The origins of Heart can be traced back to 1967, but the band really came into it’s own when the Wilson sisters joined in the mid-1970s. Ann Wilson became the singer, while Nancy played guitar, sang backing vocals, and took the occasional lead vocal. Heart’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame page describes the sisters as the first female-fronted hard rock band.
In June 2016, forty years into their illustrious career, Heart performed at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall for the first time. For the occasion, they were backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The video below shows the band performing their most successful single, Alone. Ann was in her mid-60s, but just listen to how well she sings.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra enhances the poignancy of this version of Alone, but it is Ann’s age defying vocals that stand out. Just listen to how her voice soars at the 2m45s mark. As an experienced singer, with years of touring behind her, Ann could have held back on the notes just a bit. Astonishingly, she not only goes full tilt, but adds flourishes while hitting all the high notes. For Heart fans, it is a goose bump inducing performance.
Heart wrote many of their own songs, with Ann and Nancy Wilson being the main songwriters. Early single “Magic Man” (1975) was about Ann’s relationship with the band manager, Michael Fisher, while “Crazy on You” (1976) reflects on the stresses on Vietnam-era USA. “Barracuda” (1977) was written in anger in response to sleazy insinuations about the Wilson sisters’ relationship. The guitar riff is influenced by Nazareth’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s This Flight Tonight.
Alone (1987), Heart’s best performing song on music charts, was not written by the Wilson sister’s and Heart were not the first band to record the song. Alone is the work of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly who recorded it as i-Ten in 1983, to little notice. In 1984 the song was covered by cast members of the CBS sitcom dreams. Of course it is Heart’s power-ballad take of Alone that brought it to prominence. Interestingly, the songs co-author, Tom Kelly, sang high harmonies on the Heart version of Alone.
Heart’s 2016 concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra came almost thirty years after their recording of “Alone”. Later that year, Ann Wilson’s husband, Dean Wetter, assaulted Nancy Wilson’s teenage twin sons. In March 2017, he pleaded guilty to two counts of fourth-degree assault. He received a suspended sentence the following month.
The incident strained the relationship between Ann and Nancy Wilson.
After honouring their 2016 dates, it would take until March 2019 for the sisters to join each other on stage. Nancy and Ann started performing together, but without the other members of Heart, who were replaced by Ann’s touring band.
When Heart performed at the Royal Albert Hall in June 2016, nobody would have guessed that the Wilson sisters were about to become so estranged that Heart’s days were numbered. This is all the more reason to cherish Heart’s age-defying appearance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.