Heart's Wilson Sisters Credit "Good Public School Music Education" in Recent Profile

Heart, the pioneering rock band with ties to Bellevue, has been at the forefront of music in the 36 years since its debut album "Dreamboat Annie."

Playback, ASCAP's magazine, profile of the band, led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, in its March edition. The recent profile includes comments from Elton John, Pearl Jam, Carrie Underwood and other famous fans and people influenced by the band.

Heart was one of the first rock bands fronted and led by women, with Ann and Nancy Wilson as the constants in the band since the early 1970s and the rest of the personnel changing over the years.

Ann and Nancy Wilson settled in Bellevue with their family in their youth, after their father retired from military service.

The sisters told Playback that their talent and accomplishments in guitar and vocals came not from much classical musical training, but from growing up in a musical family and having a "very good public school music education."  

Ann Wilson, Heart's lead singer, graduated from  in the 1960s. Her sister Nancy, guitarist, also graduated from Bellevue schools.

Heart released its first record, Dreamboat Annie, in Canada in 1975 and have had hit albums in every decade since then.

Their notable radio hits include "Barracuda," "Crazy on You," "What About Love," and "Alone," which has become a staple of American Idol hopefuls.

The Wilson sisters have co-written some of their hits with Sue Ennis, a friend from high school and now an instructor at Shoreline Community College.

Last year, they were nominated for the , but .

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Playback Magazine: Heart and Soul