard Leese
. Hannah and Johnstone had left by this time, and soon after Leese became a full-time member of the group. The same team then cut the debut album, Dreamboat Annie
, which attracted the attention of the newly formed Mushroom Records
in 1975, a Vancouver-based label run by Shelly Siegel. Drummers Duris Maxwell
, Dave Wilson, Kat Hendrikse and Michael Derosier were among those who played on the sessions for the album. Derosier eventually joined them as their full-time drummer.
Upon release in Canada, the album was first picked up for radio airplay by a station in Montreal
. Airplay on Canadian stations soon picked up, helped in part by the fact that the album qualified as "Canadian content." The album sold an impressive 30,000 copies across Canada in its first few months. In the US, Siegel released the album first in the Seattle area where it quickly sold another 25,000 copies. With two hit singles, "Crazy on You
" (#35, 1976) and "Magic Man
" (#9, 1976), Dreamboat Annie eventually sold over 1 million copies.
Mike Fisher was able to freely return to the United States with the members of Heart after President Jimmy Carter
granted amnesty to Vietnam draft dodgers on his first day in office, January 21, 1977. By this time Heart had broken its contract with Mushroom Records and signed with CBS
subsidiary Portrait
, a move that resulted in a prolonged legal battle with Siegel. He released the partly completed Magazine just before Portrait released Little Queen
. A Seattle court ruled that Mushroom Records had to recall Magazine so that the group could remix several tracks and redo vocals before re-releasing the disc; Heart had wanted the album taken off the market completely. Hence, Magazine was released twice, both before and after Little Queen.
Little Queen, with the hit "Barracuda
" (#11, 1977), became Heart's second million-seller. Ann and Nancy appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone
in July 1977 (issue No. 244).
Magazine was re-issued in April 1978, with a re-ordered tracklisting and remixed versions of many of the songs. It peaked in the top twenty. It achieved platinum status and gave forth the Top 20 hit single "Heartless".
In late 1978, the double-platinum Dog and Butterfly followed suit garnering ecstatic critical reviews, and yielded top 30 hits with its title song and "Straight On
". The album was composed of 8 tracks and divided into two sections, the A-side being "Dog" and featuring more uptempo rock/pop songs, whilst the "Butterfly" B-side featured longer tracks with a more experimental and moody flavour. The closing 7-minute opus "Mistral Wind" became an immediate live favorite and is a staple of all Heart set lists to this day.
After the 77-city "Dog and Butterfly" tour, the Wilson-Fisher liaisons ended, as Roger had by then left the band in the fall of 1979 and formed his own band in the Seattle area. Nancy Wilson and longtime guitarist
Howard Leese
filled in the guitar void, and her childhood friend Sue Ennis
helped with song collaborations. Still, the absence of Fisher's guitar work was evident in the band's subsequent albums.
Heart then released Bebe le Strange
in 1980. It became the band's second top ten album, peaking at #5 and achieving gold status, and yielded the Top 40 hit "Even It Up
". By the end of the year, the band scored their highest charted single at the time; a remake of the ballad "Tell it Like it Is
" which peaked at #8.
In November 1980, to mark the significant achievement of their first five studio albums, the double album Greatest Hits Live was released to double platinum success and reached #12 on the US chart, continuing a chart run until spring 1981. Something of a misnomer, the two-disc set actually featured studio versions of most of Heart's singles to date plus a couple of new studio tracks and 6 live tracks, amongst which were covers of "Unchained Melody
", Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll
" and The Beatles' "I'm Down". But with a total of only two hit singles in 1980 (five singles were actually released) and a hiatus of almost two years to their next studio album, sales following this greatest hits package were weaker than previous efforts.
in 1982, Fossen and Derosier left the band. Both Private Audition and 1983's Passionworks
, (featuring new bassist Mark Andes
and new drummer Denny Carmassi
), failed to go gold.
Private Audition
presented an eclectic range of styles and marked quite a departure in sound from previous Heart releases. The hard rock opener "City's Burning" and Nancy's contribution "The Situation" were the only real connections to the sound of 1980's "Bebe Le Strange"; the rest of the album featured a Supremes-sounding Top 40 hit, "This Man Is Mine", a Ragtime
-influenced title track, several gentle pop ballads, (the standout being "Perfect Stranger"), and an intensely dramatic coda in the form of "America".
Passionworks
featured the Top 50 hit "How Can I Refuse", and was a definite step towards the power ballad/pop sound which reached its zenith in the three studio albums that followed. This was particularly in evidence with the minor hits "Allies
" and "Sleep Alone".
In 1984 Ann Wilson recorded a duet, with Mike Reno
of Loverboy
, called "Almost Paradise
". It was featured on the soundtrack of the movie Footloose. The song was a hit on the pop charts, reaching #7, and was a further foreshadowing of the sound that shaped the band's enormous comeback.
, simply titled Heart
(#1, 1985), turned out to be the biggest commercial success in the band's history. It sold five million copies on the strength of four Top-10 hits: "What About Love
" (#10, 1985), "Never
" (#4, 1985), "These Dreams
" (#1, 1986) and "Nothin' at All" (#10, 1986). A fifth single, the metallic "If Looks Could Kill
" also charted.
In June 1986, Nancy Wilson married journalist
, screenwriter
and director
Cameron Crowe
. (She had made a cameo appearance
in his movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High
in 1982, in a scene where she was driving a Corvette, and was listed in the credits as "Beautiful Girl in Car".)
Heart's next album, Bad Animals
(#2, 1987), continued the power ballad theme that defined much of 1980s pop. It also contained a chart-topper, "Alone
" (#1, 1987), as well as "Who Will You Run To
" (#7, 1987), "There's the Girl
" (#12, 1987) and "I Want You So Bad
" (#47, 1988), and also became the band's first top 10 album success in the UK, peaking at #7 on the UK Album Chart.
In a 1988 interview with Nine-O-One Network Magazine
, Ann Wilson disclosed that the title song from the album, “Bad Animals,” was written about a bad experience at a posh Memphis hotel. “We walked in and people looked at us like we were scum,” she explained. “It was an elegant lobby, with elegant rugs and vases, and we were tired and our hair was wild.” Nancy interrupted, “All the people were dressed to the hilt. They all looked like they were all from Dynasty. It was like a hush fell over the place . . . So, we just looked at each other and said, ‘sore thumb lobby.’”
Completing the comeback was Brigade
(#3, 1990) which became Heart's 6th multi-platinum LP
and added three more Top-25 hits to its catalogue: "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You
" (#2 U.S.), "Stranded" (#12 U.S.) and "I Didn't Want to Need You
" (#24 U.S.). Three other album cuts, "Secret
", "Wild Child" and "Tall, Dark Handsome Stranger
" were Rock chart hits and received considerable airplay on US hard rock and heavy metal stations. Brigade was the band's highest charting album ever in the UK, reaching #3.
The Wilson sisters then put together an informal acoustic
group called The Lovemongers with Sue Ennis
and Frank Cox. A four-song EP
, that included a live version of Led Zeppelin
's "The Battle of Evermore
" and an updated version of the Heart standard "Crazy On You", came out in late 1992, and the quartet performed several times in the Seattle area. The Lovemongers released a full-length album titled Whirlygig
in 1997, and a collection of mostly self-penned Christmas songs entitled "Here is Christmas" in 1998. This was later re-released as a Heart album Heart Presents a Lovemongers' Christmas
in 2001.
Also in 1992, Ann sang with Alice in Chains
on the songs "Brother," "Am I Inside," and "Love Song," from the EP Sap
. When Heart re-emerged with Desire Walks On
(#48) in 1993, Schuyler Deale played bass on the album's sessions. (Mark Andes had left the band by 1992.) Desire Walks On included the hard rock/metal radio hit "Black on Black II" as well as the Top 40 hit "Will You Be There (In the Morning)
" (#39, 1994). For the group's subsequent tour, Heart was joined by bassist
Fernando Saunders and drummer
Denny Fongheiser. The band offered live acoustic versions of its best-known songs on 1995's The Road Home, which was produced by Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones
, with Jones also performing with the band on mandolin and other instruments.
In 1995 Nancy decided to take a break from music to concentrate on raising a family with husband Cameron Crowe
. Ann toured that year with a band that was alternately called The Ann Wilson Band or Ann Wilson & the Ricola Brothers. This lineup included Leese, Scott Olson (guitars), Jon Bayless (bass), and Scott Adams (sax). Additionally, Lovemongers members Ben Smith (drums) and Frank Cox (guitars, keyboards, percussion) performed in this lineup. They were joined by Nancy for at least one show at The Joint in Las Vegas
on October 16, 1995, which was billed as a Heart show and later broadcast by the Westwood One
Superstars in Concert series. A videotape of the show was also shown on VH1
.
, Almost Famous
, Elizabethtown
and Vanilla Sky
. She wrote and, along with her husband, produced the song "I Fall Apart" in Vanilla Sky that Cameron Diaz
performed, and also composed "Elevator Beat", a non-vocal composition for the film. In 1999 Nancy released a solo album, Live at McCabe's Guitar Shop. Also in 1999, Nancy and Ann embarked on a tour of their own, this being the first time that they had done so.
In 2002, Ann and Nancy returned to the road with a brand-new Heart lineup that included Scott Olson, Ben Smith, Alice in Chains
bassist Mike Inez
, and keyboardist Tom Kellock. In 2003, Heart released their concert DVD Alive in Seattle
which has since been certified Gold - Video Longform
by the RIAA. The DVD includes such hits as "Alone
", "Barracuda
", "Crazy on You
", "Magic Man
", "Straight On
", "These Dreams
" and many more.
Also in 2003, Gilby Clarke (ex-Guns N' Roses
) and Darian Sahanaja
replaced Olson and Kellock. These two new men didn't stay very long and were succeeded in 2004 by Craig Bartok and Debbie Shair. (Sahanaja's schedule became very busy after he joined Brian Wilson
's touring band, but he returned to play with Heart in 2007 for their "Dreamboat Annie Live
" show.)
In 2004 the Wilsons released Jupiter's Darling
, their first studio album as Heart since 1993. It featured a variety of songs that included a return to Heart's original hard rock sound, as well as a blend of pop and new textures. Stand-out tracks included "Make Me", "Enough", "Oldest Story in the World" (#22 Billboard Rock Airplay, 2004) and "Lost Angel". In 2005 the Wilsons appeared on the CMT Music Awards
as a special guest of country
singer Gretchen Wilson
(no relation) and performed the Heart classic, "Crazy on You", with Gretchen. Also in 2005 Heart appeared in the finale episode of the second season of The L Word
on Showtime (broadcast on May 15, 2005), performing "Crazy on You".
Heart performed with Gretchen Wilson on VH-1's 10 March 2006 tribute to the band, "Decades Rock Live
". The special also featured Alice in Chains
, Phil Anselmo
, Dave Navarro
, Rufus Wainwright
, and Carrie Underwood
. Later in the year, bass player Inez left Heart to re-join the reformed Alice in Chains. Ric Markmann then became Heart's new bassist.
(24 May 2007), and also performed along with Ozzy Osbourne
, Genesis
and ZZ Top
. Gretchen Wilson and Alice in Chains honored the group by performing "Barracuda
". This, along with the inclusion of "Crazy on You" in Guitar Hero II
, "Barracuda" in the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
, and Guitar Hero: Smash Hits video game, renewed interest in Heart once again.
In September 2007, Ann Wilson released her first solo album, Hope & Glory
. The album features guest appearances by Elton John
, Alison Krauss
, Nancy Wilson, k d lang, Wynonna Judd
, Gretchen Wilson
, Rufus Wainwright
, Shawn Colvin
, and Deana Carter
, and was produced by Ben Mink
(Barenaked Ladies
, k d lang, and Feist). Both Nancy Wilson and Roger Fisher commenced writing autobiographies, but no publication dates have yet been mentioned.
Heart appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
on January 25, 2008 for Ellen's birthday show, and performed "Barracuda." Ellen played an intro to "Barracuda" on Guitar Hero
in front of the audience before announcing Heart. On April 9, 2008, the band appeared on Idol Gives Back
with Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson, who sang "Barracuda" in harmony with Ann. In mid 2008, Heart made a U.S. tour with Journey
and Cheap Trick
.
On 31 May 2008, Heart performed at the Artist for the Arts Foundation benefit at Barnum Hall, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, CA. Performing live, along side Jackson Browne
(Something Fine), Venice
(Crazy on You
) and over 70 members of the Santa Monica High School (SaMoHi) Orchestra and Girls Choir (Bohemian Rhapsody
), the benefit helped to provide funds for the continuation of Music Education in public schools. The event was filmed and recorded by Touring Video and Post by On the WAVE Productions. The video was produced by Harry Rabin of OTW and can be seen on the AFTA Foundation website.
In July 2009, Heart were special guests on 15 dates of Journey'
s summer arena tour. They played at a number of venues, including Louisville's Freedom Hall
, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
, the Sovereign Center
, Reno Events Center
, and Taco Bell Arena
. Heart also headlined a series of shows, with The Bangles
opening for them. Heart also headlined at the Verizon Wireless American Music Festival Labor Day 2009. They also wrote two songs ("Mine," "Civilian") with American female pop rock duo 78violet for their upcoming self titled studio album.
was released. The album contains 10 tracks, including a new working of the Lovemongers' song "Sand". It marks a stylistic return to Heart's melodic hard rock / acoustic sound, previously featured most prominently on Little Queen
and Dog and Butterfly. Red Velvet Car debuted at #10 on the Billboard Album chart for the week of September 11, 2010,
making it the highest debut ever for a Heart album and their first top 10 album success in 20 years, after 1990's Brigade
. The album also debuted at #3 on Billboard's Rock Album chart. Red Velvet Car spawned two singles, "WTF" aimed at hard rock and classic rock radio and "Hey You" aimed at Adult Contemporary formats. "Hey You" charted at #26 on Billboard's AC chart, while "WTF" charted at #16 on Billboard's Top Selling Rock Singles chart.
Some limited edition versions of the album, sold through U.S. Target stores (also available on the CD in UK, Canada, Japan and Europe as well as on iTunes UK, Europe and Canada) included the bonus track "Closer to the Sun". Additional Bonus tracks include: "In the Cool" (also available through U.S. Target stores and on iTunes UK, Europe and Canada), "Bootful of Beer" (available on the CD in UK, Canada, Japan and Europe as well as on iTunes UK, Europe and Canada) and the track "Listening" - available only on the Japanese CD Import version. The album release was accompanied by a North American tour, which commenced in January and ran until December 2010. On November 4, 2010, it was announced that Heart would do its first cross-Canada tour in thirty years, beginning on January 28, 2011 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Potential European dates have been pushed to later in 2011 and are expected to be announced in due course.
A live DVD and Blu-ray disc of the 2010 US tour, A Night at Sky Church, was released on March 8, 2011, the show already having been filmed on March 5, 2010, in their hometown of Seattle.
Coming off their latest Top 10 album and cross country tour of Canada, Heart announced on February 24 that they will be embarking on a 2011 summer tour co-headlining with Def Leppard
. According to Ann Wilson, "Nancy and I are really excited to be bringing Heart to the stage this summer with Def Leppard. It's going to be a powerful, monster show. The real thing. The summer of 2011 will be amazing."
Heart also played as part of 2010 VH1 Divas Support the Troops, along with Katy Perry
, Paramore
, Nicki Minaj
, Sugarland, Keri Hilson
, and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
. During Heart's set, Grace Potter played keyboards and dueted with Ann on vocals on "Crazy on You". After an initial rollout with multiple airings, this show is currently being aired occasionally on VH1 and affiliated channels, as well as Palladia HD channel. The concert was presented by the USO, hosted by Kathy Griffin
, and recorded Friday, December 3, 2010 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.
, Pearl Jam
, Alice in Chains
, Soundgarden
and Candlebox
.
"Heart's Heart: 20 Years of Rock & Roll" was the first CD-ROM multimedia biography/greatest hits package ever released.
In 2009 the Wilson sisters were also awarded ASCAP's Founders Award in recognition of their 35-year songwriting career.
Heart has achieved Top 10 albums on the Billboard charts in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and now 2010 with chart singles in each decade. This span of four decades places them among the most commercially enduring hard rock acts of all time.
Heart's diversity in music styles has been evident in their chart successes. The band has had singles chart success on Billboard's Hot 100, Mainstream Rock Tracks, and Adult Contemporary charts. Throughout history Heart has been labeled as Hard Rock, Folk, Easy Listening, Heavy Metal, and Hair Metal, many times demonstrating two or more of these styles on the same album. Their album title Dog and Butterfly was a symbol of their sometimes contradictory styles, with the "Dog" side of the album focusing on hard rock tunes and the "Butterfly" side made up of acoustic folk music. Their epic "Mistral Wind" from this album captured both styles in one song, starting as a mellow acoustic ballad and building to a metal crescendo. "Mistral Wind" is considered by many followers of Heart to be the band's finest studio recording.
, fueled rumors that Ann and Nancy were lesbian lovers by running a full-page ad in Rolling Stone
showing the sisters bare-shouldered (as appearing on the "Dreamboat Annie" album cover) and suggestively captioned, "It was only our first time!" When a reporter suggested, backstage after a live appearance, that the sisters were sex partners, the infuriated Ann returned to her hotel room and began writing the lyrics to "Barracuda
" to relieve her frustration. The song became one of Heart's biggest hits, charting at #11 in 1977.
There was no denying that sex appeal was a major ingredient in the sisters’ success. In 1988, the sisters told author James L. Dickerson that they would never apologize for exploiting their sex appeal. Ann pointed out that cleavage ran in their family and she saw no reason to deny it. “I’ve always been lucky to know men who have encouraged us for that,” she said, laughing.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann
Ann Wilson
Ann Dustin Wilson is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, flute player, songwriter, and occasional guitar player of the rock band Heart.-Personal life:...
and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
as well as folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. After diminishing in popularity for a couple of years in the early 80s, the band enjoyed a comeback in 1985, experiencing further successes with their power ballads and pop hits into the 1990s.
Over their four-decade career, Heart has had chart successes with songs in genres ranging from hard rock and metal to folk rock. With Jupiter's Darling
Jupiter's Darling
Jupiters Darling is the twelfth studio album released by the band Heart. The album was a minor success, peaking at number ninety-four on the U.S. Billboard 200. Two singles were released simultaneously: "The Oldest Story in the World" and "The Perfect Goodbye".This album marked a return to Heart's...
(2004) and Red Velvet Car
Red Velvet Car
Red Velvet Car is the thirteenth studio album by US hard rock band Heart, released worldwide on August 31, 2010 by Legacy Recordings. It debuted at #10 on the US Billboard 200, and at #3 on the US Rock Albums chart, making it the most successful chart debut for a Heart album in their career, and...
(2010), Heart made a return to their hard rock/acoustic roots of the late 70s. To date, Heart has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Heart was ranked #57 on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock
The Greatest (TV series)
The Greatest is a VH1 series. Each episode counts down either songs, albums, music videos, moments, musicians, or celebrities of a particular category.-Episodes:-References:...
".
Steve Fossen, Roger Fisher, Mike Fisher
Roger Fisher (guitarist)
Roger Fisher is a guitarist primarily known as one of the founding members of the band Heart. His tenure lasted from 1967 until 1980.-Career:...
on guitar, Don Wilhelm on guitar, keyboards and lead vocals, Ray Schaefer on drums. They played for several years in and around the Bothell, Washington
Bothell, Washington
Bothell is a city located in King and Snohomish Counties in the state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The population was 33,505 as of the 2010 census...
area (northeast of Seattle). They frequently played Bothell High School, Inglemoor High School and Shorecrest High School, as well as many taverns and club venues. They frequented the club "Parker's" on Aurora Avenue in north Seattle during the 1970s when it was known as the "Aquarius Tavern". In 1969 the band went through line-up changes (Gary Ziegelman on lead vocals, Roger
Roger Fisher (guitarist)
Roger Fisher is a guitarist primarily known as one of the founding members of the band Heart. His tenure lasted from 1967 until 1980.-Career:...
on guitar, Steve on bass, James Cirrello on guitar, Ron Rudge on drums, Ken Hansen on percussion, and Debi Cuidon on vocals) and a new name, White Heart (from Tales from the White Hart
Tales from the White Hart
Tales from the White Hart is a collection of short stories by science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, in the "club tales" style.Thirteen of the fifteen stories originally appeared across a number of different publications. "Moving Spirit" and "The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch" were first...
, a collection of short stories by Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
). For a brief time in 1970 this line-up shortened its name to Heart; however, the band went through more personnel changes. In 1971, Heart consisted of Steve Fossen, Roger Fisher, David Belzer (keys) and Jeff Johnson (drums).. When Ann Wilson
Ann Wilson
Ann Dustin Wilson is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, flute player, songwriter, and occasional guitar player of the rock band Heart.-Personal life:...
joined in 1972, the band was named Hocus Pocus.
Mike Fisher, Roger's brother, was set to be drafted. Nancy Wilson has stated that when he did not report for duty, his home was raided, but he slipped out a rear window, escaped to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and became a Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
draft dodger
Draft dodger
Draft evasion is a term that refers to an intentional failure to comply with the military conscription policies of the nation to which he or she is subject...
.
One day in 1972, Mike crossed the border to visit family and, by chance, met Ann at a Hocus Pocus show. According to Nancy, that meeting was "when she and Michael fell in love" and Ann decided to follow Mike back to Canada. Steve Fossen finished his college education before he also decided to move to Canada in late 1972, and Roger followed in late 1972 / early 1973, and along with Mike and Ann, the band Heart was officially formed.
Nancy joined in 1974, and soon after became involved with Roger. In 1974 the Heart lineup consisted of Ann, Nancy, Roger, Steve, John Hannah (keyboards), and Brian Johnstone (drums).
Ann and Nancy Wilson
The Wilson sisters grew up in Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
before their Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
father retired to the Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s. After Ann graduated from Sammamish High School
Sammamish High School
Sammamish High School is a public secondary school in Bellevue, Washington, USA, serving students in grades 9–12. The school is part of the Bellevue School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. The school is known as the Totems, and the mascot is the...
in Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
, she joined Roger Fisher in the band Hocus Pocus where she met Roger's brother Mike in 1971, and followed him back to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Meanwhile, Nancy finished high school then went to college where she majored in art and German literature. She then played solo gigs until 1974 when she quit college and moved to Canada to join Heart.
Success (1975–1981)
Heart's residency in Canada was long enough for the group to gain recognition as "Canadian artists" by the CRTC for the purposes of broadcasting. This status meant that the group's early recordings qualified as Canadian contentCanadian content
Canadian content refers to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requirements that radio and television broadcasters must air a certain percentage of content that was at least partly written, produced, presented, or otherwise contributed to by persons from...
and therefore received increased attention from radio programmers. In their early days the group told audiences that they were from Canada, even though all the members of Heart were citizens of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and were never permanent residents of Canada.
After many one-night shows around their new home in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the group recorded a demo tape with the assistance of producer Mike Flicker
Mike Flicker
Mike Flicker is an American producer in Los Angeles who has numerous credits on music and film projects. He is critically acclaimed for his work with Heart.- Early career :...
and session-guitarist and keyboard player, Howard Leese
Howard Leese
Howard M. Leese is an American guitarist, record producer and musical director who played with Heart for 22 years...
. Hannah and Johnstone had left by this time, and soon after Leese became a full-time member of the group. The same team then cut the debut album, Dreamboat Annie
Dreamboat Annie
Dreamboat Annie is the debut album by American rock band Heart. It was released in the United States on February 14, 1976 through Mushroom Records. It contained three hit singles which became staples on FM radio...
, which attracted the attention of the newly formed Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records (Canada)
Mushroom Records was a recording label company founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by brothers Wink and Dick Vogel in 1974. Shelly Siegel was the label's Vice-president and creative director. Mushroom released approximately 15 LPs and 50 singles between 1974 and 1980.The Mushroom...
in 1975, a Vancouver-based label run by Shelly Siegel. Drummers Duris Maxwell
Duris Maxwell
Duris Maxwell , also known as Ted Lewis, is a Canadian drummer who has played with many bands, including Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers, Powder Blues Band, Doucette, The Temptations, Jefferson Airplane, and Skylark...
, Dave Wilson, Kat Hendrikse and Michael Derosier were among those who played on the sessions for the album. Derosier eventually joined them as their full-time drummer.
Upon release in Canada, the album was first picked up for radio airplay by a station in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. Airplay on Canadian stations soon picked up, helped in part by the fact that the album qualified as "Canadian content." The album sold an impressive 30,000 copies across Canada in its first few months. In the US, Siegel released the album first in the Seattle area where it quickly sold another 25,000 copies. With two hit singles, "Crazy on You
Crazy on You
"Crazy on You" is the guitar-driven debut single from the female-fronted rock band Heart's debut album Dreamboat Annie, released in 1976. Starting with an acoustic guitar intro, the song turns into fast-paced rock song that was the signature sound of the band in their early years...
" (#35, 1976) and "Magic Man
Magic Man
"Magic Man" is a hit rock song released in 1976 by Heart. It was issued as the second single from the band's debut album Dreamboat Annie. Written by Ann and Nancy Wilson, the song is sung from the viewpoint of a young girl who is being seduced by an older man , much to the chagrin of her mother,...
" (#9, 1976), Dreamboat Annie eventually sold over 1 million copies.
Mike Fisher was able to freely return to the United States with the members of Heart after President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
granted amnesty to Vietnam draft dodgers on his first day in office, January 21, 1977. By this time Heart had broken its contract with Mushroom Records and signed with CBS
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
subsidiary Portrait
Portrait Records
Portrait Records was a sister label of Epic Records and later of Columbia Records. Cyndi Lauper and Sade signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered....
, a move that resulted in a prolonged legal battle with Siegel. He released the partly completed Magazine just before Portrait released Little Queen
Little Queen
Little Queen is the second album released by Heart. It was released in May 1977 on Portrait Records, and re-released in 2004 with two bonus tracks....
. A Seattle court ruled that Mushroom Records had to recall Magazine so that the group could remix several tracks and redo vocals before re-releasing the disc; Heart had wanted the album taken off the market completely. Hence, Magazine was released twice, both before and after Little Queen.
Barracuda (song)
"Barracuda" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released as the first single from the band's second album Little Queen .-Reception:...
" (#11, 1977), became Heart's second million-seller. Ann and Nancy appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
in July 1977 (issue No. 244).
Magazine was re-issued in April 1978, with a re-ordered tracklisting and remixed versions of many of the songs. It peaked in the top twenty. It achieved platinum status and gave forth the Top 20 hit single "Heartless".
In late 1978, the double-platinum Dog and Butterfly followed suit garnering ecstatic critical reviews, and yielded top 30 hits with its title song and "Straight On
Straight On
"Straight On" is a song recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released as the first single from the band's 1978 album Dog & Butterfly. In the U.S., "Straight On" became Heart's third single to crack the top twenty, peaking at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Ann...
". The album was composed of 8 tracks and divided into two sections, the A-side being "Dog" and featuring more uptempo rock/pop songs, whilst the "Butterfly" B-side featured longer tracks with a more experimental and moody flavour. The closing 7-minute opus "Mistral Wind" became an immediate live favorite and is a staple of all Heart set lists to this day.
After the 77-city "Dog and Butterfly" tour, the Wilson-Fisher liaisons ended, as Roger had by then left the band in the fall of 1979 and formed his own band in the Seattle area. Nancy Wilson and longtime guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Howard Leese
Howard Leese
Howard M. Leese is an American guitarist, record producer and musical director who played with Heart for 22 years...
filled in the guitar void, and her childhood friend Sue Ennis
Sue Ennis
Sue Ennis is a Seattle songwriter whose songs include Classic Rock radio staples Straight On, Even It Up and Dog and Butterfly. She has co-written over 65 songs for the rock band Heart and co-wrote the theme from The Golden Child starring Eddie Murphy with James Bond composer, John Barry, Ann and...
helped with song collaborations. Still, the absence of Fisher's guitar work was evident in the band's subsequent albums.
Heart then released Bebe le Strange
Bebe le Strange
Bebe le Strange is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Heart. It was released on February 14, 1980 through Epic Records. It was the first album without Roger Fisher on lead guitar, who left the band months prior. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number five on the U.S....
in 1980. It became the band's second top ten album, peaking at #5 and achieving gold status, and yielded the Top 40 hit "Even It Up
Even it Up
"Even It Up" is a song recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released in 1980 as the first single from the band's fifth studio album Bebe le Strange...
". By the end of the year, the band scored their highest charted single at the time; a remake of the ballad "Tell it Like it Is
Tell It Like It Is
"Tell It Like It Is" is a song written by George Davis and Lee Diamond. It was first recorded by Aaron Neville, who released the song as a single in 1966. It was issued at the end of the year on the Par-Lo label and became a hit, peaking at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number...
" which peaked at #8.
In November 1980, to mark the significant achievement of their first five studio albums, the double album Greatest Hits Live was released to double platinum success and reached #12 on the US chart, continuing a chart run until spring 1981. Something of a misnomer, the two-disc set actually featured studio versions of most of Heart's singles to date plus a couple of new studio tracks and 6 live tracks, amongst which were covers of "Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
", Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll
Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin song)
"Rock and Roll" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, which was first released as the second track from the band's fourth album in 1971, with a guest appearance by The Rolling Stones pianist Ian Stewart.-Overview:...
" and The Beatles' "I'm Down". But with a total of only two hit singles in 1980 (five singles were actually released) and a hiatus of almost two years to their next studio album, sales following this greatest hits package were weaker than previous efforts.
Decline (1982–1984)
Following the release of Private AuditionPrivate Audition
Private Audition is the sixth studio album, but seventh album overall, released by the hard rock band Heart, released in 1982. The album was on the U.S. Billboard 200 for fourteen weeks, peaking at number twenty-five. It contained the hit single "This Man Is Mine"...
in 1982, Fossen and Derosier left the band. Both Private Audition and 1983's Passionworks
Passionworks
Passionworks is the seventh studio album, but eighth album overall, released by the hard rock band Heart, in 1983. The album marks a shift in musical direction from hard rock to power ballads. This album spent 21 weeks on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached #39. The single, "How Can I Refuse?"...
, (featuring new bassist Mark Andes
Mark Andes
Mark Andes is an American musician, known for his work as a bassist with Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, Heart, and Mirabal.-Early life:...
and new drummer Denny Carmassi
Denny Carmassi
Denny Carmassi is an American drummer.Carmassi was a member of the first four line-ups of the band Montrose. After Montrose, he played with his former Montrose bandmate Sammy Hagar as a solo artist, and with his former Montrose bandmates Ronnie Montrose and Jim Alcivar in the band Gamma.He also...
), failed to go gold.
Private Audition
Private Audition
Private Audition is the sixth studio album, but seventh album overall, released by the hard rock band Heart, released in 1982. The album was on the U.S. Billboard 200 for fourteen weeks, peaking at number twenty-five. It contained the hit single "This Man Is Mine"...
presented an eclectic range of styles and marked quite a departure in sound from previous Heart releases. The hard rock opener "City's Burning" and Nancy's contribution "The Situation" were the only real connections to the sound of 1980's "Bebe Le Strange"; the rest of the album featured a Supremes-sounding Top 40 hit, "This Man Is Mine", a Ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
-influenced title track, several gentle pop ballads, (the standout being "Perfect Stranger"), and an intensely dramatic coda in the form of "America".
Passionworks
Passionworks
Passionworks is the seventh studio album, but eighth album overall, released by the hard rock band Heart, in 1983. The album marks a shift in musical direction from hard rock to power ballads. This album spent 21 weeks on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached #39. The single, "How Can I Refuse?"...
featured the Top 50 hit "How Can I Refuse", and was a definite step towards the power ballad/pop sound which reached its zenith in the three studio albums that followed. This was particularly in evidence with the minor hits "Allies
Allies (song)
"Allies" is a song recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released in 1983 as the second and final single from the band's seventh studio album Passionworks. The song was written by Jonathan Cain, best known as a member of the rock band Journey....
" and "Sleep Alone".
In 1984 Ann Wilson recorded a duet, with Mike Reno
Mike Reno
Mike Reno , born January 8, 1955 in New Westminster, British Columbia is a Canadian musician, drummer, and lead singer of the rock band Loverboy. He has also fronted other bands, including Moxy....
of Loverboy
Loverboy
Loverboy is a Canadian rock group formed in 1980 in Calgary, Alberta. Throughout the 1980s, the band accumulated numerous hit songs in Canada and the United States, earning four multi-platinum albums and selling millions of records...
, called "Almost Paradise
Almost Paradise
"Almost Paradise...Love Theme from Footloose" is the title of a duet by singers Mike Reno and Ann Wilson, written by pop music singer-songwriter Eric Carmen and co-written by Dean Pitchford....
". It was featured on the soundtrack of the movie Footloose. The song was a hit on the pop charts, reaching #7, and was a further foreshadowing of the sound that shaped the band's enormous comeback.
Comeback (1985–1990)
Heart's first album for CapitolCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, simply titled Heart
Heart (Heart album)
Heart is the self-titled eighth studio album, but ninth album overall, released by Heart. Released in 1985, the album completed the band's transition into a pop group, a genre that yielded the band its greatest success by far, marking the band's Capitol Records debut, and it spent 92 weeks on the...
(#1, 1985), turned out to be the biggest commercial success in the band's history. It sold five million copies on the strength of four Top-10 hits: "What About Love
What About Love
"What About Love" is a song recorded by the rock band Heart, and released in June 1985. The band's "comeback" single, it was the first Heart track to reach the top 40 in three years, and their first top 10 hit in five...
" (#10, 1985), "Never
Never (Heart song)
"Never" is the name of a song recorded by rock band Heart. It was released as the second single from the band's self-titled 1985 album Heart. The song is an aggressive rock number with an uplifting lyric to a person who has been discouraged by love...
" (#4, 1985), "These Dreams
These Dreams
"These Dreams" is a song by the rock band Heart released in 1986 from their 1985 self-titled album. It was the first song by the band to become a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.-Origin of the song:...
" (#1, 1986) and "Nothin' at All" (#10, 1986). A fifth single, the metallic "If Looks Could Kill
If Looks Could Kill
"If Looks Could Kill" is the name of a song recorded by rock band Heart. It was released as the fifth and final single from the band's self-titled 1985 album Heart. Musically the song is similar to early Heart tunes, as it is an aggressive, hard rock number...
" also charted.
In June 1986, Nancy Wilson married journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
. (She had made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in his movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...
in 1982, in a scene where she was driving a Corvette, and was listed in the credits as "Beautiful Girl in Car".)
Heart's next album, Bad Animals
Bad Animals
Bad Animals is the ninth studio album, but tenth album overall by the rock band Heart. Released in 1987, the album was a big hit, and was almost as successful as their previous record Heart in 1985. RIAA certification as of 2010 is 5 times platinum, indicating sales in excess of 5 million in the US...
(#2, 1987), continued the power ballad theme that defined much of 1980s pop. It also contained a chart-topper, "Alone
Alone (Heart song)
-Céline Dion version:Céline Dion covered "Alone" for her 2007 album Taking Chances. It was released as the second single in Europe and North America, and third in the United Kingdom...
" (#1, 1987), as well as "Who Will You Run To
Who Will You Run To
"Who Will You Run To" is a song recorded by American rock band Heart. It was composed by Diane Warren and released as the second single from Heart's ninth studio album Bad Animals...
" (#7, 1987), "There's the Girl
There's the Girl
"There's the Girl" is a song recorded by the American rock band, Heart. It was composed by Holly Knight and Heart band member Nancy Wilson. "There's The Girl" was released in a remixed version as the third single from Heart's ninth studio album, Bad Animals...
" (#12, 1987) and "I Want You So Bad
I Want You So Bad
"I Want You So Bad" is a song recorded by American rock band Heart. It was composed by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, who were responsible for writing Heart's U.S. number-one single "Alone"...
" (#47, 1988), and also became the band's first top 10 album success in the UK, peaking at #7 on the UK Album Chart.
In a 1988 interview with Nine-O-One Network Magazine
Nine-O-One Network Magazine
Nine-O-One Network Magazine was a bi-monthly music magazine published in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1986 to 1989.-Beginnings:The magazine originated during the heralded 1986 “Class of '55” recording session in Memphis with Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. Producer Chips...
, Ann Wilson disclosed that the title song from the album, “Bad Animals,” was written about a bad experience at a posh Memphis hotel. “We walked in and people looked at us like we were scum,” she explained. “It was an elegant lobby, with elegant rugs and vases, and we were tired and our hair was wild.” Nancy interrupted, “All the people were dressed to the hilt. They all looked like they were all from Dynasty. It was like a hush fell over the place . . . So, we just looked at each other and said, ‘sore thumb lobby.’”
Completing the comeback was Brigade
Brigade (album)
Brigade is the tenth studio album, eleventh overall, released by the popular rock/pop band Heart. Released in 1990 after a three-year gap between albums, the album featured the #2 Billboard Hot 100 hit "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" and reached number three on the U.S. Billboard 200, and was...
(#3, 1990) which became Heart's 6th multi-platinum LP
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
and added three more Top-25 hits to its catalogue: "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You
All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You
"All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" is a song recorded by American rock band Heart. It was composed by veteran songwriter and producer Robert Lange and released as the first single from the band's tenth studio album Brigade, as well as their first hit single of the 1990s...
" (#2 U.S.), "Stranded" (#12 U.S.) and "I Didn't Want to Need You
I Didn't Want to Need You
"I Didn't Want to Need You" is a song recorded by American rock band Heart in 1990.It was composed by veteran songwriter Diane Warren and released as the second single from the band's tenth studio album Brigade. Warren, one of the most successful pop music songwriters of the 1980s and 1990s, also...
" (#24 U.S.). Three other album cuts, "Secret
Secret (Heart song)
"Secret" is a song recorded by American rock band Heart. It was released as the fourth and final single from the band's tenth studio album Brigade....
", "Wild Child" and "Tall, Dark Handsome Stranger
Tall, Dark Handsome Stranger
Tall, Dark, Handsome Stranger is a song written by Holly Knight and Albert Hammond, performed by the rock band, Heart, for their 1990 album, Brigade. In the song's lyrics, a woman describes how she's so sick and tired of men trying to act cool and pretending to be everything a woman might want. The...
" were Rock chart hits and received considerable airplay on US hard rock and heavy metal stations. Brigade was the band's highest charting album ever in the UK, reaching #3.
1991–1995
Following the 1990 tour, Heart released their first complete live album in the autumn of 1991. Rock the House Live! featured highlights of the Brigade world tour, and was a moderate success in the US and UK.The Wilson sisters then put together an informal acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
group called The Lovemongers with Sue Ennis
Sue Ennis
Sue Ennis is a Seattle songwriter whose songs include Classic Rock radio staples Straight On, Even It Up and Dog and Butterfly. She has co-written over 65 songs for the rock band Heart and co-wrote the theme from The Golden Child starring Eddie Murphy with James Bond composer, John Barry, Ann and...
and Frank Cox. A four-song EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, that included a live version of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's "The Battle of Evermore
The Battle of Evermore
"The Battle of Evermore" is a folk rock duet sung by Robert Plant and Sandy Denny, by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on their untitled fourth album , released in 1971...
" and an updated version of the Heart standard "Crazy On You", came out in late 1992, and the quartet performed several times in the Seattle area. The Lovemongers released a full-length album titled Whirlygig
Whirlygig (album)
Whirlygig is the only album by The Lovemongers.The Lovemongers were a side project of singer-songwriting-musicians, and sisters, Ann & Nancy Wilson, better known as the frontwomen of the rock band Heart. They formed The Lovemongers with Sue Ennis and Frank Cox, and released Whirlygig in 1997 on...
in 1997, and a collection of mostly self-penned Christmas songs entitled "Here is Christmas" in 1998. This was later re-released as a Heart album Heart Presents a Lovemongers' Christmas
Heart Presents a Lovemongers' Christmas
Heart Presents A Lovemongers' Christmas is a Christmas album by Heart. The album was originally released in 1998, with the title, Here Is Christmas, where it served as an album for The Lovemongers, a sideband that is led by Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of Heart.In 2001, Ann and Nancy had decided to...
in 2001.
Also in 1992, Ann sang with Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
on the songs "Brother," "Am I Inside," and "Love Song," from the EP Sap
Sap (album)
I "Right Turn" is credited to Alice Mudgarden in the liner notes.II "Love Song" is unlisted on the CD.-Personnel:Alice in Chains*Layne Staley – vocals, drums on "Love Song"*Jerry Cantrell – guitar, vocals, bass on "Love Song"...
. When Heart re-emerged with Desire Walks On
Desire Walks On
Desire Walks On is the eleventh studio album, but thirteenth overall, by rock band Heart. Released in 1993, it yielded four singles: "Will You Be There ", which reached #39 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, "Black on Black II", which was a mainstream rock hit, "Back to Avalon" and "The Woman in Me",...
(#48) in 1993, Schuyler Deale played bass on the album's sessions. (Mark Andes had left the band by 1992.) Desire Walks On included the hard rock/metal radio hit "Black on Black II" as well as the Top 40 hit "Will You Be There (In the Morning)
Will You Be There (In the Morning)
"Will You Be There " is a song first recorded by American rock band Heart. It was released as the first single from the band's eleventh studio album Desire Walks On and was the only Top 40 single from the album....
" (#39, 1994). For the group's subsequent tour, Heart was joined by bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Fernando Saunders and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Denny Fongheiser. The band offered live acoustic versions of its best-known songs on 1995's The Road Home, which was produced by Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
, with Jones also performing with the band on mandolin and other instruments.
In 1995 Nancy decided to take a break from music to concentrate on raising a family with husband Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
. Ann toured that year with a band that was alternately called The Ann Wilson Band or Ann Wilson & the Ricola Brothers. This lineup included Leese, Scott Olson (guitars), Jon Bayless (bass), and Scott Adams (sax). Additionally, Lovemongers members Ben Smith (drums) and Frank Cox (guitars, keyboards, percussion) performed in this lineup. They were joined by Nancy for at least one show at The Joint in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
on October 16, 1995, which was billed as a Heart show and later broadcast by the Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
Superstars in Concert series. A videotape of the show was also shown on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
.
1996–2001
In 1998 Ann toured again without Nancy, this time billed as Ann Wilson and Heart. The lineup was the same as it had been in 1995, but without Scott Adams. This was long term band member Leese's last tour with Heart; he left the band later in the year. Nancy kept busy scoring her husband's movies Jerry MaguireJerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe...
, Almost Famous
Almost Famous
Almost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
, Elizabethtown
Elizabethtown (film)
Elizabethtown is a 2005 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. Alec Baldwin has a small role as a CEO of an athletic shoe company and Susan Sarandon appears as a grieving widow...
and Vanilla Sky
Vanilla Sky
Vanilla Sky is a 2001 American psychological thriller film directed, co-produced and co-written by Cameron Crowe. The film is an English-language remake of the 1997 Spanish movie Abre los ojos , the screenplay for which was written by Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil...
. She wrote and, along with her husband, produced the song "I Fall Apart" in Vanilla Sky that Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
performed, and also composed "Elevator Beat", a non-vocal composition for the film. In 1999 Nancy released a solo album, Live at McCabe's Guitar Shop. Also in 1999, Nancy and Ann embarked on a tour of their own, this being the first time that they had done so.
2002–2006
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
bassist Mike Inez
Mike Inez
Mike Inez is a rock musician best known for his role as the bassist of Alice in Chains. Inez has also worked with other popular musical acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, and Heart. Inez is of Filipino ancestry.-Career:...
, and keyboardist Tom Kellock. In 2003, Heart released their concert DVD Alive in Seattle
Alive in Seattle
Alive in Seattle is an album released in 2003 by Heart. It is a double-CD package of their greatest hits recorded live in concert. The concert featured on this live album is their final concert in Seattle, during Heart's "Summer Of Love Tour", which was put on during the Summer of 2002.- Disc one...
which has since been certified Gold - Video Longform
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the RIAA. The DVD includes such hits as "Alone
Alone (Heart song)
-Céline Dion version:Céline Dion covered "Alone" for her 2007 album Taking Chances. It was released as the second single in Europe and North America, and third in the United Kingdom...
", "Barracuda
Barracuda (song)
"Barracuda" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released as the first single from the band's second album Little Queen .-Reception:...
", "Crazy on You
Crazy on You
"Crazy on You" is the guitar-driven debut single from the female-fronted rock band Heart's debut album Dreamboat Annie, released in 1976. Starting with an acoustic guitar intro, the song turns into fast-paced rock song that was the signature sound of the band in their early years...
", "Magic Man
Magic Man
"Magic Man" is a hit rock song released in 1976 by Heart. It was issued as the second single from the band's debut album Dreamboat Annie. Written by Ann and Nancy Wilson, the song is sung from the viewpoint of a young girl who is being seduced by an older man , much to the chagrin of her mother,...
", "Straight On
Straight On
"Straight On" is a song recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released as the first single from the band's 1978 album Dog & Butterfly. In the U.S., "Straight On" became Heart's third single to crack the top twenty, peaking at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Ann...
", "These Dreams
These Dreams
"These Dreams" is a song by the rock band Heart released in 1986 from their 1985 self-titled album. It was the first song by the band to become a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.-Origin of the song:...
" and many more.
Also in 2003, Gilby Clarke (ex-Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
) and Darian Sahanaja
Darian Sahanaja
Darian Sahanaja is a singer, songwriter, and is currently playing in the Brian Wilson band with The Wondermints. He has also collaborated with numerous other artists in the genre of orchestral/underground pop, including Baby Lemonade, Wonderboy, Aimee Mann, Now People, Lisa Mychols and Donna Summer...
replaced Olson and Kellock. These two new men didn't stay very long and were succeeded in 2004 by Craig Bartok and Debbie Shair. (Sahanaja's schedule became very busy after he joined Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
's touring band, but he returned to play with Heart in 2007 for their "Dreamboat Annie Live
Dreamboat Annie Live
Dreamboat Annie Live is a live album released by Heart in October 2007, which features Heart performing all ten songs from their 1976 debut album, Dreamboat Annie, live in concert, plus five extra performances ....
" show.)
In 2004 the Wilsons released Jupiter's Darling
Jupiter's Darling
Jupiters Darling is the twelfth studio album released by the band Heart. The album was a minor success, peaking at number ninety-four on the U.S. Billboard 200. Two singles were released simultaneously: "The Oldest Story in the World" and "The Perfect Goodbye".This album marked a return to Heart's...
, their first studio album as Heart since 1993. It featured a variety of songs that included a return to Heart's original hard rock sound, as well as a blend of pop and new textures. Stand-out tracks included "Make Me", "Enough", "Oldest Story in the World" (#22 Billboard Rock Airplay, 2004) and "Lost Angel". In 2005 the Wilsons appeared on the CMT Music Awards
CMT Music Awards
The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on CMT. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.-History:...
as a special guest of country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
(no relation) and performed the Heart classic, "Crazy on You", with Gretchen. Also in 2005 Heart appeared in the finale episode of the second season of The L Word
The L Word
The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
on Showtime (broadcast on May 15, 2005), performing "Crazy on You".
Heart performed with Gretchen Wilson on VH-1's 10 March 2006 tribute to the band, "Decades Rock Live
Decades Rock Live
Decades Rock Live! was a TV series of live concerts. The program premiered on VH1 Classic in the Winter of 2006.It "featured performances by celebrated artists from rock to soul who have influenced popular music over the last 50 years, as well as performances from some of today’s hottest recording...
". The special also featured Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, Phil Anselmo
Phil Anselmo
Philip Hansen "Phil" Anselmo is an American musician who is best known as the lead singer for the heavy metal band Pantera. He is currently the frontman for the Louisiana-based metal act Down. He is also the owner of Housecore Records....
, Dave Navarro
Dave Navarro
David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.- Early life :...
, Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
, and Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
. Later in the year, bass player Inez left Heart to re-join the reformed Alice in Chains. Ric Markmann then became Heart's new bassist.
2007–2009
Heart was honored at the second annual VH1 Rock HonorsVH1 Rock Honors
The VH1 Rock Honors were an annual ceremony paying homage to bands who influenced the sound of rock music. The events began in 2006, and the final event took place in 2008. The general format of each show is for modern bands to "pay tribute" to classic greats of the rock/metal world , after which...
(24 May 2007), and also performed along with Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
and ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
. Gretchen Wilson and Alice in Chains honored the group by performing "Barracuda
Barracuda (song)
"Barracuda" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released as the first single from the band's second album Little Queen .-Reception:...
". This, along with the inclusion of "Crazy on You" in Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane. It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero...
, "Barracuda" in the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
, and Guitar Hero: Smash Hits video game, renewed interest in Heart once again.
In September 2007, Ann Wilson released her first solo album, Hope & Glory
Hope & Glory (album)
Hope & Glory is the first solo album by Heart singer Ann Wilson, released on September 11, 2007.Hope & Glory features guest appearances from Elton John, k.d. lang, Alison Krauss, Gretchen Wilson, Shawn Colvin, Rufus Wainwright, Wynonna Judd and Deana Carter...
. The album features guest appearances by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, Nancy Wilson, k d lang, Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Ellen Judd is an American country music singer. Her solo albums and singles are all credited to the singular name Wynonna. Wynonna first rose to fame in the 1980s alongside her mother, Naomi, in the country music duo The Judds...
, Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
, Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
, Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Childhood and early career:Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. Her formative years were spent in the town of Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age...
, and Deana Carter
Deana Carter
Deana Carter is a country music artist who broke through in 1996 with the release of debut album Did I Shave My Legs for This?, which was certified 5× Multi-Platinum in the United States for sales of over five million...
, and was produced by Ben Mink
Ben Mink
Ben Mink is a Canadian songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.Born of Polish parents, Mink was raised in Toronto Ontario. He got his start performing with the rock/country group Mary-Lou Horner, which became the house band at bar and nightclub....
(Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
, k d lang, and Feist). Both Nancy Wilson and Roger Fisher commenced writing autobiographies, but no publication dates have yet been mentioned.
Heart appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
on January 25, 2008 for Ellen's birthday show, and performed "Barracuda." Ellen played an intro to "Barracuda" on Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in Europe and June 15, 2006 in...
in front of the audience before announcing Heart. On April 9, 2008, the band appeared on Idol Gives Back
Idol Gives Back
Idol Gives Back is the name of a charitable campaign that spanned two episodes of American Idol during its sixth season. A second Idol Gives Back concert and fundraiser occurred on April 9, 2008, during the seventh season of the show. Idol Gives Back was not held in 2009 due to the ongoing...
with Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson, who sang "Barracuda" in harmony with Ann. In mid 2008, Heart made a U.S. tour with Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
and Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
.
On 31 May 2008, Heart performed at the Artist for the Arts Foundation benefit at Barnum Hall, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, CA. Performing live, along side Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
(Something Fine), Venice
Venice (band)
Venice was started in Venice, California in 1977 by cousins Michael Lennon and Kipp Lennon . Michael's brother Mark joined the band in 1978, followed by Kipp's brother Pat in 1980. Kipp and Pat are two of eleven siblings, and are younger brothers of the Lennon Sisters...
(Crazy on You
Crazy on You
"Crazy on You" is the guitar-driven debut single from the female-fronted rock band Heart's debut album Dreamboat Annie, released in 1976. Starting with an acoustic guitar intro, the song turns into fast-paced rock song that was the signature sound of the band in their early years...
) and over 70 members of the Santa Monica High School (SaMoHi) Orchestra and Girls Choir (Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
), the benefit helped to provide funds for the continuation of Music Education in public schools. The event was filmed and recorded by Touring Video and Post by On the WAVE Productions. The video was produced by Harry Rabin of OTW and can be seen on the AFTA Foundation website.
In July 2009, Heart were special guests on 15 dates of Journey'
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
s summer arena tour. They played at a number of venues, including Louisville's Freedom Hall
Freedom Hall
Freedom Hall is a multipurpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky...
, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island...
, the Sovereign Center
Sovereign Center
Sovereign Center is a 7,083-seat multi-purpose arena, in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was built in 2001. The arena sits on the former site of the Astor Theatre. Closed in 1975, the theatre sat vacant, until it was torn down in 1998, to make room for the arena....
, Reno Events Center
Reno Events Center
The Reno Events Center is a 7,500-seat multi-purpose arena, located in downtown Reno, Nevada, that was constructed in 2005....
, and Taco Bell Arena
Taco Bell Arena
The Taco Bell Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena, on the campus of Boise State University, in Boise, Idaho. The arena is located on the east end of campus, between West Campus Lane & Cesar Chavez Circle, immediately northwest of Bronco Stadium....
. Heart also headlined a series of shows, with The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
opening for them. Heart also headlined at the Verizon Wireless American Music Festival Labor Day 2009. They also wrote two songs ("Mine," "Civilian") with American female pop rock duo 78violet for their upcoming self titled studio album.
2010 and Heart's return to the Top 10
On August 31, 2010 a long-awaited new studio album entitled Red Velvet CarRed Velvet Car
Red Velvet Car is the thirteenth studio album by US hard rock band Heart, released worldwide on August 31, 2010 by Legacy Recordings. It debuted at #10 on the US Billboard 200, and at #3 on the US Rock Albums chart, making it the most successful chart debut for a Heart album in their career, and...
was released. The album contains 10 tracks, including a new working of the Lovemongers' song "Sand". It marks a stylistic return to Heart's melodic hard rock / acoustic sound, previously featured most prominently on Little Queen
Little Queen
Little Queen is the second album released by Heart. It was released in May 1977 on Portrait Records, and re-released in 2004 with two bonus tracks....
and Dog and Butterfly. Red Velvet Car debuted at #10 on the Billboard Album chart for the week of September 11, 2010,
making it the highest debut ever for a Heart album and their first top 10 album success in 20 years, after 1990's Brigade
Brigade (album)
Brigade is the tenth studio album, eleventh overall, released by the popular rock/pop band Heart. Released in 1990 after a three-year gap between albums, the album featured the #2 Billboard Hot 100 hit "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" and reached number three on the U.S. Billboard 200, and was...
. The album also debuted at #3 on Billboard's Rock Album chart. Red Velvet Car spawned two singles, "WTF" aimed at hard rock and classic rock radio and "Hey You" aimed at Adult Contemporary formats. "Hey You" charted at #26 on Billboard's AC chart, while "WTF" charted at #16 on Billboard's Top Selling Rock Singles chart.
Some limited edition versions of the album, sold through U.S. Target stores (also available on the CD in UK, Canada, Japan and Europe as well as on iTunes UK, Europe and Canada) included the bonus track "Closer to the Sun". Additional Bonus tracks include: "In the Cool" (also available through U.S. Target stores and on iTunes UK, Europe and Canada), "Bootful of Beer" (available on the CD in UK, Canada, Japan and Europe as well as on iTunes UK, Europe and Canada) and the track "Listening" - available only on the Japanese CD Import version. The album release was accompanied by a North American tour, which commenced in January and ran until December 2010. On November 4, 2010, it was announced that Heart would do its first cross-Canada tour in thirty years, beginning on January 28, 2011 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Potential European dates have been pushed to later in 2011 and are expected to be announced in due course.
A live DVD and Blu-ray disc of the 2010 US tour, A Night at Sky Church, was released on March 8, 2011, the show already having been filmed on March 5, 2010, in their hometown of Seattle.
Coming off their latest Top 10 album and cross country tour of Canada, Heart announced on February 24 that they will be embarking on a 2011 summer tour co-headlining with Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
. According to Ann Wilson, "Nancy and I are really excited to be bringing Heart to the stage this summer with Def Leppard. It's going to be a powerful, monster show. The real thing. The summer of 2011 will be amazing."
Heart also played as part of 2010 VH1 Divas Support the Troops, along with Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
, Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
, Sugarland, Keri Hilson
Keri Hilson
Keri Lynn Hilson is an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Hilson began her music career as a songwriter, penning tracks for several artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production and songwriting team, The Clutch...
, and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is an American rock band from Waitsfield, Vermont.-Career:Grace Potter and the Nocturnals' lead vocalist is multi-instrumentalist Grace Potter, who attended St. Lawrence University for two years before pursuing music professionally...
. During Heart's set, Grace Potter played keyboards and dueted with Ann on vocals on "Crazy on You". After an initial rollout with multiple airings, this show is currently being aired occasionally on VH1 and affiliated channels, as well as Palladia HD channel. The concert was presented by the USO, hosted by Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
, and recorded Friday, December 3, 2010 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.
Legacy
In addition to their own recording careers, the Wilson sisters have played a role on the Seattle music scene. Among the groups who have recorded at their Bad Animals studio are R.E.M.R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
and Candlebox
Candlebox
Candlebox is an American alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington. Since their debut, the group has released four studio albums, which have achieved multi-platinum and gold certification, as well as numerous charting singles, a compilation, and a CD+DVD....
.
"Heart's Heart: 20 Years of Rock & Roll" was the first CD-ROM multimedia biography/greatest hits package ever released.
In 2009 the Wilson sisters were also awarded ASCAP's Founders Award in recognition of their 35-year songwriting career.
Heart has achieved Top 10 albums on the Billboard charts in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and now 2010 with chart singles in each decade. This span of four decades places them among the most commercially enduring hard rock acts of all time.
Heart's diversity in music styles has been evident in their chart successes. The band has had singles chart success on Billboard's Hot 100, Mainstream Rock Tracks, and Adult Contemporary charts. Throughout history Heart has been labeled as Hard Rock, Folk, Easy Listening, Heavy Metal, and Hair Metal, many times demonstrating two or more of these styles on the same album. Their album title Dog and Butterfly was a symbol of their sometimes contradictory styles, with the "Dog" side of the album focusing on hard rock tunes and the "Butterfly" side made up of acoustic folk music. Their epic "Mistral Wind" from this album captured both styles in one song, starting as a mellow acoustic ballad and building to a metal crescendo. "Mistral Wind" is considered by many followers of Heart to be the band's finest studio recording.
Controversy
In 1977, Heart's record label, Mushroom RecordsMushroom Records (Canada)
Mushroom Records was a recording label company founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by brothers Wink and Dick Vogel in 1974. Shelly Siegel was the label's Vice-president and creative director. Mushroom released approximately 15 LPs and 50 singles between 1974 and 1980.The Mushroom...
, fueled rumors that Ann and Nancy were lesbian lovers by running a full-page ad in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
showing the sisters bare-shouldered (as appearing on the "Dreamboat Annie" album cover) and suggestively captioned, "It was only our first time!" When a reporter suggested, backstage after a live appearance, that the sisters were sex partners, the infuriated Ann returned to her hotel room and began writing the lyrics to "Barracuda
Barracuda (song)
"Barracuda" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released as the first single from the band's second album Little Queen .-Reception:...
" to relieve her frustration. The song became one of Heart's biggest hits, charting at #11 in 1977.
There was no denying that sex appeal was a major ingredient in the sisters’ success. In 1988, the sisters told author James L. Dickerson that they would never apologize for exploiting their sex appeal. Ann pointed out that cleavage ran in their family and she saw no reason to deny it. “I’ve always been lucky to know men who have encouraged us for that,” she said, laughing.
Members and former members
| Artist | Instrument(s) | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Manager, engineer, producer, light man, guitar (1973–74) | 1973-1979 | |
| Lead guitar, backing vocals | 1973–1979 | |
| Electric bass guitar, percussion | 1973–1982 | |
| Keyboards | 1974 | |
| Drums | 1974 | |
| Vocals (Lead vocals, backing vocals), flute, guitar, keyboards, percussion, violin, autoharp | 1973–present | |
| Vocals, guitar (acoustic guitars, electric guitars, lead guitar), mandolin, keyboards, synthesizers, harmonica | 1975–1995, 2002–present | |
| Drums, percussion | 1975–1982 | |
| Hammond B-3, Fender Rhodes electric piano | 1971 | |
| Guitars, electric lead, acoustic 12 string, acoustic 6 string, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, mandolin, recorder, orchestra arrangements, autoharp, percussion, backing vocals |
1975–1998 | |
| Electric bass guitar, backing vocals | 1982–1992 | |
| Drums, percussion | 1982–1992 | |
| Electric bass guitar | 1993 | |
| Drums, percussion | 1993–1995 | |
| Electric bass guitar | 1993–1995 | |
| Guitars, electric & acoustics | 1995–1998, 2002–2003 | |
| Guitar, keyboards, backing vocals | 1995–1998 | |
| Sax | 1995 | |
| Electric bass guitar | 1995–1998 | |
| Keyboards, synthesizers | 2002–2003 | |
| Drums | 1995–1998, 2002–present | |
| Drums | played for one year in the 1970's | |
| Electric bass guitar | 2002–2006 | |
| Guitar | 2003–2004 | |
| Keyboards, synthesizers | 2003–2004, 2007 | |
| Guitar | 2004–present | |
| Keyboards, synthesizers | 2004–present | |
| Electric bass guitar | 2006–2009 | |
| Electric bass guitar | 2009–present |
Discography
- Dreamboat AnnieDreamboat AnnieDreamboat Annie is the debut album by American rock band Heart. It was released in the United States on February 14, 1976 through Mushroom Records. It contained three hit singles which became staples on FM radio...
(1976) - Little QueenLittle QueenLittle Queen is the second album released by Heart. It was released in May 1977 on Portrait Records, and re-released in 2004 with two bonus tracks....
(1977) - Magazine (1978)
- Dog and Butterfly (1978)
- Bebe le StrangeBebe le StrangeBebe le Strange is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Heart. It was released on February 14, 1980 through Epic Records. It was the first album without Roger Fisher on lead guitar, who left the band months prior. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number five on the U.S....
(1980) - Private AuditionPrivate AuditionPrivate Audition is the sixth studio album, but seventh album overall, released by the hard rock band Heart, released in 1982. The album was on the U.S. Billboard 200 for fourteen weeks, peaking at number twenty-five. It contained the hit single "This Man Is Mine"...
(1982) - PassionworksPassionworksPassionworks is the seventh studio album, but eighth album overall, released by the hard rock band Heart, in 1983. The album marks a shift in musical direction from hard rock to power ballads. This album spent 21 weeks on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached #39. The single, "How Can I Refuse?"...
(1983) - HeartHeart (Heart album)Heart is the self-titled eighth studio album, but ninth album overall, released by Heart. Released in 1985, the album completed the band's transition into a pop group, a genre that yielded the band its greatest success by far, marking the band's Capitol Records debut, and it spent 92 weeks on the...
(1985) - Bad AnimalsBad AnimalsBad Animals is the ninth studio album, but tenth album overall by the rock band Heart. Released in 1987, the album was a big hit, and was almost as successful as their previous record Heart in 1985. RIAA certification as of 2010 is 5 times platinum, indicating sales in excess of 5 million in the US...
(1987) - BrigadeBrigade (album)Brigade is the tenth studio album, eleventh overall, released by the popular rock/pop band Heart. Released in 1990 after a three-year gap between albums, the album featured the #2 Billboard Hot 100 hit "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" and reached number three on the U.S. Billboard 200, and was...
(1990) - Desire Walks OnDesire Walks OnDesire Walks On is the eleventh studio album, but thirteenth overall, by rock band Heart. Released in 1993, it yielded four singles: "Will You Be There ", which reached #39 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, "Black on Black II", which was a mainstream rock hit, "Back to Avalon" and "The Woman in Me",...
(1993) - Jupiters Darling (2004)
- Red Velvet CarRed Velvet CarRed Velvet Car is the thirteenth studio album by US hard rock band Heart, released worldwide on August 31, 2010 by Legacy Recordings. It debuted at #10 on the US Billboard 200, and at #3 on the US Rock Albums chart, making it the most successful chart debut for a Heart album in their career, and...
(2010)
See also
- List of best-selling music artists
- :Category:Images of Heart (band)
- Offshoots from Heart and subsequent activities of former band members:
- Fisher, Fossen, DeRosier: AliasAlias (band)Alias was a Canadian album-oriented rock/hard rock supergroup band, formed in 1988 by vocalist Freddy Curci and guitarist Steve DeMarchi of the Canadian arena rock band Sheriff , along with Heart founding members Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen, and Mike DeRosier.The band released its self-titled debut...
- Fisher, Fossen, DeRosier: Alias
External links
- Heart's official site
- Interview with Howard Leese
- "The first Canadian version of Heart" (Steve Fossen, Brian Johnstone, John Hannah, Ann Wilson & Roger Fisher)
- Assorted early performances - videos at RogerFisher.com