Ann Wilson Says Jealousy ‘Destroyed’ Heart’s Classic Lineup

Ann Wilson believes the demise of Heart’s classic lineup came down to one simple thing: jealousy.

During a recent appearance on the Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan podcast, Wilson explained that the dynamic within the band began to shift as Heart found commercial success in the '70s. Ann and her sister Nancy became the focus of media coverage, while the band’s male members were largely ignored by the press.

“They were [fine with it] at first, because they could see that it was bringing us success,” Ann recalled of her bandmates. “But after a while, they got really tired of it. And it became a thing.”

Heart Became Divided 'Right Down Gender Lines'

As Ann explained it, the group's male members grew envious of all the attention lauded onto the Wilsons.

“For instance, when Rolling Stone wants to do a cover story on Heart, they only want to talk to Nancy and Ann,” the singer explained. “And that, after a while, really got under the guys’ skin. And it became the thing that separated the people in the band right down gender lines. So the very thing that made Heart interesting and unusual, the microcosm of men and women working together became the thing that ultimately kind of destroyed that first lineup.”

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Heart’s classic lineup consisted of Ann and Nancy alongside guitarist Roger Fisher, bassist Steve Fossen, drummer Michael Derosier and multi-instrumentalist Howard Leese. Fisher, who had been romantically involved with Nancy, exited the band after the couple broke up in 1979. Fossen and DeRosier left in 1982, reportedly due to ongoing conflicts with the Wilsons. Meanwhile, Leese stayed with the group until 1998, becoming the longest tenured non-Wilson Heart member in the process.

Ann Wilson Felt Like a 'Real Pariah' in Heart

“It's weird how that happened,” Ann remarked, looking back at the circumstances surrounding the classic lineup's demise. “I was a real pariah then for a while, because I was the one that was speaking the most for the band in the press. And so that, the guys were not happy about it… The bass player didn't understand why it wasn't him speaking for the band.”

Heart’s lineup has gone through a wide variety of changes across the band’s more than 50 year history. In all that time, the classic lineup has only reunited once, during Heart’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.