Wilson has been a member of Heart since the early 1970s; her younger sister, Nancy Wilson, is also a member of the band. One of the first hard rock bands fronted by women,[2] Heart released numerous albums between 1975 and 2016; the early Heart albums Dreamboat Annie (1975) and Little Queen (1977) generated classic hard rock singles such as "Magic Man", "Crazy on You", and "Barracuda".[3] Heart has sold over 35 million records worldwide,[3] placed 29 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and has scored top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2010s.[4][5]
Ann Dustin Wilson was born in San Diego, California.[10] Her father was a major in the U.S. Marine Corps.[11] Due to her father's military career, the Wilson family moved frequently.[12] They lived near American military facilities in Panama and Taiwan before settling in Seattle, Washington, in the early 1960s. To maintain a sense of home no matter where in the world they were residing, the Wilsons turned to music. "On Sunday we'd have pancakes and opera," her sister Nancy Wilson recalled. "My dad would be conducting in the living room. We'd turn it way up and rock. There was everything from classical music to Ray Charles, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, bossa nova, and early experimental electronic music."[13]
Wilson's family eventually settled in Bellevue, a suburb of Seattle, Washington. In 1968, she graduated from Sammamish High School.[14] Shy because of a stutter, Wilson sought fulfillment in music.[15] In the early 1970s she joined a local band, White Heart, which changed its name to Hocus Pocus, and then in 1974 to Heart.[16] Wilson also attended Cornish College of the Arts.[17]
Career
Ann and her sister Nancy in 1998
Wilson's younger sister, Nancy, joined Heart, and the band moved to Canada. Heart recorded their first album Dreamboat Annie in Vancouver in 1975. It was released in the United States in 1976, with "Magic Man" becoming Heart's first Top 10 hit in the United States, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Crazy on You" hitting number 35. Both songs were co-written by Ann and Nancy Wilson. In 1977, Little Queen was released, and in 1978, Dog & Butterfly. In 1986, "These Dreams" rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1992, Wilson appeared on Alice in Chains' EP Sap; she sang on "Brother" and "Am I Inside".
The Wilson sisters started a recording studio, Bad Animals, in Seattle in the mid-1990s. They formed a side band, the Lovemongers, which performed Led Zeppelin's song "The Battle of Evermore" on the 1992 soundtrack to the Cameron Crowe (Nancy's then husband) movie Singles, and later released a four-song EP. The Lovemongers' debut album Whirlygig was released in 1997.
On July 13, 2015, Wilson announced a solo tour, The Ann Wilson Thing, which began on September 21.[21][bettersourceneeded] She released her first EP, The Ann Wilson Thing! – #1, digitally on September 18, 2015.[22] On July 22, 2016, Wilson announced the release of focus, the second EP from The Ann Wilson Thing! Wilson played a Florida mini-tour in September 2016 as The Ann Wilson Thing! in support of this release.[23][bettersourceneeded]
Wilson receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2012
On October 12, 2017, Wilson's first feature film, Ann Wilson: In Focus was released. It featured an intimate interview conducted in her home by Criss Cain along with 20 complete live song performances from the Ann Wilson of Heart tour stop in Wilmington, North Carolina, on March 21, 2017.[24][bettersourceneeded]
On August 3, 2018, Wilson released "You Don't Own Me" as the second single from her solo album, Immortal. Released on September 14, 2018, the album features ten tracks that pay tribute to Wilson's influences and friends.[26]
In May 2021, Wilson announced her first dates since the COVID-19 pandemic with the Rite of June mini-tour.[27]
In November 2022, Wilson was featured on the Disturbed song "Don't Tell Me" from their album Divisive. The song reached number 2 on Billboard's Hard Rock Song Sales chart.[29]
On April 25, 2024, Heart kicked off their Royal Flush 2024 Tour at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The June and July 2024 dates of this tour, in the UK and Europe, were canceled in late May as the organizers informed that "In late May, Ann Wilson will undergo a time-sensitive but routine medical procedure for which the minimum recovery time is six weeks."[30]
Personal life
Relationships and family
During the 1970s, Wilson was in a relationship with Michael Fisher, the manager of Heart, while Nancy was involved with lead guitarist Roger Fisher, Michael's younger brother.[31] Both couples controlled the band. In 1979, the relationships ended; Ann stated that Michael had fallen in love with another woman and they parted.[32]
In 1991 Wilson adopted a daughter, Marie, and in 1998 she adopted a son, Dustin.[33]
Wilson married Dean Wetter in April 2015. The pair had dated briefly in the 1980s.[34] On the morning of August 27, 2016, Wetter was arrested for assaulting his nephews, Nancy Wilson's 16-year-old twin sons, after the boys had left the door to his RV open. The incident took place during a Heart performance at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Washington the previous night. Wetter pleaded guilty to the charges.[35][36]
The sisters' relationship was strained by the incident.[37] Following the end of Heart's 2016 tour, the sisters opted to tour with their own side-project bands, with Ann saying in April 2017 that Heart was on hiatus.[37]
In February 2019, the sisters announced that Heart's hiatus had ended and that the band would embark on the Love Alive tour in the summer.[38] In March 2019, the sisters reunited on stage for the first time since the band went on hiatus, at the Love Rocks NYCbenefit concert.[39]
Health
As a child, Wilson was bullied for being overweight. She revealed that in the 1970s and into the early 1980s she would starve herself and use diet pills to stay thin. By the time Heart made a comeback in the mid-'80s, she had gained a significant amount of weight. Fearing that Heart's lead singer's physique would compromise the band's image, record company executives and band members began pressuring her to lose weight. In music videos, camera angles and clothes were often used to minimize her size, and more focus was put on Ann's more slender sister, Nancy. Wilson stated she began suffering from stress-related panic attacks due to the negative publicity surrounding her weight. She underwent adjustable gastric band weight-loss surgery in January 2002[40] after what she called "a lifelong battle" with her weight.
In November 2009, Wilson collapsed. Doctors found that she had liver disease resulting from alcoholism. While she had stopped using other drugs after adopting her daughter, she had increased her alcohol consumption. Nancy and other family members and band crew had been concerned about her for some time and had built a break into a Heart tour to allow Ann an opportunity to obtain treatment. She ultimately underwent therapy on her own.
In the band's 2012 autobiography, Wilson revealed her past struggles with cocaine and alcoholism,[41] stating that she had been sober since 2009.[42]
In July 2024, it was announced that Wilson had been diagnosed with cancer; a tumor had been removed surgically, and Heart had postponed touring until 2025 to allow her to undergo, then recover from, preventative chemotherapy.[43]
Stephanie Lynn Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially by Scott Sundquist, and later by Matt Cameron in 1986. Yamamoto left in 1989 and was replaced initially by Jason Everman and shortly thereafter by Ben Shepherd. The band dissolved in 1997 and reformed in 2010. Following Cornell's death in 2017, Thayil declared in October 2018 that Soundgarden would not continue, though they did reunite in January 2019 for a one-off concert in tribute to Cornell. Cornell, Thayil, and Cameron appeared on all of the band's albums.
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1987. Since 2006, the band's lineup has comprised vocalist/guitarists Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney. Vocalist Layne Staley and bassist Mike Starr are former members of the band. The band took its name from Staley's previous band, Alice N' Chains. Often associated with grunge music, Alice in Chains' sound and style is deeply rooted in heavy metal music. The band is known for its distinctive vocal style, which often included the harmonized vocals between Staley and Cantrell, making Alice in Chains a two-vocal band.
Houses of the Holy is the fifth album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 28 March 1973 in the United States and on 30 March 1973 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. The album benefited from two band members installing studios at home, which allowed them to develop more sophisticated songs and arrangements and expand their musical style. Several songs subsequently became fixtures in the group's live set, including "The Song Remains the Same", "The Rain Song" and "No Quarter". Other material recorded at the sessions, including the title track, was shelved and released on the later albums Physical Graffiti (1975) and Coda (1982). All instruments and vocals were provided by the band members Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitar), John Paul Jones, and John Bonham (drums). The album was produced by Page and mixed by Eddie Kramer. The cover was the first for the band to be designed by Hipgnosis and was based on a photograph taken at Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.
Robert Anthony Plant is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo career, sometimes collaborating with other artists such as Alison Krauss. Regarded by many as one of the greatest singers in rock music, he is known for his flamboyant persona, raw stage performances and his powerful, wide-ranging voice.
Heart is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1973. The band evolved from previous projects led by founding members Roger Fisher (guitar) and Steve Fossen, including The Army (1967–1969), Hocus Pocus (1969–1970), and White Heart (1970–1973). By 1975, original members Fisher, Fossen, and Ann Wilson, along with Nancy Wilson, Michael Derosier (drums), and Howard Leese formed the lineup for the band's initial mid- to late-1970s success period. These core members were included in the band's 2013 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Nancy Lamoureux Wilson is an American musician. She rose to fame alongside her older sister Ann as guitarist and second vocalist in the rock band Heart.
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Little Queen is the third studio album by American rock band Heart, released in May 1977 by Portrait Records. The album was recorded and mixed at Kaye-Smith Studios in Seattle, Washington, from February to April 1977. On June 29, 2004, a remastered version of Little Queen was released by Epic Records and Legacy Recordings with two bonus tracks.
Dreamboat Annie is the debut studio album by American rock band Heart. At the time, the band was based in Vancouver, British Columbia; the album was recorded in Vancouver and first released in Canada by the local label Mushroom Records in September 1975, eventually reaching number 20 on RPM's Top Album chart and earning a double platinum certification. It was released in the United States on February 14, 1976, through the US subsidiary of Mushroom Records in Los Angeles, peaking at number seven on the Billboard 200. It also reached the top 10 in the Netherlands and Australia in early 1977. The album contains three commercially successful singles, two of which, "Crazy on You" and "Magic Man", became staples on North American FM radio. Producer Mike Flicker helped the group to polish their sound and obtain a recording contract with the label.
Magazine is the second studio album by American rock band Heart. It was originally released on April 19, 1977, by Mushroom Records in unfinished form, without the band's permission. A second authorized version of the album was released on April 22, 1978. The album has been certified platinum in both the United States and Canada.
Passionworks is the seventh studio album by American rock band Heart, released in August 1983, by Epic Records. The album marks a shift in musical direction from hard rock and folk to mainstream rock. It is the first Heart album to feature Denny Carmassi and Mark Andes, who had replaced longtime members Mike Derosier and Steve Fossen. Passionworks was the band's final album with Epic Records before their comeback-fueled move to Capitol Records. It reached number 39 on the US Billboard 200. The album's lead single, "How Can I Refuse?", peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for one week. The second single, "Allies", peaked at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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"Barracuda" is a song by American rock band Heart, released in 1977 on their third studio album, Little Queen, and was released as the album's lead single. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2009, "Barracuda" was named the 34th-best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
"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 co-written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Sue Ennis. "Straight On" was released during Heart's classic era and has been part of the group's setlist almost constantly since its release. It still was during their 2016 tour.
"Alone" is a song composed by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who recorded it under the name i-Ten on their 1983 album Taking a Cold Look. It was later recorded by actress Valerie Stevenson and actor John Stamos on the original soundtrack of the CBS sitcom Dreams in 1984. American rock band Heart covered it on their 1987 album Bad Animals, and this version reached number one in the US and Canada. In 2007 Celine Dion recorded it for her album Taking Chances. In 2010 Alyssa Reid used the music and lyrics for the chorus of her song "Alone Again".
"All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" is a song by American rock band Heart. It was composed by veteran songwriter and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and released as the lead single from the band's tenth studio album, Brigade, in March 1990. The song was first recorded as "All I Want to Do Is Make Love to You" by Dobie Gray in 1979, though with different lyrics. The Heart version tells the story of a woman who sets out to seduce a hitchhiker in order to become pregnant because although there is a man in her life, he is infertile.
Carly Pearce is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her material contains elements of both traditional and contemporary country-pop music. Pearce began performing professionally in her teens, appearing on several albums of bluegrass material in the 2000s. After moving to Nashville, Tennessee, she began gaining more widespread notice.
↑ Bergman, Julie (September 1999). "Guitar Queen of Heart". Acoustic Guitar. No.81. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
↑ Ward, Marshall (April 2, 2013). "The Heart of Ann Wilson". Rock Cellar Magazine. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
↑ Wilson, Ann; Wilson, Nancy; Cross, Charles R. (2012). "Chapter 25: Hope and Glory". Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock and Roll. Harper Collins. ISBN9780062101693.
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