Nancy Wilson Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Childhood And Early Life

Singer-songwriter Nancy Wilson was born on the 16 March 1954 in San Francisco, California to Lou and John Wilson. Her father was a Marine as well as a musician, and her mother was a concert pianist and singer. Wilson has two older sisters, Lynn and Ann. Because their father was in the military, Wilson spent part of her childhood living in different locations. During the 1960s, the family settled in Seattle, Washington. Wilson’s family was musical, and growing up, the girls were exposed to a wide range of music. During this time her sister Ann learned to play the guitar.

Education

Nancy Wilson graduated from high school in 1972 and enrolled at Pacific University in Oregon where she studied for two years.

Rise To Stardom

The sisters used to sing and play together in local bands, and Nancy Wilson used to do solo gigs in local Seattle coffeehouses in. Their first group was known as the Viewpoints. Later Ann Wilson formed a band called Heart in Seattle and the early 1970s, moved to Vancouver to explore the music scene there. Nancy Wilson was a University of Oregon and, after two years at University, joined her sister’s band in Vancouver In 1974.

Career

Mushroom Records released Their first and breakthrough album Dreamboat Annie (1976). It was a big success and become famous first in Canada and then the United States. Dreamboat Annie spent over two years on the US charts. Their next album Little Queen (1977) did equally as well. Dog & Butterfly came out in 1978 and Private Audition in 1983. In 1985, they released Heart, and the album rose to number one on the Billboard charts. Bad Animal in 1987, reached number two on the Billboard chart and Brigade in 1990 was another success.

The Wilson sisters returned to Seattle during the 1990s and were involved with the young musicians who were part of the emerging grunge movement. They were also settling down and having families. The sisters formed the Lovemongers in 1991 for a single gig. It was an acoustic group with Nancy Wilson on lead guitar, Sue Ennis on the keyboard and Ann the lead vocalist. The gig was a success and resulted in an album Whirlygig was released in 1997.

Desire Walks On in 1993 was Hearts final album for the decade, and Nancy Wilson had a solo album Live From McCabe’s Guitar Shop (1999).

Music For Film & Television

Besides being a member of Heart and her solo recording, Nancy Wilson composes music for film and television including Jerry Maguire (1996) Vanilla Sky (2001) and Elizabethtown (2005). In 2001 she was nominated for the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards for the best, a BAFTA and the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards for Almost Famous. Then in 2002, the score from Vanilla Sky was nominated for a Saturn Award - Best Music. Elizabethtown was nominated for Critics Choice Award - Best Composer in 2006

Later Life

In 2002, the Wilson sisters reformed Heart and started touring again after a five-year break. 

Jupiters Darling was released in 2003, and In 2007 she did an instructional DVD: Nancy Wilson - Instructional Acoustic Guitar. Her sister Ann Wilson had an album Hope & Glory released in 2007, and Nancy Wilson sang on three of the duets. In 2009, her children’s album Baby Guitars came out. Heart’s Red Velvet Car was released in 2009 and rose to the Billboard Top 10 and was followed by Fanatic in 2012.

Liv Warfield and Nancy Will have formed a new band RoadCase Royale, and they released a single Get Loud in early 2017.

Awards And Achievements

Nancy Wilson and Ann Wilson were honored for Heart with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012. The first all-girl rock band in the United States, Heart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. The band has sold 35 million records over four decades.

Personal Life And Legacy

In 1986 Nancy Wilson married Cameron Crowe, and they had twin son, Curtis, and William. Crowe and Wilson divorced in 2010, and she married Geoff Bywater in 2012.