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 (bass guitar), including The Army (1967–1969), Hocus Pocus (1969–1970), and White Heart (1970–1973). By 1975, original members Fisher, Fossen, and Ann Wilson (lead vocals and flute), along with Nancy Wilson (rhythm guitar, vocals), Michael Derosier (drums), and Howard Leese (guitar, keyboards and backing vocals) formed the lineup for the band's initial mid- to late-1970s success period.[2] These core members were included in the band's 2013 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[3]
Heart rose to fame with music influenced by hard rock and heavy metal[4] as well as folk music. The band underwent a major lineup change between the late 1970s and the early 1980s; by 1982 Fisher, Fossen, and Derosier had all left and were replaced by Mark Andes (bass) and Denny Carmassi (drums). Though the band's popularity fell off during the initial years with the new lineup, they staged a comeback in the mid 1980s, buoyed by major radio hits that continued into the 1990s. Heart disbanded in 1998, though they have resumed touring and recording multiple times since then, with the Wilson sisters being the only consistent members.[5] Heart's US Top 40 singles include "Magic Man" (1975), "Crazy on You" (1976), "Barracuda" (1977), "What About Love" (1985), "Never" (1985), and "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" (1990), along with no. 1 hits "These Dreams" (1986) and "Alone" (1987).[6]
Heart has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, and has sold over 50 million records worldwide, including approximately 22.5 million albums in the United States.[7] They have placed top ten albums on the Billboard 200 in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2010s.[7] Heart was ranked number 57 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" and ranked number 49 on Ultimate Classic Rock's Top 100 Classic Rock Artists.[8]
History
1967–1972: Early bands and formation
White Heart/Heart promotional photo (1970); from left: Gary Ziegelman, Ron Rudge, Ken Hansen, Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen, James Cirrello
In 1965,[9] bassist Steve Fossen formed The Army, along with Roger Fisher on guitar, Don Wilhelm on guitar, keyboards and lead vocals, and Ray Schaefer on drums.[10][11] 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. In 1969, the band went through lineup changes (Gary Ziegelman—former lead singer of Buffalo Clancy—on lead vocals, Fisher on guitar, Fossen on bass, James Cirrello on guitar, Ron Rudge on drums, and Ken Hansen on percussion) and took on a new name, Hocus Pocus.[10] The name White Heart came from a discussion Roger Fisher's brother Mike Fisher had with Michael Munro, who had come up with the name White Hart (without the "e", a reference to Arthur C. Clarke's Tales from the White Hart) for a band with Toby Cyr on lead guitar. Fisher asked and received permission to use the name for the Army, added the "e", and the Army became White Heart. For a brief time in 1970, this lineup shortened its name to Heart. The band subsequently went through more personnel changes. In 1971, White Heart consisted of Steve Fossen, Roger Fisher, David Belzer (keys), and Jeff Johnson (drums).[2] The band eventually stuck to the name Heart, which has been their name since 1973.
Mike Fisher, Roger's brother, was set to be drafted into the army. Nancy Wilson has stated that when he did not report for duty, his home was raided, he slipped out a rear window, escaped to Canada, and became a Vietnam War "draft dodger".[12] One day in 1972 (or 1971[13]), Mike crossed the border to visit family, and by chance met Ann at a Hocus Pocus (or White Heart[13]) show.[14] According to Nancy, that meeting was "when she and Michael fell in love"[12] 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,[10][15] and Roger followed in late 1972 or early 1973. Along with Ann, Brian Johnstone (drums), and John Hannah (keyboards), the band Heart was officially formed. Ann's sister Nancy Wilson joined in 1974,[16][dubious–discuss] and soon after became romantically involved with Roger.
1975–1976: Commercial breakthrough
The group played numerous shows around their new home in Vancouver, and they recorded a demo tape with the assistance of producer Mike Flicker and session-guitarist and keyboard player, Howard Leese.[17] Hannah and Johnstone had left by this time, and soon after Leese became a full-time member. Flicker produced the band's first five albums.[18] This team recorded the debut album, Dreamboat Annie, at Can-Base Studios in Vancouver (later known as Mushroom Studios). Mike Derosier eventually joined Heart as full-time drummer.[19] Some of the same Canadian investors who had backed the studio also backed a separate company called Mushroom Records, which was managed by Shelly Siegel.[20][21]
The album was picked up by Siegel and sold 30,000 copies in Canada within the first few months of its release in September 1975.[9][22] Sales were assisted by the band opening a Rod Stewart concert at the Montreal Forum in October, a gig they were offered a day before the concert when the previously-scheduled opening act canceled.[23] The radio success of "Magic Man" led concert organizers to offer the spot to Heart. The band flew from the West Coast of Canada to Montreal overnight for the performance.[23] Siegel soon released the album in the US. Helped by two hit singles in 1976 ("Crazy on You" and "Magic Man", which reached numbers 35 and nine, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100), it reached number seven in the Billboard 200.[24] It eventually sold over one million copies.[9]
1977–1979: Mainstream success and band split
Then-members of Heart in a promotional photo, 1977
In 1977, Mushroom Records ran a full-page advertisement showing the bare-shouldered Wilson sisters (as on the Dreamboat Annie album cover) with the suggestive caption, "It was only our first time!"[19] In a July 1977 Rolling Stone cover story, the sisters cited this advertisement as a key reason for their decision to leave Mushroom Records.[25] Heart broke its contract with Mushroom and signed a contract with CBS subsidiary Portrait Records, resulting in a prolonged legal battle with Siegel.[9] Mushroom released the partly completed Magazine in early 1977, just before Portrait released Little Queen.[9] Each company attempted to prevent the other from releasing any Heart music.[26] A Seattle court forced Mushroom Records to recall the album so that Heart could remix tracks and add new vocals, and the album was re-released in 1978.[16] It peaked at number 17 in the US, generating the single "Heartless", which reached number 24 in the charts.[27] The album eventually achieved platinum status.[28]
Little Queen became Heart's second million-seller[9] and featured the hit "Barracuda" (number 11).[29] The song's lyrics were written by an infuriated Ann Wilson in her hotel room after a reporter had suggested that the sisters were lesbian lovers.[26]
In late 1978, the double-platinum Dog & Butterfly peaked at 17 on the Billboard 200 and produced hits with its title song (number 34) and "Straight On" (number 15). In 1979, the Wilson-Fisher liaisons ended—Roger Fisher was voted out of the band by the other members,[9] and his brother Mike left the group’s orbit within a month.[16]
1980–1984: Commercial decline
Heart released Bebe le Strange in 1980.[9] It became the band's third top-10 album, peaking at number five, and yielded the top-40 hit "Even It Up".[30] The band embarked on a 77-city tour to promote the album.[31] By the end of the year, the band scored its highest-charted single at the time, a version of the ballad "Tell It Like It Is", which peaked at number eight.[32] In November 1980, the double album Greatest Hits/Live was released and reached number twelve on the US chart,[33] eventually achieving double-platinum status. The two-disc set featured studio versions of most of Heart's singles to date, plus a few new studio tracks and six live tracks, among which were versions of "Unchained Melody", Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" and the Beatles' "I'm Down".[34]
Heart was the first band of the day to appear at the sold-out concert headlined by Queen at Elland Road on May 29, 1982.[35] Their next album, Private Audition (1982), provided the minor hit "This Man Is Mine" (number 33) and was the first not produced by Mike Flicker. Initially, the band turned to Jimmy Iovine, one of the leading producers of the time, who suggested that the material lacked potential hits, and eventually, the Wilson sisters produced the album themselves.[36] The track "Perfect Stranger" foreshadowed the power ballads that would dominate the band's mid-1980s sound.[37]
At the end of recording, Derosier and Fossen were fired from the band. They were replaced by Denny Carmassi on drums and Mark Andes on bass for Passionworks (1983), while at the record company's insistence, the band turned to established producer Keith Olsen.[38] Both Private Audition and Passionworks had relatively poor sales, failing to reach gold status.[16] Despite the albums' sales, the single "How Can I Refuse" was a success, reaching number one on the BillboardMainstream Rock Chart.[32]
1985–1990: Comeback
The band moved to Capitol Records, and their first album for the label was simply titled Heart (1985). The move to Capitol coincided with a glam metal makeover that included minimizing the acoustic and folk sounds characteristic of their early work.[39] The album reached number one, sold five million copies, and launched four top-10 hits:[9] "What About Love" (number 10, 1985), "Never" (number four, 1985), the chart-topping "These Dreams" (1986) and "Nothin' at All" (number 10, 1986).[32] A fifth single, "If Looks Could Kill", also charted, giving the band five hit singles from the same album for the first time.[32]
Heart's next album, Bad Animals (1987), continued the move away from the band's folk and acoustic leanings towards a glossier arena rock sound.[40] The lead single, the power ballad "Alone", became Heart's most successful song, spending three weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while also hitting number 2 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number 3 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "Alone" placed as the number 2 song for the year on the Hot 100. It also peaked at number 1 in Canada and number 3 in the UK, made the top 10 in Australia and several countries in northern Europe, and the top 20 in Germany. It is often considered to be Heart's greatest pop song.[41] The other two singles were the up-tempo rocker "Who Will You Run To", which reached number 7 on the Hot 100 and number 2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and "There's the Girl", with Nancy singing lead, which reached number 12 and 16 on the same charts respectively.[42] They were not as successful in other markets aside from "Who Will You Run To" making the top 20 in Canada and "There's the Girl" peaking in the top 15 in Poland. Bad Animals was a top 3 hit in the US and Canada, being certified 3x[43] and 4x[44] platinum in those countries, respectively. The album also became Heart's first top 10 album on the UK Albums Chart.[45]
The success of UK top 40 singles "Alone" (number 3), "Who Will You Run To" (number 30), "There's the Girl" (number 34) and the ''Bad Animals'' album (number 7) sparked renewed UK interest in the 1985 self-titled album, resulting in the re-release of several singles. When originally released in 1985, the singles "What About Love" and "Never" did not chart, while "These Dreams" and "Nothin' at All" only charted at 68 and 76 respectively. However, in 1988 after the success of ''Bad Animals'' a re-released double A-side single of "Never"/"These Dreams" hit number 8, "What About Love" hit number 14, and the re-release of "Nothin' at All" cracked the UK top 40 at number 38. This success in the UK would continue with future albums and help Heart become a major concert attraction in the United Kingdom.[46]
In 1990, Brigade became the band's sixth multi-platinum LP[31] and added three more top-25 Billboard Hot 100 hits. "Stranded" reached number 13 and "I Didn't Want to Need You" peaked at number 23. The lead single, "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You", reached number two,[6] and created controversy over whether the song encouraged women to endanger themselves by picking up hitchhikers.[47] Two other album cuts, "Wild Child" (number 3) and "Tall, Dark Handsome Stranger" (number 24), were BillboardMainstream Rock chart hits.[48]Brigade was the band's highest-charting album in the UK, reaching number three.[45]
1991–2001: The Lovemongers, Desire Walks On, and Nancy Wilson hiatus
Heart released its first complete live album in the autumn of 1991. Rock the House Live! largely featured tracks from Brigade rather than more familiar hits in an effort to capture the harder rock side of the band.[49] The album's single, a version of John Farnham's "You're the Voice", received moderate airplay on rock stations and hit number 20 on the Mainstream Rock chart.[50]
The Wilson sisters then put together an informal acoustic group called Lovemongers with longtime Heart songwriting collaborator Sue Ennis and Frank Cox.[51][52]
Heart returned in 1993 with Desire Walks On, on which bass player Andes was replaced with Fernando Saunders.[9] The album peaked at number 48 on the Billboard 200, eventually being certified gold. The lead track, "Black on Black II", was an AOR hit peaking at number four on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, while the single "Will You Be There (In the Morning)" was a moderate pop hit, reaching number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. A third single, "The Woman In Me", hit number 24 on the Adult Contemporary chart, but missed the Hot 100.[53]
''Desire Walks On" marked the first time that Heart's singles fared better in other countries than the US. Aside from the metallic hard rock radio cut "Black on Black II" which reached the Top 10 on US Rock / Hard Rock charts, "Will You Be There (In the Morning)" hit number 19 in the UK and number 8 in Canada.[54][46] (vs. Number 39 in the US) and "The Woman in Me" reached number 13 in Canada[55] after just missing the US Billboard Hot 100.
An interactive CD-ROM, Heart: 20 Years of Rock & Roll, with five hours of audio footage, was released in 1994.[56] The next album, The Road Home (1995), offered live acoustic versions of the group's best-known songs and was produced by Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones.[9]
In 1995, Nancy Wilson decided to take a break from music to concentrate on raising a family.[57][58]
In 1998, the band maintained its profile by being the subject of an episode of VH1's Behind the Music. The band released a Greatest Hits boxed set covering their early work (a second volume focusing on the later part of their career followed in 2000).[9]
Lovemongers released a live EP of cover songs titled Battle of Evermore in 1992, a full-length album titled Whirlygig in 1997, and a collection of mostly self-penned Christmas songs titled Here is Christmas in 1998.[52] In 2001, Here Is Christmas was re-released presented by Heart as Heart Presents a Lovemongers' Christmas.[59]
2002–2006: Resumption
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.[60] In 2003, Heart released a DVD of the band's last stop in the tour as Alive in Seattle.[61] Also in 2003, Gilby Clarke (ex-Guns N' Roses) and Darian Sahanaja replaced Olson and Kellock for an American tour.[62]
In 2004, with Clarke having been replaced by Craig Bartok, Heart released Jupiters Darling, the first studio album 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 vintage pop and new textures.[63]
On April 9, 2008, the band appeared on Idol Gives Back with Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson, who sang "Barracuda" in harmony with Ann.[71] In mid-2008, Heart undertook a US tour with Journey and Cheap Trick.[72] It was named the "Human 2008" tour. Also in 2008, the band performed in a benefit for music education in public schools, appearing live with Jackson Browne on "Something Fine," with Venice on "Crazy on You," and with over 70 members of the Santa Monica High School orchestra and girls' choir on "Bohemian Rhapsody."[73][74] In 2009, the band was featured on an updated and remastered episode of VH1's Behind the Music.[75]
2010–2012: Red Velvet Car to Kennedy Center Honors
A new studio album, Red Velvet Car, was released in 2010.[9] It marked a stylistic return to Heart's melodic hard rock and folk sound of their early albums.[77] The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200,[78] becoming the group's first top-10 album in 20 years.[78][79] It also reached number three on Billboard's Rock Albums Chart.[32]Red Velvet Car spawned two singles. The folky "Hey You" peaked at number 26 on Billboard's AC chart,[78] while the hard rocker "WTF" peaked at number 19 on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs chart.[80] On November 4, 2010, Heart announced it would do its first cross-Canada tour in 30 years, beginning on January 28, 2011, in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.[81] A live DVD and Blu-ray disc, A Night at Sky Church, recorded before the tour at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, was released in 2011.[82] Ann and Nancy Wilson played as part of the 2010 VH1 Divas Support the Troops, along with acts including Katy Perry and Paramore; they performed "Crazy on You" with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.[83]
In May 2010, a reunion of former male members of the band, including Roger Fisher and Steve Fossen, performed at the Synergia Northwest concert in Tacoma, Washington.[82]
Heart embarked on a 2011 summer tour co-headlining with Def Leppard.[79] A career-spanning box-set titled Strange Euphoria was released in June 2012, containing many of the band's biggest hits, unreleased demos and rare live cuts. On September 18, 2012, the Wilson sisters released their autobiography, Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock and Roll, which was co-written with Charles R. Cross (Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain).[84] On September 25, 2012, Ann and Nancy received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their contributions to music.[85]
The band released its 14th studio album, Fanatic, on October 2, 2012,[86] which became the group's 12th top-25 album (number 24, 2012) and was supported by a tour of the US and Canada.[87] On December 26, 2012, Ann and Nancy performed at the CBS-televised Kennedy Center Honors in a tribute to Led Zeppelin.[88] Along with an orchestra, two choirs and Jason Bonham (son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham), they performed a version of Led Zeppelin's signature song "Stairway to Heaven". Their rendition of "Stairway" earned a standing ovation from the crowd and tears of joy from Robert Plant. The video went viral on YouTube, with over four million views in the first five days after the show, and prompted the Kennedy Center to issue a limited-edition iTunes single of the performance.[89][90] Although the single was available for only two weeks, it immediately went to number one on the iTunes Rock Singles chart and reached number 20 on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs chart.[91]
2013–2016: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Beautiful Broken
At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 18, 2013, the original members of Heart (the Wilson sisters, Howard Leese, Michael Derosier, Steve Fossen, and Roger Fisher) reunited for the first time in 34 years to play "Crazy on You".[92][93] The band was inducted by Chris Cornell, who emotionally talked about what heroes and role models Ann and Nancy Wilson had been to him and other musicians in Seattle, saying, "For me, and for countless other men and women, they have earned, at long last, their rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."[94] In 2014, the band released another live album, Fanatic Live from Caesar's Colosseum, which peaked at number 13 on Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums Chart.[95]
Heart released the album Beautiful Broken on July 8, 2016. The hard-rocking title cut featuring Metallica's James Hetfield trading vocals with Ann Wilson was the first single.[96]Beautiful Broken reached number 9 on Billboard's Rock Album Chart and number 30 on Billboard's Top Selling Albums Chart.[97] Immediately following the new album's release, the band embarked on the Rock Hall Three for All, a 30-date headlining tour of the US with Joan Jett and Cheap Trick supporting.[98]
2016–present: Hiatus, side projects, and reunion
On the morning of August 27, 2016, Ann's husband Dean Wetter was arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to assaulting Nancy'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 Amphitheater in Auburn, Washington, the previous night.[99][100] Although the band played the remaining 2016 tour dates that were already booked, the Wilson sisters only spoke to one another through third parties for the remainder of the tour.[101] The pair's relationship was strained by the incident; an April 2017 article in Rolling Stone reported that they had not spoken to one another since the 2016 tour ended and only sporadically contacted one another through text messaging.[101] Following the end of the tour in October 2016, the sisters opted to tour with their own side-project bands.[101] In April 2017, both sisters said the band had not permanently disbanded with Ann saying they were simply on hiatus.[101]
In February 2019, Heart announced their hiatus had ended and they would embark on the Love Alive tour in the summer.[5] In March 2019, both sisters reunited on stage for the first time since the band went on hiatus, at the Love Rock NYCbenefit concert. Although Ann and Nancy were reuniting, the former Heart members who had joined Nancy's solo effort were not invited back, and the new lineup consisted of Ann's touring band, replacing Ben Smith on drums, Dan Rothchild on bass, and Chris Joyner on keyboards.[102] In June 2019, the band announced the Love Alive tour had been extended through October 2019.[103]
In 2022, Nancy Wilson announced her own version of Heart, called Nancy Wilson's Heart.[104] She has been touring under that name, playing a list consisting primarily of Heart songs.[105]
In the last few days of December 2023, Heart played together for the first time in four years, with two concerts in California followed by a New Year's Eve concert in Seattle, and Ann Wilson's band Tripsitter as backup musicians.[106][107] On New Year's Day, they performed "Barracuda" and "Magic Man" during the first intermission at the 2024 NHL Winter Classic in Seattle.[107][108][109]
On January 29, 2024, Heart announced their 2024 Royal Flush World Tour, where they would be playing several dates with Cheap Trick, Def Leppard, Journey, and Squeeze.[110] The summer 2024 UK and Europe dates were cancelled because Ann Wilson had undergone a medical procedure in late May,[111] which was later revealed to be the removal of a cancerous growth.[112]
Legacy
Heart is generally considered a hard rock band, but its diversity has crossed multiple genres from folk to pop to hard rock, and even at times heavy metal.[113] As a result, the band has charted singles on Billboard's Hot 100, Mainstream Rock Tracks, Hard Rock Tracks, and Adult Contemporary charts.[114] Their 2016 live recording at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra even charted in the top 10 of Billboard's Classical Albums chart and Classical Crossover Albums chart.[114]
Heart has sold over 35 million records worldwide, had 20 top-forty singles and seven top-ten albums,[115] and earned four Grammy nominations.[116] The band charted singles and top ten albums on the Billboard charts in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2010s:[32] a four-decade span of top ten albums that is a record for a female-fronted band.[117]
Heart was ranked on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" in 2008,[118] and Ann and Nancy Wilson ranked number 40 (in 1999) on VH1's "100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll".[119] Ann Wilson was ranked in Hit Parader's 2006 "Greatest Heavy Metal Vocalists of All Time".[120] In 2009, the Wilson sisters were awarded ASCAP's Founders Award in recognition of their songwriting careers.[121]
In 2011, Heart earned its first nomination for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the 2012 class.[122] After being passed over, the band was nominated again the following year announced as inductees to the 2013 class on December 11, 2012.[123] Their Hall of Fame page describes the Wilson sisters as the first women to front a hard-rock band, and "pioneers ... inspir[ing] women to pick up an electric guitar or start a band".[115]
In his book Heart: In the Studio, Jake Brown described the band as beginning "a revolution for women in music ... breaking genre barriers and garnering critical acclaim".[124]
"Heart were the first female-fronted band I heard and was influenced by," recalled Lzzy Hale of Halestorm. "I heard Heart and was like, 'Oh, singing like that as a girl is actually a thing!'"[125]
Ann Wilson – lead and backing vocals, flute, autoharp, acoustic guitar, piano, maracas (1973–1998, 2002–2016, 2019, 2023–present)
Nancy Wilson – rhythm, lead and acoustic guitar, backing and lead vocals, harmonica, mandolin, keyboards (1974–1995, 1998, 2002–2016, 2019, 2023–present)
Ryan Waters – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2019, 2023–present)
Ryan Wariner – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2023–present)
Paul Moak – keyboards, rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals (2023–present)
Ann Dustin Wilson is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead singer of the rock band Heart.
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.
Alias was a Canadian rock supergroup, formed in 1988 in Toronto by songwriter/lead vocalist Freddy Curci and songwriter/lead guitarist Steve DeMarchi of the Canadian arena rock band Sheriff, along with Heart founding members Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen, and Mike Derosier.
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.
Bébé le Strange is the fifth studio album by American rock band Heart, released on February 14, 1980, by Epic Records. It was the first album without founding member Roger Fisher on lead guitar, who had left the band months prior along with his brother Michael.
Greatest Hits/Live is a compilation album of greatest hits, live recordings and new tracks by American rock band Heart, released on November 29, 1980, by Epic Records. The album was issued in North America as a double LP. The first disc is a collection of the band's greatest hits, while the second is mostly a live album, although it contains three previously unreleased studio recordings, including a cover of "Tell It Like It Is", released as the first single. The second single released from the album was a live cover of "Unchained Melody".
The Road Home, a live album released in 1995, is the fourteenth album overall by the rock group Heart. It chronicles a club performance in the "unplugged" style in their home city of Seattle. The setlist contains acoustic versions of many of the band's hits including "Dreamboat Annie", "Alone", "Barracuda".
"Magic Man" is a song by the American rock band Heart released as a single off their debut album, Dreamboat Annie. Written and composed 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, who calls and begs the girl to come home. In an interview, Ann Wilson revealed that the "Magic Man" was about her then boyfriend, band manager Michael Fisher, and that part of the song was an autobiographical tale of the beginnings of their relationship. Roger Fisher came up with the alternative tuning EADGDG for his guitar part. The album version of "Magic Man" features an over-two-minute instrumental break which consists of a guitar solo and the usage of a Minimoog synthesizer, while the single version of the song edits out most of this break, cutting it down from 5:28 to 3:29.
"Crazy on You" is a song by American rock band Heart from their debut studio album, Dreamboat Annie (1975). It was released in March 1976 as the album's third single in Canada and the album's debut single in the United States. It reached the top 25 in Canada and the top 35 in the US. It found more success in the Netherlands and Belgium where it peaked at number 2 and 13, respectively, in early 1977 after its release as the second single from Dreamboat Annie in those countries. It is considered one of Heart's signature songs as it is one of the most played tracks on classic rock radio stations in the US.
"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.
Roger Fisher is an American guitarist primarily known as one of the founding members of the band Heart. His tenure lasted from 1967 until 1980. In 2013 Fisher was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Heart.
"Little Queen" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released as the second single from the band's second album Little Queen in 1977. The song is a midtempo rock and roll number similar in style to Heart's past hit "Magic Man" but much gentler than the album's hard rock debut single, "Barracuda". Although the song has endured as a fan-favorite amongst Heart's audience, "Little Queen" did not perform as well as previous singles when released, peaking at number sixty-two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
"Kick It Out" is a short, fast-tempo hard rock song recorded by the rock band Heart, written by Ann Wilson. It was released as the third and final single from the band's second album Little Queen in 1977. When released the song did not perform as well as previous Heart singles, reaching number seventy-nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number sixty-seven on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100.
"Heartless" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Heart in 1976 for their album Magazine. Issues with the band's previous record label Mushroom caused a delay in the album's release and "Heartless" was released as a single two years later, after the re-issue of their first single "Crazy on You".
"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.
"Dog & Butterfly" is a song recorded by the rock band Heart. It is the title track to the band's fourth studio album Dog & Butterfly and was released as the album's second single.
"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".
Steve Fossen is an American bassist and a founding member of the band Heart.
References
↑ Murtoff, Jennifer. "Heart (American rock band)". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
↑ Bebe Le Strange Epic Records Press Kit. 1980. "Steve Fossen was a founding member of Heart in 1972 and 1973 after completing his music major in college".
↑ "Decades Rock"(PDF). TV Guide. republished at DecadesRockLive.com. May 17, 2006. Archived from the original(PDF) on May 18, 2006. This terrific concert features the Wilson sisters performing with Rufus Wainwright, Gretchen Wilson, and a reunited Alice in Chains....
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