Nancy Wilson

On February 2,1999 Epic Records proudly presents Nancy Wilson: Live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop the first solo album by the gifted guitarist and vocalist, best known for her partnership with sister Ann Wilson in the multi-platinum rock band Heart.

Produced by Brian Foraker, Live at McCabe’s was recorded by Nancy Wilson in May, 1997 in one night over two shows performed at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, California. The album highlights the passionate voice and instrumental (guitar,mandolin)prowess of one of rock’s true legends in a 13-song program encompassing new and old favorites, reinterpreted classics and striking originals.

“This album has a folk-rock edge,” says Nancy of her latest work, “centering around mostly one guitar.” Ann Wilson adds: “Her lyrics are wonderful-very confessional, along the lines of Joni Mitchell.”

Live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop offers listeners the best of Nancy’s own new material (“Everything,” “Sister,” “Half Moon,” “Ground Zero,” “The Rain Song”) and two Heart classics (“Angels,” “Even It Up”), along with moving renditions of songs by some of her favorite writer-performers. She infuses “Kathy’s Song” by Paul Simon with the warmth of a classic folk song while exploring the full range of her powerful voice. Her version of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” combines raspiness and raw energy in an upbeat acoustic arrangement.

In 1986, the Bernie Taupin/Martin Page composition “These Dreams” propelled Heart to number one on the charts. Nancy’s soulful McCabe’s version brings out the song’s deep yearning and timeless appeal. With her version of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You,” Wilson proves she’s capable of fusing powerful rock with serene folk in a way few artists can.

Long celebrated for her stunning guitar work and expressive songwriting, Nancy Wilson is best known for her role in Heart-the most successful female fronted band in the annals of hard rock. Beginning in 1974, Ann and Nancy Wilson created a hugely successful, trail-blazing musical partnership which resulted in numerous multi-platinum albums, six Top Ten Pop hits, and worldwide career sales of more than 20 million records.

Heart’s best known albums include Dreamboat Annie, their 1976 debut; Little Queen (1977), Dog and Butterfly (1978), and Bebe Le Strange (1980); the five million-selling Heart, which marked the band’s commercial rebirth in 1985; Bad Animals (1987), Brigade (1990), and Desire Walks On (1990). Heart songs like “Crazy on You,” “Magic Man,” “Alone,” “Barracuda,” “Even It Up,” “Straight On,” and “These Dreams” remains staples of classic rock radio. In August 1998, Epic Records and SONY Legacy released the band’s first approved Greatest Hits collection; it included a brand new Heart recording of Diane Warren composition “Strong, Strong Wind.”

In 1996, Nancy Wilson composed the ASCAP award-winning score for husband Cameron Crowe’s film Jerry McGuire. The gold-certified soundtrack album (SONY Music Soundtrax) contained two tracks performed by Nancy Wilson, “Sandy” and “We Meet Again (Theme From Jerry McGuire),” both of which she also wrote and produced.

In addition to her career with Heart and her soundtrack work, Nancy Wilson is a founding member of the lower-profile but critically-acclaimed band, The Lovermongers-which also includes Ann Wilson and long time friends and collaborators Sue Ennis and Frank Cox. An impromptu appearance at the 1991 “Red Cross Concert for Peace” turned out to be “too much fun not to do it again, again, and again,” explained Nancy.

The Loversmongers went on to play a series of sold-out shows in their native Seattle and to contribute a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Battle of Evermore” to the triple-platinum soundtrack form the movie Singles (Epic). In 1994, the group issued a four-song EP(Capitol) which included “Battle of Evermore,” Todd Rundgren’s “Love of the Common Man,” the Temptations’ “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” and the Wilson’s own “Crazy On You.” Their first full-length album of original tunes, Whirlygig, appeared in 1997 on the independent Will Records. In 1997, the Lovermongers’ live version of “Battle of Evermore” appeared on The Bridge School Concerts (Reprise), a benefit compilation also featuring live tracks by Neil Young, Tom Petty, Beck Pearl Jam, and David Bowie among others. The Love Mongers have also have just released a new Christmas album “Here is Christmas.”

The music of Nancy Wilson has helped define the sound of rock in three successive decades. Live at McCabes’s Guitar Shop pays homage to her influences, acknowledges her past achievements, and offers compelling evidence of her continuing creative vitality and matchless musical gifts.