As the trailblazing band approach their 50th anniversary, Wilson recalls the misery of fame, Heart’s underrated male members and finally realising her creative ambitions as a solo artist
Ann Wilson vividly remembers Heart’s big break. In October 1975, the fledgling group, then based in Vancouver, were offered their biggest show to date, opening for Rod Stewart at a Montreal arena. Heart happened to be available – in fact, they had just been fired from a Calgary club gig – and were eager to drum up support for their recently released debut LP, Dreamboat Annie. But when the band walked on to the stage, Wilson was taken aback to be greeted with a sea of lit matches held aloft by the audience. “I thought that it was some kind of mistake,” she says. “We started playing Magic Man and the place just came unglued. That’s when I realised it was for us.”
It’s difficult now to imagine Wilson feeling hesitant. Heart quickly went Top 10 in the US with that debut, and then went supernova in the 80s, twice topping the US singles chart with their ultra-emphatic power balladry. Wilson’s fiery vocals were paired with her sister Nancy’s piercing, intricate guitars, and the band exuded ferocious confidence on karaoke jams such as Alone – a No 3 hit in the
UK – and All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You. Although her voice is frequently compared with that of Robert Plant, Ann’s sinewy howl was a singular revelation, untethered from expectations of what a rock frontwoman should sound like.