Madonna
Madonna was born Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone on August 16 1958 in Bay City Michigan. She is the third of six children born to Madonna Louise Fortin and Silvio Ciccone. Madonna’s mother died of breast cancer at the age of 30 when Madonna was only 5 years old. Her father married the housekeeper Joan Gustafson, they had two children together.
At school Madonna was known for her unusual behavior, she performed cartwheels and handstands in the hallways between classes and thought nothing of lifting her skirt up over her desk in class so all the boys could see her nickers. When she went to high school she was a straight A student and became a member of the cheerleading squad. After high school she got a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan. Her ballet teacher persuaded her to join a career in dance.
She left college in 1977 and went to New York City with very little money. Madonna talking of this time said “It was the first time I’d ever taken a plane, the first time I’d ever gotten a taxi cab. I come here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I’d ever done”. Madonna met Dan Gilroy and became romantically involved, they formed a rock band called the breakfast club, where she sang and played drums and guitar. The band lived together in a converted synagogue in Corona, Queens. She left them and formed another band called Emmy in 1980, with her then boyfriend Stephen Bray.
Madonna and Bray wrote and produced dance songs that brought her to the attention of dance clubs in New York. DJ/record producer Mark Kamins was impressed by her demo that he brought her to the attention of Sire records boss Seymore Stein. She signed a singles deal with Sire records (Sire records belongs to Warner Bros Records) and her first release was ‘Everybody’ on April 24, 1982. This was followed by her debut album ‘Madonna’.
She has gone on to have 21 albums and released 75 singles. Also she has done 8 world tours and been in 19 films. She has childrens books out that are based on the Kabbalah teachings. Rolling Stone says she “remains one of the greatest pop acts of all time”. Madonna is also the worlds highest earning female singers on earth. She is a big influence on people and is aways reinventing herself. She will be around forever.
