Heart

Heart
Heart an American rock band, were originally from Interlake High School in Bellevue, Washington. Though, the group suffered through various members replacements but only, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, remained a constant part of the band. During the 70s decade, their music was overly-influenced by hard rock groups like Led Zeppelin, plus folk music. During the 80s, they became a mainstream rock act and enjoyed great fame and status among overpowering list of fans.

The Wilson sisters grew up in Southern California and Taiwan before their father- a Marine Corps officer, retired to the Seattle suburbs. After college they returned to Seattle, with Nancy working as a folksinger and Ann joining a hitherto-all-male local group in 1970. This group was formed in 1963 by Steve Fossen, Roger and Mike Fisher as the Army, which was later changed to White Heart, condensed to Heart in 1974. after joining, Ann became Mike Fisher's girlfriend, and when Nancy joined in 1974, she became involved with Fisher's brother, lead guitarist Roger.

After moving to Canada, they attracted the attention of Mushroom Records in 1975, a Vancouver-based label run by Shelly Siegel. He had them cut Dreamboat Annie, which upon release in Canada sold 30,000 copies. In the US Siegel released the album first in Seattle, where it quickly sold another 25,000. With two hit singles - "Crazy on You" and "Magic Man". Dreamboat Annie eventually sold over a million copies.

By early 1977, Heart had breached its contract with Mushroom Records and signed with CBS' subsidiary Portrait, which caused a serious clash with Siegel. In vengeance, he released the partly completed Magazine at the same time that Portrait released Little Queen. A Seattle court ruled that Mushroom had to recall Magazine so that the group could re-mix several tracks and re-do vocals before re-releasing the disc.

After their 1990 tour, the Wilson sisters put together an unceremonious acoustic group called The Lovemongers with Sue Ennis and Frank Cox; a four-song EP which included a version of Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore", came out in late 1992, and the foursome performed several times in the Seattle area. The Lovemongers released a full-length album in 1997. When Heart came aboard with Desire Walks On in 1993, it was without Andes and Carmassi. For the group's following tour, their places were taken 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. Of the two sisters, Nancy had kept busier, scoring her husband's movies, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, and Elizabethtown, and releasing a solo album in 1999. That same year, she and Ann went on a tour - first of their own!

Apart from their recording business, the Wilson sisters have played a key role on the Seattle music scene. Among the groups who have recorded at their Bad Animals studio are R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden. Heart's Heart: 20 Years of Rock & Roll was the first CD-ROM multimedia biography/greatest-hits package ever released.

In 2004, the Wilsons released "Jupiter's Darling", their first studio album as Heart since 1993. It featured a variety that included a return to Heart's original sound, as well as a blend of pop and new textures. Stand-out tracks include "Make Me", "Enough", "Oldest Story In The World", and "Lost Angel".

In October 2004, Heart's song Barracuda appeared on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas radio station K-DST. Eminem also sampled Crazy On You for the song Crazy In Love in his 2004 album Encore.

In 2005, the Wilsons appeared on the CMT Music Awards as a special guest of Gretchen Wilson, who duetted with Gretchen on the Heart classic, "Crazy On You". Heart performed again with Gretchen on VH-1's Tribute to the band, Decades Rock Live. The special also featured performances with Alice in Chains, Dave Navarro, Rufus Wainwright, and Carrie Underwood.

On May 24, 2007 Heart will be an honoree at the second annual VH1 Rock Honors, along with Ozzy Osbourne, Genesis and ZZ Top.The 1999 Sofia Coppola movie The Virgin Suicides features 'Crazy on You' and 'Magic Man' on the soundtrack.

In 2004, the song 'Barracuda' can be heard playing on Silvio Dante's car radio in the episode Long Term Parking on the HBO series The Sopranos right before he shoots Christopher Moltisanti's fiance Adriana La Cerva for being an FBI informant. An instrumental version of 'These Dreams' can be heard in an episode of season 6.

In 2005, the band performed 'Crazy On You' in the season finale of the second season of the Showtime drama The L Word.In 2006, the same 'Barracuda' song rocks at the bar on the alien spaceship in the Prey videogame. It also was featured in the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game on the K-DST radio station.

In 2006, "Crazy On You" was featured in Guitar Hero 2 and in 2004, it was featured in Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle.

The song 'Barracuda' was also sung by the members of the Reno Sheriff's Police Department in the Comedy Central show Reno 911 and was also featured in the movie Charlie's Angels. 'Magic Man' was featured in the movie "Swingers"(1996).