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Ann Wilson<\/a> believes the demise of Heart<\/a>\u2019s classic lineup came down to one simple thing: jealousy.<\/p>\n During a recent appearance on the Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan<\/a><\/em> 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<\/a> became the focus of media coverage, while the band\u2019s male members\u00a0were largely\u00a0ignored by the press.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were [fine with it] at first, because they could see that it was bringing us success,\u201d Ann recalled of her bandmates. \u201cBut after a while, they got really tired of it. And it became a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n As Ann explained it, the group’s male members grew envious of all the attention lauded onto the Wilsons.<\/p>\n \u201cFor instance, when Rolling Stone<\/em> wants to do a cover story on Heart, they only want to talk to Nancy and Ann,\u201d the singer explained. \u201cAnd that, after a while, really got under the guys\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: Heart Albums Ranked Worst to Best<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Heart\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s weird how that happened,\u201d Ann remarked, looking back at\u00a0the circumstances surrounding the classic lineup’s demise. \u201cI 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\u2026 The bass player didn’t understand why it wasn’t him speaking for the band.\u201d<\/p>\n Heart\u2019s lineup has gone through a wide variety of changes across the band\u2019s more than 50 year history. In all that time, the classic lineup has only reunited once, during Heart\u2019s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame<\/a> in 2013.<\/p>\n Gallery Credit: Corey Irwin<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHeart Became Divided ‘Right Down Gender Lines’<\/h3>\n
Ann Wilson Felt Like a ‘Real Pariah’ in Heart<\/h3>\n
Rock’s Greatest Frontwomen<\/h2>\n