Madonna

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan, on August 16, 1958. Her parents are Silvio "Tony" Ciccone and Madonna Fortin. Madonna's mother was an x-ray technician and former dancer and her father was the first in his family to get a degree and was a defense engineer. She was the third of six children and she learned early on how to handle her role as the middle child. Her parents were very religious. Her parents' strict observation of the Catholic faith played a large role in her childhood. There were always priests and nuns in her house growing up. Many elements of Catholic iconography—including her mother's statues of the Sacred Heart, the habits of the nuns at her Catholic elementary school, and the Catholic altar where her family prayed at daily later became the subject of Madonna's most controversial works. Madonna experienced a tragedy in her young life. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer during her pregnancy with Madonna's youngest sister. Treatment had to be delayed until the baby reached full term, but by then the disease had grown too strong. On December 1, 1963, at the age of 30, Madonna's mother passed away. Madonna was only 5 years old at the time of her mother's death. The loss of her mother significantly affected Madonna's adolescence. She says, "I think the biggest reason I was able to express myself and not be intimidated was by not having a mother," she says. "For example, mothers teach you manners. And I absolutely did not learn any of those rules and regulations”. During those years without her mother she fought against the rules imposed by her stepmother, Joan Gustafson, who met Madonna's father while working as the family housekeeper. She said her stepmother made her take care of her younger siblings often and she greatly resented. She saw herself as the quintessential Cinderella. She rebelled against her traditional upbringing by turning her conservative clothing into revealing outfits, frequenting underground gay nightclubs, and rejecting her religious background. Madonna balanced the rebellious side of her personality with a drive for perfectionism and high-achievement. She was a straight-A student, cheerleader, and disciplined dancer who graduated from high school a semester earlier than her classmates. In 1976, her hard work earned her the recognition from University of Michigan who offered her a full scholarship to their dance program. She was granted a six-week scholarship to study with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City but ended up dropping out after two years of college to pursue her dreams of performing. She moved to New York to further her dance career. She paid her rent with a handful of odd jobs, including nude art modeling; serving at the Russian Tea Room; and performing for the American Dance Center. In 1979, Madonna began dating Dan Gilroy, one of the founding members of a Ska influenced band called Breakfast Club where she eventually became the drummer and its lead singer. Madonna formed several different bands of her own over the next few years, including Madonna & The Sky, The Millionaires, and Emmy. In 1981, Madonna decided to go solo as a pop singer and hired manager Camille Barbone of Gotham Records to help her get her singing career on track. Camille showed Madonna how to navigate the male-dominated world of the music business, and helped put together a studio band that accentuated her hip style. Madonna’s friend Stephen Bray wrote her first hit, "Everybody”. She used her bold business style to get the recordings to New York music producer Mark Kamins who then Kamins then helped Madonna singed a contract with Sire Records. "Everybody" hit number one on the dance charts in 1982. In 1983 she came out with her first album called “Madonna”. It was a slow but steady success and Madonna was influencing girls all over the world with her sense of fashion style ranging from fishnet tights to lace lingerie. Madonna had many