Biography
Born Madonna Louise Ciccone in Bay City, Michigan, USA, she was raised in a large Italian American and French Canadian (both were devout Catholic) family in the Detroit suburb of Rochester. Madonna's mother died of cancer when Madonna was five years old. She took classes in piano and ballet, and was an active participant in a variety of artistic activities at school.
She received a dance scholarship and attended the University of Michigan for two years but quit and moved to the Corona, Queens district of New York in 1978 to pursue dance and acting professionally. She appeared in a short film called A Certain Sacrifice and joined several punk-pop bands including Breakfast Club and Emmy. She eventually penned a number of songs that brought her local fame in gay dance clubs such as Danceteria.
First recording
Madonna scored her first recording deal in 1982 while sitting on the corner of the bed of an ailing Sire Records music executive. Her demo song, 'Ain't No Big Deal', was written by frequent Madonna collaborator Stephen Bray, and was shelved for several years since it had just been recorded and released by the Epic Records group Barracuda. Five years later, Madonna's version finally surfaced on the B-side of the 'True Blue' single, though it has never appeared on any of her albums.Her first single 'Everybody' produced by Mark Kamins was released without her photo on the jacket.
This led many listeners to believe that she was, in fact, black. Thanks to the advent of MTV, however, her label was able to aggressively market Madonna's image. A playful and sexy combination of punk and pop culture, Madonna became a quick fixture on the network. Her bleached blonde hair (with black roots), sexy lace gloves, lingerie on the outside and 'Boy Toy' belt buckle were soon all the rage in malls and schoolyards across America.
Material Girl
In 1983 her self-titled debut album Madonna was released, and the first hit 'Holiday' topped the charts around the world. Other hit singles included 'Borderline' and 'Lucky Star'. The album was a smash hit, and catapulted Madonna into instant stardom. Former boyfriend/producer and remixer DJ John 'Jellybean' Benitez was instrumental at this time of her career. The hit club track 'Burning Up' was remixed for release in the UK by DJ Rusty Egan (formerly of the new romantic group Visage).
In 1984 she followed her debut with Like a Virgin. The album's provocative subject matter (especially the title track) was praised by reviewers and fans. She aroused further controversy when she appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards singing 'Like A Virgin' in a combination wedding dress/bustier, writhing on the floor and revealing her underwear. The track topped the US charts for six weeks and became Madonna's signature song. The album also spawned three Top 5 hits: 'Angel' (#5), 'Dress You Up' (#5), and 'Material Girl' (#2). (The 'Material Girl' moniker would stay with her for some time.)
Madonna's rapid ascent into the firmament of pop stardom paved the way for her transition to Hollywood. In 1985 she made a brief appearance in the film Vision Quest playing a club singer. The title song of the movie, 'Crazy For You' became her second number one hit and earned her first Grammy nomination. She also played a supporting role alongside Rosanna Arquette in the hit film Desperately Seeking Susan, for which she received good reviews. Her acting generally received negative reviews for the following seven years.