Heart
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| Heart was the brainchild of musicians Roger Fisher (guitar) and Steve Fossen (bass guitar), whose earlier groups were The Army (1967-1969), Hocus Pocus (1969-1970), and WhiteHeart
(1970-1973). By 1975, the band had shortened its name to Heart and included Fisher, Fossen, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Michael Derosier and Howard Leese. This lineup would stay together for
the band’s mid- to late-1970’s claim to fame. The band was originally formed in Seattle, Washington, the home of many other successful bands such as Nirvana and REM, but it would later move north to Vancouver, Canada. Roger Fisher’s brother, Michael, was drafted to serve in the Vietnam war but fled to Canada in ‘71 or ‘72. Ann Wilson met Michael when he discretely returned home to visit family and fell in love with him almost immediately. She decided to follow Michael back to Canada when he returned and they were followed by Roger Fisher and Fossen a year or two later. Nancy Wilson joined the band in 1974 and their core lineup was complete. Heart released its first album, Dreamboat Annie, in September, 1974, and the record sold 30,000 copies before the year was finished. The band would record several more albums in the ‘70’s, Magazine, Little Queen and Dog & Butterfly, to name a few. Magazine was released in ‘77 but a legal battle between Mushroom Records, whom Heart had left, and Portrait Records, forced the band to re-edit the album and release it again in ‘78. Magazine went platinum almost immediately and Dog & Butterfly went double platinum Heart’s early success was due to its fusion of hard rock, metal and folk (Ann Wilson plays the flute on some of their songs), but by the late 70’s and early 80’s, lineup changes that altered the band’s sound began to affect their popularity. Subsequent albums didn’t succeed as well but the band mounted a comeback in 1985. They signed with Capitol Records to release the album “Heart”, which went on to sell 5 million copies and had five of its songs become hit singles. Heart continued to produce albums but the Wilson sisters embarked on projects outside the band. Nancy Wilson left the band in 1995 to raise her family; the band dissolved in 1998 but was resurrected in 2002. The band no longer exists (in its original form) although the Wilson sisters occasionally reunite as Heart but with new members. The band has been honoured by the music station VH1, the Kennedy Center, and has been admitted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. Whether performing as Heart (or some version of it) or on solo projects, it’s unlikely the Wilson sisters will be retiring anytime soon, welcome news for their original fans and more recent Heart converts. |
| click on the links below to see the lyrics for the songs mentioned above: Dreamboat Annie (lyrics); Crazy On You (lyrics); Barracuda (lyrics);These Dreams (lyrics) |