Former Heart Members On Their Frosty Hall of Fame Experience 

How come nobody ever mentions Howard Leese? He was more than just a Producer, and he left a big footprint on their early classic records. He plays that short but wicked "reverse" guitar solo in the first few seconds of "Magic Man", as well as those signature Moog tracks,. He did dozens other things on their recordings. He also toured with them for many years on Guitar and Keyboards. Good ole Howie, the ever loyal sideman, went on to tour with Paul Rodgers, and helped fill out Bad Company's sound for many years.

The line up including Derosier, Fossen and Fisher is the one most heart fans like myself grew up with in the mid to late 70's, and it's really the only one that matters to true fans, these guys deserve far more recognition.

Heart is not Heart without the original members. Their contribution to the sound and arrangements is so unique and what separated them from other bands of their era. The guitar parts that Roger and Howard lent to the sound of Heart was so much more than just Nancy. It was the amalgam of their three blended styles that made Heart sound the way they did. Mike and Steve were the backbone of their sound by providing a cohesive and unifying rhythm section. I don't have any ill feelings towards Anne and Nancy, I simply feel they're missing the parts that made them whole.

I stopped buying Heart records once the “real” band broke up. I didn’t care about band relationships unless it was musical. To this day the lead work on “Crazy On You” drops my jaw and puts a huge smile on my face - as does that whole album! The interplay of original members was the fire and while there was some okay music later on it just didn’t burn (in a good way)!

Denny Carmassi was in the band from 1982 to 1993 when they made their comeback for 6 albums and he got snubbed from the hall. One of the great rock drummers originally from Montrose along with playing with Cloverdale/Page, Foreigner, Joe Walsh , Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar and many more artists. We play golf together. I asked him about the hall and all he said was no respect.

I always admired the backbone of Heart. You boys were one of the tightest hard rocking bands of all time. Nobody had the groove that Heart had back in the day. It’s a shame it always ends up like this. I never knew about all the underlying bs in Heart. Thanks for putting out the most enjoyable rock of my teenage years. You guys never disappointed.

Steve Fossen says it VERY well: When Heart was the original 5 musicians, they all collaborated TOGETHER and exchanged ideas with the best being what you heard. After 1980...it' all a duo. Ann and Nancy. And while its a joy to have a great voice..and it is a wonderful thing to be as sensitive as Nancy is on a guitar....neither had a VISION. You need a direction. A purpose. Ann and Nancy have had years to distill a direction. There is only the faintest hint of it. And while money is a nice thing to have...you need at least some to survive.....what about cred? Noone seriously think the big-hair Heart was a better band than the original line-up. What they created up in Vancouver was heard all around the planet by the time they were done. The post 1980s Heart (the big blow up was on Halloween,btw in 1980) rode on the past glories achieved by the original line up. ...fact.

Roger Fischer made those early Heart Albums rock-no one else. Classic riffs and licks.

Roger Fisher's tone back in the day, was fantastic! Year's of advancement in technology, and can't get that pure, clean, right on the edge of breakup was out of this world!

I can tell you this, right here snd now! Roger and Mike Fisher are two of the nicest, most humble and talented people you’ll ever meet. That is all. Carry on!

It's amazing that people can find it so hard to take the high road at times, even for brief moments.

I was enthralled with the whole band early on not just Ann and Nancy. I was mesmerized by their playing. They had their own sound which was unique and unforgettable.. I still listen to the first 6 albums a lot. Congrats on the induction. Well deserved!

Those original members made that band go. The Wilson's, are undoubtedly the focus and a huge part of the sound and vision, but all four of the other members were quite skilled and a huge part of it all that can't be overlooked.

Music is about the soul... musicians have a lot of soul invested in their music. It's not surprising that these kinds of things happen in bands.. which are basically families-on-the-road which will bring out any differences between people if not careful. Egos are almost always to blame for issues. Heart, the band, is all about the entire band of original members. Kudos to you all.

That performance from the 70's lineup was legendary

This dude had some iconic drum fills on that first album. Damn near impossible to duplicate

Heart was a phenomenal band. That voice behind the music was legendary. Ann was a powerhouse. The rock & roll hall of fame is really turned into a joke. Many bands in there simply don't fit that genre.

It’s really weird to me this because it was Roger and Michael Fisher that started the band in the first place and then brought in the Wilson sisters.

A great interview! The reason I like your format on this is the members that weren't necessarily up on the Marquee with the biggest letters finally get to say their peace and we get to hear both sides of the story instead of the lead guitarist or the lead singer saying this is what happened and that's that!

I'll NEVER forget Steve, Roger, Mike, and Howard!

Heart, with the original members, in my opinion is one of the top five rock ‘n’ roll bands ever in the history of rock music. Listen to all the nuanced guitar, drums, and bass work on songs like soul of the sea, mistral wind, devil delight. Those first albums with the original members, the depth of the musicianship is absolutely unreal. Always wondered why they never put a group together with another singer, and secretly, although I’m just a cover band singer and wannabe songwriter, I’d love to front a band with those guys. Brilliant musicianship and brilliant songwriting.

I thought Mark Andes should've been included also. I've spoken with him and he said he felt left out, but that's all he said. He was and is a great bassist.

It is sad that Ann & Nancy are incapable of burying the hatchet, and treating Roger & the original members with the respect & credit that they deserve. It makes them look shallow and petty and unethical.

Michael DeRosier is a fantastic drummer. My favorite performance of his is "Mistral Wind" off of "Dog & Butterfly". He was playing as powerfully as John Bonham at his best.

Roger just concentrates on seeing the good in every situation. He somehow successfully manages to completely eject the BS. This is what he's like. It's an enviable quality. I had a brief conversation with him 43 years ago and he has exactly the same outlook.

I saw Heart in Seattle in 1977 with Foreigner, Tower of Power (they were the best by way, stole the show), Stephen Bishop and Prism. Best show I saw was New Year's Eve 1979 when Head East opened for Heart. That 1979 show was the best show I have ever seen Heart play. I was not a fan of the direction Heart took in the 80s! I wish they would have played more at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Time catches up to all of us, including bands and bad feelings. Thanks for another great interview.

The difference in songs in the R&R HOF performance was pretty stark. First was Crazy On You with the original members who attended and it crackled. Just a fantastic performance. Then they left and then Ann said the next song was with the "current" band and with guests Jerry Cantrell, Mike McCready and Chris Cornell. They played Barracuda and it just plodded like an anchor being dragged on the bottom of the ocean. No spark, no inspiration. Sure, Ann and Nancy sound great, I mean, it all sounded "ok", but it was too slow and the guests were basically out of place.

Must have burned Ann a little bit watching fellow nominees Rush get a 3 minute standing ovation when their names were announced. Three ego less guys that were all equals, held it together for 4 decades, enjoyed each others company and didn't really care if they were selected but made it due to the pressure on the hall from their massive fan base campaigning for them.

Being in a band is tough. It’s a lot like marriage, but with an insecure, ego driven bunch of people. Throw money, relationships and (often) substance abuse into the mix and… boom. At least, that’s been my experience. RRHoF performance -what a difference between the two songs - Crazy was great - like the old days. Steve is absolutely correct on Barracuda - it felt like a VW beetle towing a boat.

Michael is my favorite drummer. Loved Roger a playing 🎸 their sound

The original band had great chemistry. The best version in my opinion.

They were a wonderful group, all of them contributed and I loved Heart!

The original band had extra magic. Each member had their moments to shine and the creativity of their chemistry made music that will last forever because it’s that amazing. Ann & Nancy are amazing talents I catch any concert I can but steal so much of the spotlight.

Big fan of Heart up to and including Bebe Le Strange. Roger's solo on Magic Man is still one of my faves.

It doesn't matter, everyone was there to see Rush anyways. Same three guys since the first tour, played together for 40 years, and they always got along. I love Heart, but they've fallen into the same category as a lot of other bands who constantly fight and change members.

Cool interview, I love Heart, especially the old stuff.

Brother John! Excellent interview! Have a great evening. God bless.

Love Heart, I'm eating all this up... thanks! The most enjoyable book I've EVER read is Ann and Nancy's "Kicking and Dreaming" - ate all that up too! Mad respect for ALL the classic lineup from the 70's. I had a poster of them up in my dorm room in college.

It is sad to know so many talented people cannot get along. Heart had some legendary songs and if they could all work together they can keep the magic around long after all of them are gone. Its their legacy they are flushing away. But we all are probably no better. If you stop and think of a person or two you can't stomach being in the same room with and it is likely someone you were once very close with. Its the love/hate paradigm.

Great interview! 😎🎶😎

Have to say - the original line up was the best - hands down. They had a unique sound, and a more rare versatility! It's always seems tragic when such a well oiled machine falls apart. The drumming and base - exceptional. The guitar players working off each other - uniquely original Heart! So as the one former member stated - yes, serious music enthusiasts who like this band, know that all players were exceptional! The sisters may have had big success in "pop" later on, but the original group was a rare rock band! Personally I'm not much for pop - but the sisters did it well. On versatility: you have bands like ZZ top that have huge success, with a very narrow range. Then you have bands like Queen, who could do serious hard rock, and then switch to a wide range of other stuff. Heart comes along with the hard driving Barracuda song and the you go into Magic Man, and Dreamboat Annie (was that the name of it?). So heart fell into that wider range type of band. Too bad interpersonal relations kill so many bands. One could speculate what this band could have done had they been able to hang together - a potential rare mix indeed.

Ann Wilson is an extraordinary singer. She overshadows everyone else in the band. I think Roger Fisher was a really great guitarist for Heart but he was fired. Heart is a good solid band with a great singer.

You guys r true rock stars! It took all of you to make a band, that band was great because if you, Mike and Roger!!

RNRHOF is sadly just Rolling Strone Mag's cool kids table. They decide who they want based on criteria they only themselves abide by when they feel so inclined. And the fact that at the beginning of the ceremony, while briefing everyone on the night's inductees, Jann Wenner announced "The first ladies of rock and roll...and THEIR BACK UP BAND: HEART!" That tells you all you need to know about how Rolling Stone feels about what AND WHO "HEART" is.

GREAT VIDEO AS ALWAYS

All three of the lads and Mike Fisher definitely deserve the spotlight. The original lineup was definitely the highlight of Heart's induction, with Roger Fisher being - as he always was - a bonafide highlight. And let's not forget that by the second album he was co-writing a lot of the tunes, so with his departure they also lost that aspect. BTW, as much as we love Michael Derosier's drumming, he played on only a couple tracks on the 'Dreamboat Annie' album, with Dave Wilson on 'Magic Man', and Kat Hendrikse on several tracks including 'Dreamboat Annie' and 'Crazy On You'. Duris Maxwell, best known from David Foster's early 70s band Skylark and then also Powder Blues Band, also played on a track.

When I had a Facebook account, Roger Fisher was one of my Facebook friends. I played with him a bit at blues jams in the Seattle area. I just saw the situation with heart as the classic lesson, never date someone in the band. On a side note, when I worked in HiFi in the mid 70s near issaquah, shortly after dreamboat Annie came out, virtually the entire band came in as a unit to buy a Sony 17-in Trinitron tv.

Perception might be reality. Some people don't like to go back into the graveyard of the past and dig up certain bones. I can think of a few relationships of mine i wouldn't touch with someone else's ten foot pole. Great interview so far!!

Dreamboat Annie is my fave Heart album . Its amazing and perfect..

Roger Fisher smashing his guitar onstage in 1979 was awesome! From a fan perspective, rock and roll!!! WOOOT!!!!

Pat Benetar finally is in.

The Beatles said..."Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend"

The ORIGINAL Heart is the ONLY Heart in my book.

Great Interview

I saw Heart open for BTO right off their first album and THAT was a great band. They should have been able to play those tunes.

Keep 'em coming!

The original Heart performance jammed!

Thanks for doihg these interivews. I remember the Heart of old, meaning, pre-mid-eighties, or at least acknowledge the difference in thieir sound and look.

You guys made the best version of Heart !!

Rock and Roll never forgets 😀

I saw Heart in 1980 just after Roger left the band. I always thought Heart were a great band. But when they hit the stage... oh my god! What a voice, what power the band had behind that voice. It is one of those moments I always can picture in my mind. I am glad I saw them before the slide down into power-pop happened. The opening act was Ian Hunter with Mick Ronson on guitar, those were the days.

I am So Glad I Got to See them In 1979 and a couple more times with the original members of Heart I have seen more of Rodger The Guitar Player He is an Amazing Guitar Player and the Guitar parts in the classic Heart Songs are Great He also has A Really Good Attitude about the past and He has really moved on I also watched Interviews with Lou Gramm one of the Most Amazing Singers in Rock and I am sure he got short end with Foreigner and I know he is went through hell health wise I remember seeing him on tour right before he was diagnosed or had surgery but I had just got married and My wife was now going to all these concerts with me Foreigner opened for Journey Lou for got words to song he was struggling really hard and I have seen them 8 times and my wife said something was wrong but in interviews I saw with him his attitude he just showed all his resentment even bashing Kelly the Singer who has been there a while He is doing a Great job my point is Rodger Fisher is a Great guy every Great Band Classic Rock Band has turmoil I Loved Your question about RRHOF and You are right on these Amazing Musicians will be Dead I know he said that he said that they had made someone Mad and I thought about Mick Jones with Foreigner and that can’t be that some body got their feelings Hurt this about what they Achieved and Boston Foreigner Styx I believe that Rolling Stone magazine is directly connected to RRHOF and they seem to be Jealous of the Bands from late 70s through 80s Really Good Interviews I am enjoying

This is a great interview. I hope there is more. It’s sad that Ann has issues. Does Nancy act the same way? Why would Ann want to maintain so much ego driven control? This isn’t about Ann it’s about the fans. No one in original Heart should be treated like a 2nd class citizen and in Mike’s case treated like he doesn’t exist. Ironically Ann has no problem talking about Mike, rog, Steve and michael D in her bio book where she made a lot of $ but then distance herself from them at the RRHOF and elsewhere. Their induction should have been a group celebration of one of the greatest bands and songs in RnR history. They all worked hard in the 70s to build Heart artistically, Heart as a brand and corporation. After all, it’s a big business. Life is short.

My very first concert without my mom fifth grade summer 1978 Mid-south Coliseum. End of June and first of July the concerts to choose from were ELO, Heart, Rolling Stones. I picked Heart…..

My drum tech took me to see them for my 21st birthday... the old Omni in Atlanta. He got us 4th row tix. February 1981. AWESOME.😊🥁

I get the nervousness with them coming back for the R&R HOF, particularly with Roger. If I'm not mistaken, he threw a guitar in the direction of Nancy during a show and that's what ended his stay. You used to be able to find actual video of it on the Net but it appears to have been scrubbed. He's been very apologetic since and seems to be a genuinely decent guy. I'm not sure about the other two guys. I get a vibe like they're the two surviving members of CCR who act like they had a whole lot of input in the band when really it was all John Fogerty.

Not being a big Heart fan, I had first heard of Mike when he played with ex-Boston members on the "Orion the Hunter" album - and later found out that Heart and Boston toured together in the late 70s and made the connection... :^)

Dog and Butterfly is easily my favorite Heart track. Great song.

Sometimes life just isn't fair . We will not always get what we want or even deserve. But it takes integrity and maturity to accept this and just say I'm moving forward no matter what happens.

Alas, our golden rock gods from the 70s (and 80s and beyond) are human after all: holding onto grudges, talkin' smack and angling for the spotlight. Big breath, fill up the lungs and let it all out. What a great band they were! Loved every member's contribution, and all 6 original members had a huge influence on me. Steve Fossen, who could go from melodic to funky in about a second. Howard Leese, who gave Zep's Jonesy some hot competition in the non-ego/play everything category. Roger Fisher, maybe the most dynamic, passionate rock guitarist I've ever seen live. Mike Derosier, everybody's cream dream Bonzo-style drummer. And..the amazing Wilson sisters; everything you'd want in mythical sirens come to life and more. First concert I ever saw at age 16, got Ann Wilson's autograph, chatted with Roger Fisher, never looked back. I'll always love them, even if they can't be in the same room.

Last night I played an extended Heart set, ton of stuff with Howard, Michael and Steve and put in some stuff off the 80's Heart album, for example I did Bebe Le Strange, Barracuda, then If Looks Could Kill and Never then Heartless, Even It Up, These Dreams, Magic Man, Crazy on You, it's so weird doing the stuff without these guys, Mark and Denny are great players, their resumes speak for themselves but what a huge difference you can feel when you play them together. Wow

Thanks!

I was at that concert. I didn’t know about any of the drama. I just thought it was really cool to see Jerry Cantrell play with Heart.

Ann wrote Magic Man about Mike Fisher! Blondie went through the same thing during their HOF performance. Debbie and Chris wouldn't let Frank and Nigel play, even though they were the ones on the records that got them into the HOF.

The pain in the interviews was palpable. They really tried hard to be diplomatic about the affair. I was a big Heart fan late 70's, early 80's. I saw them in Sacramento in 2000's and they really were not good. A very small crowd of LBGQ people and the only energy came was when they played the old hits. They'd switch to new stuff and the crowd went quiet. Play an old song and people would stand then switch back to new songs... crickets. They really were pushing the new songs but the crowd was not having it. My worst concert ever.

I remember the first time I heard Barracuda (at 5 years old). That was the first time i thought, "Now THAT'S hard rock!" Guitars on FIRE!

I use the drumming on "Barracuda" as an example of drum playing and production perfection.

So firstly the R&Rhof is not a celebration of the artists, it’s a celebration of how much money those artists made for other people in the industry and how many people rode the artist up the executive ladder. As far as old band verses new band I think it does come down to comfort, people who haven’t played with the others in some time, while I have never played at that level I have played in a bunch of bands with different people with the sane core and when we as the core tried to go back and play with other musicians that haven’t changed the way we have or the way the songs have evolved to what they are now it gets weird, because you don’t want to tell those guys who maybe were there at the songs creation that they need to change up what they do or play something crisper or whatever. Age happens and players and singers adjust how they play and perform that effects the chemistry and it’s not a matter of just playing a few songs because you want the audience to benefit from the chemistry and if it’s not there everybody knows it. As far as Ann and Nancy wanting the newer Seattle guys, they are friends and from a industry point of view there presence adds some relevance. Ultimately heart is Ann and Nancy, yes the band is just as responsible for the sound but if a record flopped it’s not those guys under the microscope, if the company says “it’s good but sex it up” it’s not those guys that have to tear up their work and let a producer hand them the words that will represent them. I am not defending any poor behavior but it’s a business and a life, sometimes mixing the two requires hard choices and hurt feelings.

What was most conspicuous regarding the RRHOF induction was that Ann and Nancy gave fairly lengthy acceptance speeches while Roger and Howard made the briefest possible remarks and Mike and Steve declined to speak. You had to wonder if that reflected the workings of the band while those guys were in it.

Mike (along with Steve & Roger) went on to form Alias with Freddy Curci & Steve DeMarchi of Sherriff but Mike also played drums on the only release from Barry Goudreau's band Orion The Hunter.

I only like Heart’s music up to Dog and Butterfly and was lucky to see them on the Dog and Butterfly tour with the original members.

Great HEART SEGMENT !!

I like Mike (the 70s HEART drummer 🥁). He seems to REALLY try and be/sound totally respectful towards the sisters WITHOUT going ALL OUT on some of the ACTUAL ancient history of the band 😏....And far as the whole RnR Hall of "Fame" ??? 🧐😒 And ALL THAT that goes with it???... I'll just leave it at THAT 😏 ROCK the funk ON!!! 🤘🔥🤘

I mostly agree with folks saying (part of the process should be) when inducted you should put aside those "issues" that put you on separate paths (broke up) because it's a celebration. But we don't know what went down, sometimes people do things that can't be forgiven.

Re Triumph -- it wasn't money, in their case. Rik's brother Russell, who was still friends with Gil and Mike, urged him to reconcile when he was dying of cancer. That was the catalyst for them.

Being that Madonna was inducted long before real rock act says all you need to know about the R+R hall of shame. Alex Lifeson got it right.

I recently read Ann and Nancy’s book and it seems clear to me that the Wilson’s never got over that the guys in the first band in their minds treated them with disrespect. The sisters are judging the guys behavior in the 1970s with 21st Century Woke and Me too values.When the band was trying to make it commercially and they all lived together, Ann’s job was to clean the house, do the laundry and cook for the guys. She’s still resentful about that and will probably never forgive the guys.

I respect Ann and Nancy for keeping it real! If a person is not feeling me I rather they be straight up, or in other words, keep it real. I don't like phoniness.

Love and Rock

Roger Fisher was/is a phenomenal guitarist and musician, but man he and his brother Mike are some strange characters.

In a band musicians should recognize their place…. Unfortunately more often than not the singer gets most the credit and it goes to their head.

like how roger mentioned rush!

Howard is a great guy.

I saw that Portland show at PIR I always thought that was part of the show

Most people don't know the girls weren't even original members when Heart first formed

Dreamboat Annie is a masterpiece.

It is stunning how the Wilson sisters are driving the Heart name into the ground. Nancy is out on tour with her own version of the band called "Nancy Wilson's Heart" because she and Ann can't agree on musicians. That's just desperate and really says that this isn't about the music first, but rather about ego. The women change band members like socks and none of these guns for hire sound anywhere near as good for the music as the original band - period! I'll go see Fossen and Derosier's "Heart by Heart" band over the Wilsons any day of the week. Roger puts on a great live solo show too when surrounded with the right musicians. Either way, thanks for some great interviews!

Derosier was one of my biggest influences growing up. Barracuda, Cook with Fire and Fast Times were part of my daily practice as a teenager. I bought the first Alias CD the day it was released because Haunted Heart was such a good song -- and when I read his name in the credits I was stoked that he was back on the charts. I get that the band had to change after Private Audition was yet another failure -- I just think it was handled horribly by the Wilsons.

Original Heart, one of the best ever!!!

Excellent video. Thank you!