LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
BY LILY MOAYERI Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart are verging on the half-century mark since they formed their groundbreaking group in 1974. Through five decades of changing musical eras, their impact has not waned. From the ’70s, when Ann set the blueprint for rock frontwomen and Nancy established her oft-imitated and never-quite-duplicated guitar playing style, through the ’80s when the band dominated MTV, to 2019 when the sisters spearheaded the all-female “Love Alive” tour, the Wilsons broke barriers as musicians, singers and songwriters. The two started early in music. Nancy showed marked virtuosity on the acoustic guitar at 9 years old. Ann, four years her senior, was already singing in the style of blues greats — albeit filtered through rock and roll. Their 1976 debut album, Dreamboat Annie, spawned the hits “Magic Man” and “Crazy on You,” which remain staples on classic rock radio. “Barracuda” from 1977’s Little Queen followed suit. Drawing from folk, hard rock and the daring to not be pigeonholed by their gender, the Wilsons were among the few women
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granted authority on a rock stage dominated by men. By the time the sisters glammed up and became MTV staples and chart-toppers in the mid-‘80s, they were proven songwriters and already a multiplatinum-selling band. It was the GRAMMYnominated Billboard No.1 album Heart that catapulted Ann and Nancy into the musical stratosphere. The album’s hits were ubiquitous, all cracking the Top 10. Its flagship song, “These Dreams”— sung by Nancy — hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. A year later, the band snagged that position again with “Alone” from their album Bad Animals, and with it, two more GRAMMY nominations. They continued their GRAMMY nomination streak with 1990’s Brigade. Over the course of 16 studio albums, the pair have sold 35 million records and had seven Top 10 albums. Ann and Nancy also charted on the New York Times bestsellers list with their 2013 memoir, Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul and Rock & Roll. Ann and Nancy individually extended their musical reach to the silver screen. Ann through her iconic voice on the unforgettable songs “Almost Paradise,” “Best Man in the World” and “Surrender
to Me” on stellar soundtracks from the timeless films Footloose, The Golden Child and Tequila Sunrise, respectively. Nancy through her essential, awardwinning scores for the box office smashes Say Anything, Almost Famous and Vanilla Sky. Their abilities have continuously attracted accomplished musicians of all genders who speak with reverence about their skills and consider performing alongside as a distinct privilege. Their songs have been sampled by the likes of Eminem, Lil Wayne, G-Eazy, and Nas. No matter how much they accomplish, the need to create is ever present with the Wilson sisters. In the last couple of years, they have both released solo albums. Nancy with her first album of original material in 2021 with You and Me, and Ann in 2022 with her third solo album, Fierce Bliss. Honors and accolades abound for Ann and Nancy: the ASCAP Pop Music Awards Founders Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But they remain active. As Nancy said in her Rock Hall acceptance speech: “We’re not finished rocking just yet.”
ANN PHOTOGRAPHED BY CRISS CAIN; NANCY PHOTOGRAPHED BY JEREMY DANGER
ANN & NANCY WILSON OF HEART