40 years ago today, Heart released its first album, Dreamboat Annie, in the US. The band started out in the Seattle, WA, area in the early 70s, then drifted up to Vancouver, BC. Heart’s lineup was set in 1974, when guitarist Nancy Wilson joined her sister Ann Wilson and her band, comprised of Nancy’s boyfriend, Roger Fisher on guitar, Steve Fossen on bass, Howard Leese on keys, and Michael DeRosier on drums. Heart was managed by Mike Fisher, Roger’s brother and Ann’s boyfriend.
Heart honed its act playing small clubs in the northwest, performing the original songs that would make their way to the album, along with Led Zeppelin covers. Nancy tells the story of the night Led Zeppelin stumbled into the club they were playing, having just finished their own concert in town. They blew right into the VIP room where Jimmy Page received “medical” attention and promptly passed out. No word from anyone about what Zep thought of the locals.
Dreamboat Annie was recorded in Vancouver in July/August, 1975, and was released in Canada in August. The single “Magic Man” was first played on radio in Montreal, QC. Heart set out on a tour of small clubs to support the record.
On a personal note, I saw one of those August, 1975 shows at the Wine Barrel, a place near Canton, OH, that maybe sat a hundred people. Ann Wilson introduced the band “from Seattle” and they played all of the just released album, along with Zep’s “Rock and Roll” as I remember. The songs were fresh and “hooky” and he band rocked hard and tight. Highlights included “Crazy On You”, “Magic Man” and “Dreamboat Annie”. Ann’s voice was so clear and strong, and Nancy played beautifully on acoustic and electric guitar. I’d say she was the best female guitarist I’d ever heard, but she might have been the first. And, it didn’t hurt that the Wilson sisters looked gorgeous. "It's all part, of my rock and roll fantasy."
Their popularity in Montreal lead to Heart’s first big breakthrough when they were invited to open there for Rod Stewart and Faces on October 24, 1975. The band was shocked and delighted to hear the audience singing along on all the Dreamboat Annie songs. It was the moment, said Mike Fisher, when they knew they were in it for the long run. Over the next few months, Dreamboat Annie sold 30,000 units in Canada, prompting their record label to open a US division in Seattle. Dreamboat Annie was released in the US on Valentine’s Day, 1976, and was an immediate hit. It hit platinum status by the end of the year. By the summer of 1976, Heart was headlining outdoor festivals and arenas.
Heart went on to sell over 35 million records worldwide, had 20 Top 40 singles and seven Top Ten albums. They had Top 10 albums on the Billboard charts in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2010s, with chart singles in each decade. This over four decades long span of Top 10 albums is the longest by any band fronted by a woman. Heart was in the 2013 class of inductees to the Rock and Roll HOF.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Ladies!
