Madonna Louise Ciccone
Profession: Entertainer
Born: August 16, 1958
Stage Name: Madonna
Spinning vinyl at WRPS in upstate New York during the doldrums of 1983, I had access to music that wasn't really out yet for public consumption. One day, one of the other deejays, DiscoSucks, brought over a new album of the self-titled Madonna. "See if this shit is worth playing," he said.
Oh, yes, it was.
Even if you don't like Madonna's music, you have to give her credit for maintaining her popularity and her amazing ability to re-invent herself over and over. Just when people started getting tired of listening to the same-old, same-old, she went ahead and released a different style of music, coupled with a complete makeover. Album to album, if you went to the follow-up concerts, it was like watching the performance for a debut musician.
Never one to shy away from controversy, her hit single, Like a Virgin, made tongues wag and parents shield their daughter's eyes, which was funny, since she wasn't trying to sing about getting laid right now. Switching to religion, her Like a Prayer single had her constantly in the news as churches railed against her songs. She earned two Grammy awards, and was one of the performers that people tuned in to see what she would do next.
Madonna is fifty-five years old as of the date I posted this node, but she's still looking sexy and still releasing music that keeps her in the top of the charts. She is consistently ranked within the top ten of influential rock artists, and holds multiple Guinness World Records for album sales, including the rank as the number one female rock performers of all time.
Madonna dabbled in acting for a while beyond her music videos. Her first real part earned her acclaim in Desperately Seeking Susan, and she picked up a Golden Globe award for her title role in Evita.
Discography
Madonna (1983)
Like a Virgin (1984)
True Blue (1986)
Like a Prayer (1989)
Erotica (1992)
Bedtime Stories (1994)
Ray of Light (1998)
Music (2000)
American Life (2003)
Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
Hard Candy (2008)
MDNA (2012)
More info: Wikipedia Entry]