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 Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, 16 August
1958, Rochester Michigan, USA. Madonna excelled at dance
and drama at high school and during brief periods at
colleges in Michigan and North Carolina. In 1977 she went
to New York, studying with noted choreographer Alvin
Ailey and taking modelling jobs. Two years later, Madonna
moved to France to join a show featuring disco singer
Patrick Hernandez. There she met Dan Gilroy and, back in
New York, the pair formed club band the Breakfast Club.
Madonna played drums and sang with the band before
setting up Emmy in 1980 with Detroit-born drummer Steve
Bray. Together, Madonna and Bray created dance tracks
which led to a recording deal with Sire Records.
With leading New York disc jockey Mark Kamins producing,
she recorded 'Everybody', a US club hit in 1982. Madonna
broke out from the dance scene into mainstream pop with
'Holiday', written and produced by John 'Jellybean'
Benitez. It reached the US Top 20 and was a Top 10 hit
across Europe in 1984. By now, her tough, raunchy persona
was coming across to international audiences and the
attitude was underlined by the choice of Tom Kelly and
Billy Steinberg's catchy 'Like A Virgin' as a 1984
single. It was the first of ten US number 1 hits for
Madonna. Among these was 'Material Girl', the video for
which introduced one of her most characteristic visual
styles, the mimicking of Marilyn Monroe's 'blonde
bombshell' image. By the time of the Live Aid
concert, at which she appeared, and her high-profile
wedding to actor Sean Penn, Madonna had become an
internationally recognized superstar, known to millions
of tabloid newspaper readers without any interest in her
music. Among the fans of her work were a growing number
of 'wannabees', teenage girls who aped her independent
and don't-care stance.From 1985-87, she turned out a
stream of irresistibly catchy hit singles. 'Crazy For
You' was co-written by ex- Carpenters collaborator
John Bettis, while she and Steve Bray wrote 'Into The
Groove'. These were followed by 'Dress You Up' and 'Papa
Don't Preach', with its message of generational
rebellion. 'True Blue', 'Open Your Heart' and 'La Isla
Bonita' were later successes. Like an increasing number
of her songs, 'Who's That Girl' (1987) was tied-in to a
film - in this instance, a poorly received comedy in
which she starred with Sir John Mills. Madonna's film
career had begun in 1980 with a minor role in the b-movie
A Certain Sacrifice before she starred in Desperately
Seeking Susan (1985). In Shanghai Surprise
(1986), Madonna appeared with Penn, from whom she
separated in 1988. In that year, she also appeared on
Broadway in the play Speed The Plow by David
Mamet. Madonna continued to attract controversy when, in
1989, the video for 'Like A Prayer', with its links
between religion and eroticism, was condemned by the
Vatican and caused Pepsi-Cola to cancel a sponsorship
deal with the star. The resulting publicity helped the
album of the same title - co-produced with new
collaborator Patrick Leonard - to become a global
bestseller.
In 1990, her career reached a new peak of publicity
and commercial success. She starred with Warren Beatty in
the blockbuster film Dick Tracy, while the
extravagant costumes and choreography of the Blond
Ambition world tour were the apotheosis of Madonna's
uninhibited melange of sexuality, song, dance and
religiosity. The tour was commemorated by a documentary
film, Truth Or Dare On The Band Behind The
Scenes, And In Bed With Madonna, released in 1991.
Among the hits of the early 90s were 'Vogue', devoted to
a short-lived dance craze, 'Justify My Love' (co-written
with Lenny Kravitz ) and 'Rescue Me', produced by
Madonna and Shep Pettibone. Madonna's reputation
as a strong businesswoman, in control of each aspect of
her career, was confirmed in 1992 when she signed a
multi-million dollar deal with the Time-Warner
conglomerate, parent company of Sire. This guaranteed the
release of albums, films and books created by her own
Maverick production company. The publication of her
graphic and erotic book Sex put her back on top of
the charts, though this time it was in the bestselling
book lists. The book was an unprecedented success,
selling out within hours and needing an immediate
reprint. On Bedtime Stories she teamed up with Soul
II Soul producer Nellee Hooper, who wrote the title
track in conjunction with Björk. It was prefaced
by the Top 10 performance of 'Secret', and boasted 11
tracks that combined, by her own description, pop,
R&B, hip-hop and Madonna. In 1996 her need to shock
had mellowed considerably with a credible movie portrayal
of Eva Peron in Evita. Later that year she became
'with child' on 14 October with the birth of Lourdes
Maria Ciccone Leon. She returned to music with 1998's Ray
of Light, one of her finest recordings to date.
Collaborating with dance producer William Orbit,
Madonna positively revelled in a new-found musical
freedom. Her voice had also matured into a rich and
expressive instrument.
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