Nancy Wilson of Heart wanted to be as captivating in rock as Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant.
In a recent Guitar World interview, Nancy shared that she and her sister Ann were inspired by strong female musicians like Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, and Judy Garland. Despite skepticism about women playing rock, the Wilson sisters were determined:
“We were very loud and just didn’t care. We wanted to channel the androgyny of rock ‘n’ roll. Guys like Robert Plant looked like really hot chicks, and we felt like we could be hot chicks or hot dudes on a big rock stage like that. Androgyny and a sense of humor were our basic survival tools because there was no place for us at the time.”
Nancy’s Perspective on Fleetwood Mac
Early in their career, Heart viewed Fleetwood Mac as competition. On the Broken Record Podcast, Nancy confessed that she and Ann were concerned Fleetwood Mac’s success might overshadow their own:
“I felt so jealous of that band because there were two women in it who sounded so good together, and they had the acoustic guitar kind of thing that I felt like I was bringing a lot of into our band. They kind of had it already, you know, like something we were trying to capture. They had already captured it. So I was really like, ‘Damn it! What makes us so different now?’”
Nancy emphasized that Ann’s unique voice distinguished Heart from Fleetwood Mac:
“We did sound very different. A lot of it’s Ann’s voice, you know, very signature. The muscle and the power that she possesses and the way she sings is completely its own thing. So lucky for us, we had Ann.”
In the Guitar World interview, Nancy also discussed the sexism they faced in the music industry, with critics suggesting she should be more ladylike and concerned about her appearance. However, the Wilson sisters stayed true to themselves and persevered.
Heart is celebrated for breaking gender norms and leaving a lasting legacy in rock music with their powerful performances and iconic songs.
