Heart moms: Ann and Nancy Wilson talk family

Aug 19, 2010 2:30 PM by Joel D. Amos

Posted in Entertainment / Music

We Heart Moms!

Ann and Nancy Wilson have literally been joined at the hip since they were little girls. As adults, the pair continues to be connected as the heart of the rock group Heart. But, Ann and Nancy Wilson are also mothers who have lived the rock and roll motherhood lifestyle that Sheryl Crow is just now discovering with her two young sons.

Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson poses for her son

The Wilson sisters took the rock world by storm in the 1970s with huge hits Crazy on You, Magic Man, Barracuda, and then in the 1980s with Alone and What About Love.

Both musicians are mothers and have tackled the same issues all moms do today with balancing their demanding work schedules and raising their children.

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart took time out of their tour supporting their latest record, Red Velvet Car, to write a blog post for SheKnows exclusively about what it means to them to be a rock and roll parent!

Nancy Wilson

Now that my twins are 10, one of the best things of all, is to see how close they've become, how much they love each other, and entertain each other. I tell them together they could rule the world. The hardest part is keeping up with the intensity of their energy that only sparks when they are together. One boy at a time is a completely different story.

The sweetest part of all, when the kids can travel on the road with me, is seeing them appreciate my job for the first time. How much fun it is to ride on the tour bus together. [Check out the photo above of Nancy's sons, Billy and Curtis, admiring their mom performing!]

Ann Wilson

Being a single mom has serious drawbacks in that the buck stops with you. But on the other hand that's one of the good things about it. You don't have to balance out anyone else's opinion. You have to learn how to split your brain and think of two things at once, so that you're singing the words of a song and at the same time you are dealing with your 19-year-old daughter's crisis.

My 12-year-old son, is still at the age where he likes to travel with me, and gets excited about being a part of the road crew. It's really amazing to watch him turn into a young man, right in front of my eyes.

[Photo at right shows Ann's son, Dustin, getting lessons about connecting a pedal board for his mom's latest tour stop.]

Tags: ann and nancy wilson celebrity news heart music parenting

Comments

Comments on "Heart moms: Ann and Nancy Wilson talk family"

I really think these ladies deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....after 40 years they are still out there kicking it live.

I am 58 years old, no bones about it :D I have followed these ladies for as long as I can remember, well maybe longer than that (halfheimers) They have always been an inspiration to me, their stability over time and strength and talent. Ann being badgered for her weight issue (I have same issue) and media playing sister against one another, equally talented in their own right. Imagine, such great talent comimg from the same family? i RECENTLY WAS BLESSED TO SEE THEM PERFORM ON 07/23/12 IN CINCINNATI and was awe struck by the strength of their voices, as if they were still 19. Thank you ladies for continuing to entertain, I, for one am glad to have experienced your writing ability and your music...

If I had an ounce of Nancy Wilson's talent, I would be happy. She is absolutely incredible!

Both these women are so beautiful. Ann has the voice of an angel and Nancy is incredible. I wish I had a just a fraction of the their talent. These little pieces of crap like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift have no idea what real talent is and never will. LOVE HEART!!!!!

GOD BLESS YOU BOTH! because of you i have survived the memmories of the war, vietnam. Your dad was right when he said that "if he had the knowledge, he would have made the same decision your boyfriend did, evading the draft. it was a worthless war." we have one more war to fight to the end...our humanity, to love one another as ourselves and our GOD! GOD BLESS

I was sitting in my friend's den with about 15 others watching videos and the video Nothing At All came on the TV. I turned my attention from the group and intentively watched and listened to this video. I had never heard of them before. I was amazed. I'm a third generation instrumentalist and right away took to these two girls. I have an ear for music and know the real deal when I hear it. I took my studies through the classical period from the past all the way up to biblical times and the chief musician David and even long before Christ. I learned to play their music on the guitar and couldn't get enough of it. I studied the lyrics and tried to understand the meanings of the lyrics through documentaries and what I could absorb through books and so on. I truly call these girls two of the horsewomen of Rock-n-Roll along with the other two from another band. The poetry, the melodies, the beats and all the other involved in their music truly makes for genius. My daughter picked up on guitar and has been playing a few years now. She is 14 years old and starting to amaze me. She even has those little stage moves that grabs the eyes of most on-lookers. I'm proud of her. I hope she goes on to make a career of it. Anyway I'd like to say that children are amazing and all the best to yours Ann and Nancy. I have never had the chance to see you in concert but would love to. I envy all those that rush to me to let me know they were at the Heart concert and go on to tell me how extremely mind-blowing the performance was. Keep up the good work Ann and Nancy. your truly going down in history.

Aww...the beautiful sounds of Anna and Nancy Wilson. If you want to hear rare concert audio from Heart, checkout http://wolfgangsvault/heart.

The two of you truly sing from the heart and soul. I consider myself blessed to have been a part of your listening audience through the years. Many of todays rock bands desparately needs the class, skill and vocals of Ann and Nancy Wilson. Thank you for sharing your talent with us all. A true fan forever, Steve....

Let me just preface this post by stating the obvious, HEART are a great band! Through all of the adversity (mainly industry induced) they remain level headed and continue to forge ahead as women and musicians. I like their no nonsense, down to earth and feel good mentality. I bet their are multitudes of kids out there that wish their mothers were that cool. Rock on Ann and Nancy!

HEART U ROCK!!!I LISTENED TO YOU IN WUERZBURG, GERMANY IN 1987, WHEN I HAD MY SON, BRYAN PATRICK ...IN THIS TOTALLY NASTY US ARMY HOSPITAL..I AM SO GREATFUL TO YOU..YOU PROVIDED COMFORT TO A SCARED 23 YR OLD; MY FAMILY WASN'T THERE (MY MOM AND DAD CAME A WEEK LATER CUZ BRY WAS EARLY AND I HAD COMPLICATONS).. MUSICIANS PERHAPS DO NOT HAVE THE POWER THEY HOLD OVER US...t/y I was able to chill out w/o meds because I listened to you two..to make a long story short...my son is a POLICE OFFICER in New England Thank You:)

I too saw the show in Pittsburgh. It was my first "vacation" (I drove 4 hours each way!) in 14 years since my two are now at college. I first saw Heart in Rochester, NY 1978, & last year in Niagara Falls. What I love most about Ann & Nancy is their authenticity and soulfullness - it shines through in all of their music, interviews, charity work, etc. - and that's a rare thing that cannot be faked/contrived. That's why I feel so moved to see them perform live, and why I think that their children are blessed beyond the obvious. Every parent should read Ann's commencement speech on the official Heart website. Peace, Love & Joy to Heart always and I hope that I get to see you again live soon.

Nancy Wilson inspired me to start learning guitar when I was 44, which is giving me at least a little credibility with my two teens. I have the same guitar teacher as some of their friends, but I don't care: if you love rock 'n roll, it's never too late! Thank you, ladies, for being such a fabulous inspiration! Your kids are very lucky.

Very Cool! Love the ladies of HEART! Nice to hear them talk a little about being moms. I know they both are very private when it comes to their family life. My daughter is the same age as Ann's....I know all too well about having a 19 year old. Cool thing for me is that mine LOVES HEART! We just sae the show in Pitt. It was our only our 2nd HEART show together, but it won't be the last. Oh yeah....Was it Ann's son who came onstage and threw picks to the audience??? I thought he looked the right age, and he had very short hair, like the pic. of Dustin. Thanks for the article. Glad the ladies are getting the word out that they are still rockin! And better than ever!