Ann Wilson
Encyclopedia
Ann Dustin Wilson is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, flute player
, songwriter, and occasional guitar player of the rock band Heart
.
, a suburb of Seattle, Washington. Shy because of a stutter, Wilson sought fulfillment in music. In the early 1970s she joined a local band, White Heart, which changed its name to Hocus Pocus, and then in 1974, to Heart
.
During the 1970s, Ann Wilson was in a relationship with Michael Fisher, the manager of the band, while her younger sister Nancy
was involved with lead guitarist Roger Fisher
, Michael's younger brother. Both couples controlled the band. In 1979, both relationships ended; Ann stated that Michael had fallen in love with another woman and they parted. The song "Magic Man
" was written about Michael and contains autobiographical lyrics about the beginning of their relationship.
Ann adopted her daughter Marie in 1991 and her son Dustin in 1998.
As a child, Ann was teased for being overweight. She revealed that in the 1970s she would starve herself to stay thin. When Heart created a comeback in the mid-1980s, Ann had gained significant weight. Fearing it 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 weight, and more focus was put on her sister Nancy. Ann stated she began suffering from stress-related panic attacks due to the negative publicity surrounding her obesity. She underwent a weight-loss surgery called "adjustable gastric band
" in January 2002 after what she calls "a lifelong battle" with her weight.
. Heart recorded their first album Dreamboat Annie
in Vancouver
in 1975; it was released in the United States in 1976. In 1977 Little Queen
was released, and in 1978, Dog & Butterfly. Ann also sang the duet "Almost Paradise
" with Mike Reno
in the movie Footloose from 1984 which reached number seven on Billboard's Hot 100. In 1986 she released a solo single from the movie "The Golden Child
" called "The Best Man in the World" which reached number sixty-one in the U.S. She also had a hit with "Surrender to Me" in 1988/1989, a duet with Cheap Trick
singer Robin Zander
, taken from the film Tequila Sunrise
which reached number six in the U.S. singles chart.
In 1992 Ann appeared on Alice in Chains
' EP Sap
; she did vocals for "Brother", "Am I Inside" and "Love Song". In 1993, Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley
contributed to vocals on "Ring Them Bells," a Bob Dylan cover from Heart's album Desire Walks On
. In addition, Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez
and touring guitarist Scott Olson
appeared on Heart's 2003 release Alive in Seattle.
Ann and Nancy started a recording studio, Bad Animals
, in Seattle in the mid-1990s. They formed a side band, The Lovemongers, which performed "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.
, produced by Ben Mink
, and released by the Rounder (Zoe) Music Group on September 11, 2007. Hope & Glory features guest appearances from Elton John
, k.d. lang
, Alison Krauss
, Gretchen Wilson
, Shawn Colvin
, Rufus Wainwright
, Wynonna Judd
and Deana Carter
. Ann's sister, Nancy
, also contributed. Four singles were released from the project, "Little Problems, Little Lies", "Isolation" and "Immigrant Song".
The Hope & Glory
version of Led Zeppelin
's "Immigrant Song
" is available on Ann's official MySpace page, and charted as "the #9 most podcasted song of 2007" on the PMC Top10
's annual countdown. Ann's powerful, piercing voice led many to refer to her as "the female Robert Plant
" (Led Zeppelin's lead vocalist).
Ann joined producer Alan Parsons
in the 2001 live tribute tour to Beatles music called A Walk Down Abbey Road
.
In June 2007 she sang with the group Sed Nove and Ian Gillan
in the Festival of Music in Paris.
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
, songwriter, and occasional guitar player of the rock band Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
.
Personal life
Wilson was born in San Diego, California. Her father was a colonel in the Marine Corps, and she moved frequently. Her family eventually settled in BellevueBellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
, a suburb of Seattle, Washington. Shy because of a stutter, Wilson sought fulfillment in music. In the early 1970s she joined a local band, White Heart, which changed its name to Hocus Pocus, and then in 1974, to Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
.
During the 1970s, Ann Wilson was in a relationship with Michael Fisher, the manager of the band, while her younger sister Nancy
Nancy Wilson (guitarist)
Nancy Lamoureux Wilson is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer who, with her older sister Ann and lead guitarist Roger Fisher, became the core of the Seattle/Vancouver rock band Heart.-Life and career:...
was involved with lead guitarist Roger Fisher
Roger Fisher (guitarist)
Roger Fisher is a guitarist primarily known as one of the founding members of the band Heart. His tenure lasted from 1967 until 1980.-Career:...
, Michael's younger brother. Both couples controlled the band. In 1979, both relationships ended; Ann stated that Michael had fallen in love with another woman and they parted. The song "Magic Man
Magic Man
"Magic Man" is a hit rock song released in 1976 by Heart. It was issued as the second single from the band's debut album Dreamboat Annie. Written 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,...
" was written about Michael and contains autobiographical lyrics about the beginning of their relationship.
Ann adopted her daughter Marie in 1991 and her son Dustin in 1998.
As a child, Ann was teased for being overweight. She revealed that in the 1970s she would starve herself to stay thin. When Heart created a comeback in the mid-1980s, Ann had gained significant weight. Fearing it 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 weight, and more focus was put on her sister Nancy. Ann stated she began suffering from stress-related panic attacks due to the negative publicity surrounding her obesity. She underwent a weight-loss surgery called "adjustable gastric band
Adjustable gastric band
A laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, commonly referred to as a lap band, is an inflatable silicone device that is placed around the top portion of the stomach, via laparoscopic surgery, in order to treat obesity...
" in January 2002 after what she calls "a lifelong battle" with her weight.
Recording career
In 1974 Ann's younger sister Nancy joined Heart, and the band moved to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Heart recorded their first album Dreamboat Annie
Dreamboat Annie
Dreamboat Annie is the debut album by American rock band Heart. It was released in the United States on February 14, 1976 through Mushroom Records. It contained three hit singles which became staples on FM radio...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in 1975; it was released in the United States in 1976. In 1977 Little Queen
Little Queen
Little Queen is the second album released by Heart. It was released in May 1977 on Portrait Records, and re-released in 2004 with two bonus tracks....
was released, and in 1978, Dog & Butterfly. Ann also sang the duet "Almost Paradise
Almost Paradise
"Almost Paradise...Love Theme from Footloose" is the title of a duet by singers Mike Reno and Ann Wilson, written by pop music singer-songwriter Eric Carmen and co-written by Dean Pitchford....
" with Mike Reno
Mike Reno
Mike Reno , born January 8, 1955 in New Westminster, British Columbia is a Canadian musician, drummer, and lead singer of the rock band Loverboy. He has also fronted other bands, including Moxy....
in the movie Footloose from 1984 which reached number seven on Billboard's Hot 100. In 1986 she released a solo single from the movie "The Golden Child
The Golden Child
The Golden Child is a 1986 American comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. Murphy plays Chandler Jarrell, a social worker who is confronted by a young Asian woman , who tells him that he is The Chosen One destined to save The Golden Child, the savior of all mankind, from the clutches of the demon Sardo...
" called "The Best Man in the World" which reached number sixty-one in the U.S. She also had a hit with "Surrender to Me" in 1988/1989, a duet with Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
singer Robin Zander
Robin Zander
Robin Wayne Zander is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick.-Early life:Zander was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, the fourth of five children; he has two older brothers, and older and younger sisters....
, taken from the film Tequila Sunrise
Tequila Sunrise (film)
Tequila Sunrise is an American crime thriller film written and directed by Robert Towne, and starring Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell, with support from Raúl Juliá, J. T...
which reached number six in the U.S. singles chart.
In 1992 Ann appeared on Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
' EP Sap
Sap (album)
I "Right Turn" is credited to Alice Mudgarden in the liner notes.II "Love Song" is unlisted on the CD.-Personnel:Alice in Chains*Layne Staley – vocals, drums on "Love Song"*Jerry Cantrell – guitar, vocals, bass on "Love Song"...
; she did vocals for "Brother", "Am I Inside" and "Love Song". In 1993, Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley
Layne Staley
Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the...
contributed to vocals on "Ring Them Bells," a Bob Dylan cover from Heart's album Desire Walks On
Desire Walks On
Desire Walks On is the eleventh studio album, but thirteenth overall, by rock band Heart. Released in 1993, it yielded four singles: "Will You Be There ", which reached #39 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, "Black on Black II", which was a mainstream rock hit, "Back to Avalon" and "The Woman in Me",...
. In addition, Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez
Mike Inez
Mike Inez is a rock musician best known for his role as the bassist of Alice in Chains. Inez has also worked with other popular musical acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, and Heart. Inez is of Filipino ancestry.-Career:...
and touring guitarist Scott Olson
Scott Olson
Scott Olson is a guitarist, bassist, and recording engineer. He played guitar with Heart 1995-1998 and 2002–2003, and in 1996 he performed with Alice In Chains on their MTV Unplugged concert....
appeared on Heart's 2003 release Alive in Seattle.
Ann and Nancy started a recording studio, Bad Animals
Bad Animals Studio
Bad Animals Studio is a music and media recording studio on 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle. It was originally founded as Steve Lawson Productions by founders Steve and Debbie Lawson in 1979. In 1991, Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson joined forces with Lawson to create Studio X. In 1992, the studio...
, in Seattle in the mid-1990s. They formed a side band, The Lovemongers, which performed "The Battle of Evermore
The Battle of Evermore
"The Battle of Evermore" is a folk rock duet sung by Robert Plant and Sandy Denny, by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on their untitled fourth album , released in 1971...
" on the 1992 soundtrack to the Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
(Nancy's then husband) movie Singles, and later released a four-song EP. The Lovemongers' debut album Whirlygig
Whirlygig (album)
Whirlygig is the only album by The Lovemongers.The Lovemongers were a side project of singer-songwriting-musicians, and sisters, Ann & Nancy Wilson, better known as the frontwomen of the rock band Heart. They formed The Lovemongers with Sue Ennis and Frank Cox, and released Whirlygig in 1997 on...
was released in 1997.
Solo career
In 2006 Ann began recording her first solo album, Hope & GloryHope & Glory (album)
Hope & Glory is the first solo album by Heart singer Ann Wilson, released on September 11, 2007.Hope & Glory features guest appearances from Elton John, k.d. lang, Alison Krauss, Gretchen Wilson, Shawn Colvin, Rufus Wainwright, Wynonna Judd and Deana Carter...
, produced by Ben Mink
Ben Mink
Ben Mink is a Canadian songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.Born of Polish parents, Mink was raised in Toronto Ontario. He got his start performing with the rock/country group Mary-Lou Horner, which became the house band at bar and nightclub....
, and released by the Rounder (Zoe) Music Group on September 11, 2007. Hope & Glory features guest appearances from Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, k.d. lang
K.D. Lang
Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC , known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress...
, Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
, Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Childhood and early career:Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. Her formative years were spent in the town of Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age...
, Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
, Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Ellen Judd is an American country music singer. Her solo albums and singles are all credited to the singular name Wynonna. Wynonna first rose to fame in the 1980s alongside her mother, Naomi, in the country music duo The Judds...
and Deana Carter
Deana Carter
Deana Carter is a country music artist who broke through in 1996 with the release of debut album Did I Shave My Legs for This?, which was certified 5× Multi-Platinum in the United States for sales of over five million...
. Ann's sister, Nancy
Nancy Wilson (guitarist)
Nancy Lamoureux Wilson is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer who, with her older sister Ann and lead guitarist Roger Fisher, became the core of the Seattle/Vancouver rock band Heart.-Life and career:...
, also contributed. Four singles were released from the project, "Little Problems, Little Lies", "Isolation" and "Immigrant Song".
The Hope & Glory
Hope & Glory (album)
Hope & Glory is the first solo album by Heart singer Ann Wilson, released on September 11, 2007.Hope & Glory features guest appearances from Elton John, k.d. lang, Alison Krauss, Gretchen Wilson, Shawn Colvin, Rufus Wainwright, Wynonna Judd and Deana Carter...
version of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's "Immigrant Song
Immigrant Song
"Immigrant Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released as a single from their third album, Led Zeppelin III, in 1970.-Overview:...
" is available on Ann's official MySpace page, and charted as "the #9 most podcasted song of 2007" on the PMC Top10
PMC Top10
The Pod Music Countdown is a music program that is broadcast over the internet as a podcast. It is hosted by Chris Doelle and is a weekly countdown show featuring the top podsafe tunes being spun by podcasters all over the globe. The PMC Top10 is recognized as the first podcast counting down the...
's annual countdown. Ann's powerful, piercing voice led many to refer to her as "the female Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
" (Led Zeppelin's lead vocalist).
Ann joined producer Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
in the 2001 live tribute tour to Beatles music called A Walk Down Abbey Road
A Walk Down Abbey Road
Alan Parsons A Walk Down Abbey Road was a concert tour which was launched in North America in 2001 to pay tribute to the Beatles and promote the hits of various headlining band members...
.
In June 2007 she sang with the group Sed Nove and Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...
in the Festival of Music in Paris.