I've been singing Ann Wilson's praises for about 25 years now. It usually goes something like this:

Other person: Wow, this music is awesome. Who is it?
Me: Heart.
Other person: Who?
Me: Heart. 1970s superstars featuring sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson on vocals and guitar. You know, Heart.
Other person: Ann and ... Nancy Wilson? The '60s blues and cabaret singer?
Me: No. The other Nancy Wilson. Heart!!
Other person: Huh. Never heard of 'em.
Me: Get out. Take your stupid Hungry Hungry Hippos game and your giant box of Kix and just go.

Uh, I think I just conflated that with an incident with a neighbor kid when I was seven. Anyway. The point is, Ann has been getting some attention lately — finally.

Heart recently stole the show at the VH1 Rock Honors, and on Sunday, Sept. 9, Ann will host VH1 Classic's afternoon programming. At 3:00 p.m. ET, the Rock Honors show will be rebroadcast. At 5:00, Ann previews her new album Hope & Glory on Inside Track. And at 5:30, she counts down Women Who Rock — including herself, if VH1 Classic doesn't want me to kick it out. (Yessss! Inadvertent Heart song reference!)

Ann's new solo album, which comes out Sept. 11, is an eclectic collection of tunes. Wilson notes, "Each of these songs holds a special place in my soul ... such songs as these carry me through my life." … continue reading

I just came across this photo of Tina Turner and Janis Joplin performing at Madison Square Garden in 1969. It's Tina. And Janis. Together!

The photo is by Amalie R. Rothschild and is currently part of the Music and Fashion 1965–1975 exhibit at the Staley-Wise Gallery. Rothschild has taken some stunning shots of rock stars, many of which are included in her book Live at the Fillmore East: A Photographic Memoir.

I really can't fathom the idea of Janis and Tina on a stage together. Who needs caffeine (or whatever the crowd was on) with that kind of raw genius nearby? The idea of two talents and a microphone made me imagine some other rock duos (or folk duos or whatever-else duos) I'd like to see. Here are a few ideas. They may not really make much sense, but that's why I'm calling them fantasy duos.

Stevie Nicks and Amy Winehouse
"Rhiannon" meets "Rehab" — how great would that be? But Stevie might have flashbacks when confronted by Winehouse's in-your-face hedonism. She would make her cry, make her break down!

… continue reading

Tonight on VH1 (9/8c), the Rock Honors might actually rock. I'm not talking about Ozzy Osbourne or ZZ Top (that has to be the most Z's ever in a list of honorees) or Genesis — definitely not Genesis. I'm talking about Heart.

Ann and Nancy Wilson have been rocking my world for as long as I can remember. One summer, when I was about 9, I checked out all the Heart LPs from the public library and lovingly made tapes of them, doing my best to reproduce the album lettering as well as the sound.

Yeah, fine: I'm old. But if you haven't given Heart a listen, you really should. You might have seen them on The L Word, when they performed "Crazy On You" in season 2. Isn't it weird when two of your favorite things collide like that? Jenny was entranced, and so was I. … continue reading