Madonna Louise Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan. Madonna is one of the most successful artists in the history of popular music. No other female singer in music has been as successful over such a long time.
At the age of five, Madonna lost her mother to breast cancer, this had an effect on her music throughout her life. After the death of her mother, her and her brothers and sisters were sent to live with various relatives. After a couple of years her father remarried and Madonna and her brothers and sisters went to live with him. Madonna explains that her father was extremely strict and always had her doing something productive. She was also the oldest daughter of eight, which gave her many responsibilities.
When Madonna was twelve, she entered a local Catholic high school. It was there that she learned a great deal from classes such as, tap, jazz dancing, Baton twirling and Gymnastics. Madonna’s rebel personality started at this age; she wanted to do everything that people told her she couldn’t do. After Madonna left school, she attended the University of Michigan on a dance scholarship, where the ballet school owner, Chris Flynn, taught her. After studying at the University of Michigan, Madonna decided to move to New York. She arrived in New York with thirty- five dollars, dance shoes and a bag full of tights. She bought a grungy apartment because that was all she could afford at the time and its what she called home. She then won a scholarship at the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, where she spent two years working hard at her classes while holding part-time jobs at various fast food restaurants for some extra money.
Madonna realized that she needed more than just dancing to have a career in this world. There was to many people going after very few jobs. She started auditioning for theatric and musical parts. One of the auditions ended up taking her to Paris where she was backing a lead singer, Patrick Hernandez. Hernandez’s management realized that Madonna had talent but refused to pay her more when she requested it so she moved back to New York.
She met up with a few of her friends from dance school and found out that they were starting a band and needed a drummer. Madonna quickly filled the gap and helped write some songs that she can sing in. Madonna realized that this band wasn’t going anywhere so she quit and set out to start her own band, with her as the lead singer. Madonna finally got a record deal with Gotham Records for $100 a week with Steve Bray as her drummer and songwriter. She eventually got a deal with "Sire Records” for $5000 and released her first single "Everybody”. "Everybody” sold about 250,000 copies and was number three on the dance charts. Madonna’s first album entitled ‘Madonna’ was released in 1983 and won her millions of fans and invitations to be in movies. Her career had begun.
Madonna not only had a career in singing she started her own clothing line called "Wazoo”. She created a whole new boy toy fashion, it wasn’t long before millions of girls wore the clothes of their favorite singer. Madonna’s music took a new and controversial turn. Her new album "Like a Virgin” established Madonna as a popular artist and nearly everyone had a copy of this album. It gained 3x-platina status in the U.S. immediately. Madonna had many accomplishments in the year 1985. In February, the music video for "Material Girl” came out, along with the movie "Vision Quest” where Madonna had a scene in a club singing. In March, another movie, called "Desperately Seeking Susan”, that Madonna was in came out. In addition, in March her singles "Material Girl” and "Crazy for You” from the "Desperately Seeking Susan” soundtrack were both top five hits. "Crazy for You” also gave Madonna her first Grammy nomination. Another big thing in that year for Madonna was her first big tour where she traveled through the whole United States. The tour was called "The Virgin Tour” after her album. During the "Material Girl” video shoot, Madonna met Sean Penn. On August 16, 1985, Madonna and Sean Penn were married. However, Madonna officially divorced Sean Penn on January 10, 1989 on the terms of irreconcilable differences and did not marry again until recently when she married Guy Ritchie.
In the early 1990s, Madonna’s career reached a new level. She had the
hit songs: "Vogue,” "Hanky Panky,” "Justify My Love” "Rescue Me,” and "This Used to be My Playground” (from the soundtrack, A League of their Own). In 1990, Madonna co-starred in the movie "Dick Tracy”; she also began her "Blonde Ambition”. In 1991, she starred in the film, "Truth or Dare” and had a greatest hits album entitled "The Immaculate Collection” come out. In the year 1992, Madonna signed a deal with her record company, Sire. The deal guaranteed the release of all Madonna’s albums, films, and books on her own Maverick Production Company. Madonna published her first book "Sex” which sold out within hours. She also released her album, Erotica, which was an overall disappointment. It was Madonna’s first album that did not have a number one single. Her next album "Bedtime Stories” also didn’t do well. In 1985, she released her album entitled, "Something to Remember”. The single, "You’ll See,” did well. In addition, on October 14 Madonna delivered her first child, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon.
In March 1998, Madonna released another album, ”Ray of Light”. Madonna had also changed her look. She went from a bleach blonde girl to wearing black clothes and black hair. On August 11,2000 Madonna gave birth to another child, her son Rocco. In December 2000, She married Rocco’s father Guy Ritchie, a British film director. In 2002, Madonna starred in her husband’s film, "Swept Away” which did not do well at all. Later that year she sang the theme song for a new James Bond movie, "James Bond 007: Die Another Day”. In 2003, Madonna released her album "American Life” which was a transatlantic chart topper. Today, Madonna continues to lead the pop charts.
Madonna has not only made it in the music industry, she has changed it by writing her own music and books, and by making her own decisions without letting anyone change her mind. She is a great author, actress and musician.
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