Heart-Ann & Nancy Wilson (Band)

Heart is a hugely successful female-fronted hard rock band of the 1970s; the band became an AOR outfit in the following decade and continued to produce big hits. The band, whose earlier sound fused elements of folk-rock and power ballads, was heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin ” Heart’s drummer during the ’80s, Denny Carmassi later played with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page in Coverdale Page. In the mid 1980s, the band shifted to a power pop sound that would bring the band its greatest success yet. The group is most recognizable as being fronted by sisters Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson.

Formation and early success: 1963-1980

Heart began life as the Army in 1963 in Seattle, Washington formed by bassist Steve Fossen and brothers Roger Fisher (guitar/mandolin) and Mike Fisher (producer and sound engineer). The group went by the name The Army and White Heart, before settling on just Heart in the early 1970s. Ann Wilson joined the group in 1970. Romance sprang up between her and Mike, and she came along when they moved to Vancouver to avoid the Vietnam draft some years later.

Soon after the move, Nancy joined the group. Mirroring her sister she became romantically involved with Roger. The band gained a following in Canada and was signed to the small Canadian label Mushroom, issuing their debut album, Dreamboat Annie, in 1976, with added members, guitarist/keyboardist Howard Leese and drummer Michael Derosier.

Combining classic hard rock stylings of the day with softer, more folk-oriented ones the album sold well in Canada, and was issued in the US, where it reached platinum status, supported by the #9 hit “Magic Man,” and the #35 hit “Crazy On You.” The title track, a slower tune, was also a substantial hit almost making the Top 40, peaking at #42.

In 1977, Heart moved to CBS affiliate Portrait. This didn’t go well with Mushroom owner Shelly Siegel, and a legal battle ensued. After the smoke cleared, Heart’s second album Little Queen was released on Portait in 1977. It was a substantial hit, but wasn’t the enormous hit their debut album was. Only one single, “Barracuda,” from the album made the Top 40 this time around. Curiously, the single, “Heartless,” from the unfinished LP Magazine released by Mushroom charted higher than Little Queen’s other two singles.

Heart’s third official album, Dog and Butterfly, came out the next year. It only managed to reach #17 on the Billboard 200, and showed that Heart’s success was declining (at least for the time being). The Fisher/Wilson romances came to an end following the album, and Roger left the group.

In 1980, Bebe Le Strange was released. In 1982, after releasing their 6th album Private Audition, Fossen and Derosier left the group, and were replaced by ex-Spirit and Firefall bassist Mark Andes and former Gamma drummer Denny Carmassi.

Mainstream years: 1984-1994

After releasing Passionworks in 1983 and switching to Capitol Records, Heart broke in to the pop scene with a self-titled album in 1985, that would be their biggest, and four Top Ten singles, “What About Love?,” “Never,” “These Dreams,” and “Nothin’ at All.” As well as establishing their mainstream success, the album also established the style that would take Heart through the ’80s and into the early 90’s, a mix of power ballads and pop rock. Further albums in this vein followed in the form of Bad Animals (which netted the band three more Top Ten singles including their second number one record “Alone”) and Brigade.

Following Brigade the band went on hiatus, as Ann and Nancy formed an acoustic group dubbed the Lovemongers, with Sue Ennis and Frank Cox.

1994-Present Day

Returning with 1993’s “Desire Walks On”, the band have continued touring through the mid-90s, and released two live albums, “The Road Home”, which features acoustic renderings of some of their biggest hits, and “Alive in Seattle.” Heart went on hiatus again 1997, when the Wilson sisters worked on their acoustic group again. In 2004, the band released “Jupiter’s Darling”, their first studio album in 11 years, which enjoyed only limited success, perhaps because of the shift away from the power pop sound they became known for at the height of their fame

Members

• Ann Wilson – Lead Vocals, flute, guitar, bass, autoharp, keyboards
• Nancy Wilson – Guitar, mandolin, keyboards, harmonica, vocals
• Roger Fisher – Guitar, mandolin (1974-1979)
• Howard Leese – Guitar, keyboards, synthesizer (1975-1995)
• Steve Fossen – Bass Guitar (1975-1982)
• Michael Derosier – Drums (1975-1982)
• Mark Andes – Bass Guitar (1983-1993)
• Denny Carmassi – Drums (1983-1991)
• Fernando Saunders – Bass Guitar (1993-1995)
• Denny Fongheiser – Drums (1993-1995)
• Ben Smith – Drums (2002-present)
• Mike Inez – Bass Guitar (2002-present)
• Craig Bartok – Guitar (2003-present)

Discography

Heart

• Dreamboat Annie (1976) #7 US, #36 UK
• Little Queen (1977) #9 US, #34 UK
• Magazine (1978) #17 US
• Dog and Butterfly (1978) #17 US
• Bebe Le Strange (1980) #5 US
• Greatest Hits Live (1980) (compilation & live) #13 US
• Private Audition (1982) #25 US, #77 UK
• Passionworks (1983) #39 US
• Heart (1985) #1 US, #19 UK
• Bad Animals (1987) #2 US, #7 UK
• Brigade (1990) #3 US, #3 UK
• Rock the House (1991) (live) #107 US, #45 UK
• Desire Walks On (1993) #48 US, #32 UK
• The Road Home (1995) (live) #87 US
• The Essential Heart (2002) (compilation)
• Alive in Seattle (2003) (live)
• Jupiter’s Darling (2004) #95 US

The Lovemongers

• The Battle of Evermore (1993)
• Whirlygig (1997)
• A Lovemonger’s Christmas (1998)

Source: Wikipedia contributors (2006). Heart (band). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:37, May 18, 2006.

Need an Empowering Gift for a Girl?
Order Girls Can’t WHAT? Inspirational Gifts today!

[zstore contributorhandle=”girlscantwhat” productlineid=”196300258338253450″ showhowmany=”8″]