When a band has been around for more than 50 years, it inevitably goes through lineup changes. Such is the case for Heart, which — by our count — has gone through a total of 18 different lineups during its existence.
Heart will forever be linked with Ann and Nancy Wilson, the sisters whose impressive musicals talents helped launch the band to stardom. In their younger years, the girls were inspired by the Beatles, and immediately set about chasing their dream.
“We were struck by the the lightning of the Fab 4 in 1963,” Nancy recalled in a 2010 interview. “We were like, we have to be that. We have to be that. We have to get guitars we need [them]. We already had ukuleles not quite as cool as guitars.”
“We didn’t want to be the girlfriends of the Beatles,” the guitarist clarified. “We wanted to BE the Beatles.”
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While the Wilsons grew up making music together, it wasn’t until they found their early Heart bandmates that things began to click. Bassist Steve Fossen and guitarist Roger Fisher had gone through an assortment of bands in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, playing high schools, bars and small clubs in the Seattle area. In 1973, the rockers met Ann and recruited her to be their new singer, setting in motion the formation of what would become Heart’s classic lineup.
Personnel would change many times over the years, most notably during Heart’s triumphant ’80s comeback. A variety of guitarists, bassist, drummers and keyboardists have moved in and out of the lineup, each of them adding something new to Heart’s distinctive dynamic. And while Ann and Nancy have remained the foundation of the group, there was even a period when Heart only featured one of the Wilson sisters.
With 16 studio albums, more than 50 million records sold worldwide, a Rock & Roll Hall of fame induction and generations of passionate fans, Heart remains one of classic rock’s most powerful forces. Check out UCR’s guide to all of the band’s lineup changes below.
