“Jimmy Page said, ‘Wow, I love the way you play that song.’ I was like, ‘God, I could die now’”: Heart’s Nancy Wilson on their long road to the top, grunge friends – and that cover of Stairway to Heaven

Nancy Wilson of Heart performs at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds on August 25, 2015.

Flying in the face of sexism in the ’70s, Heart made it big with some of the most powerful and beautiful rock songs of that decade. In turn, Nancy Wilson became one of the most inspirational guitarists of the era. Now, on the eve of a UK tour, she tells us: “You have to feel proud of your gnarly hands!” 

When Heart kick off their 2024 UK tour at London’s O2 Arena on July 1, it will be not only their first UK appearance in nearly a decade, but their largest-ever headline show on these shores. It’s a sign the band’s stock is as high again as it was in the late ’80s and early ’90s.