Madonna (entertainer) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Madonna Madonna at the premiere of I Am Because We Are Background information Birth name Madonna Louise Ciccone Also known as Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone Ritchie, Madonna Born August 16, 1958 (1958-08-16) (age 50) Bay City, Michigan, United States Origin New York City, New York, United States Genre(s) Pop, dance-pop, electronica, R&B, techno Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter,dancer[1] record producer, film producer, film director, fashion designer, dancer[1] author, actress Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, percussion Voice type(s) Mezzo-soprano Years active 1982–present Label(s) Live Nation Artists (2008-) Warner Bros. (1982–2008) Maverick (1992–2004) Sire (1982–1994) Website madonna.com Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16, 1958), known as Madonna, is an American pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born in Bay City, Michigan and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City for a career in modern dance. After performing as member of the pop musical groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her self-titled debut album in 1983, and then produced three consecutive number-one studio albums on the Billboard 200 in the 1980s. Madonna is known for her works that explore religious symbolism and sexual themes which also drew criticism from the Vatican in the late 1980s.[2] In 1992, she founded an entertainment company, Maverick, which published a book of photographs (Sex). She also released a studio album (Erotica) and starred in a film (Body of Evidence) with erotic themes. These works generated negative publicity and coincided with a fall in commercial sales in the 1990s.[3] Madonna's career was revived in 1998, when the release of her album Ray of Light garnered critical acclaim. She subsequently made four consecutive number-one studio albums.
 

Madonna has acted in 22 films. Although several failed critically and commercially,[4] she earned a Golden Globe Award for her role in the 1996 film Evita. Divorced from actor Sean Penn, Madonna bore a daughter by personal trainer Carlos Leon before marrying film director Guy Ritchie. She and Richie have a son and in 2008 they adopted a second, Malawian David Banda, over media allegations they violated that country's adoption laws. Madonna has been dubbed "one of the greatest pop acts of all time" and dubbed "The Queen of Pop" by some media.[5][6][7] She is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as the best-selling female rock artist of the twentieth century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States with 63 million certified albums.[8][9] Guinness World Records list her as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time and the top-earning female singer in the world with an estimated net worth of over US$400 million, having sold over 200 million records worldwide.[10][11][12] On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[13] Contents 1 Career 1.1 Early life and career debut 1.2 1982–1985: Madonna and Like a Virgin 1.3 1986–1991: True Blue, Like a Prayer and the Blond Ambition Tour 1.4 1992–1997: Maverick, Sex controversy and Evita 1.5 1998–2002: Ray of Light and Music 1.6 2003–2006: American Life and Confessions on a Dance Floor 1.7 2007–present: New record deal, directorial debut and Hard Candy 2 Influences 3 Personal life 3.1 Relationships 3.2 David Banda adoption controversy 3.3 Work at the Kabbalah Centre 4 Legacy 5 Discography 6 Tours 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Career Early life and career debut Madonna was born Madonna Louise Ciccone in Bay City, Michigan. Her mother, Madonna Louise (née Fortin), was of French Canadian descent, and her father, Silvio "Tony" P. Ciccone, was a first-generation Italian American Chrysler/General Motors design engineer whose parents originated from Pacentro in Italy.[14][15] Madonna is the third of six children; her siblings are Martin, Anthony, Paula Mae, Christopher, and Melanie.[16] Madonna was raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac, Michigan and Avon Township (now Rochester Hills, Michigan). Her mother died of breast cancer at age 30 on December 1, 1963. Her father married the family housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, and they had two children; Jennifer and Mario Ciccone. "I didn't accept my stepmother when I was growing up," Madonna said, "in retrospect I think I was really hard on her."[17] Madonna convinced her father to allow her to take ballet classes. Madonna attended St. Frederick's Elementary School and St. Andrew's Elementary School (present day Holy Family Regional) and West Middle School. She attended Rochester Adams High School, becoming a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad. Madonna received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan after graduating from high school.[18] Madonna's ballet teacher persuaded her to pursue a dance career, so she left the University of Michigan at the end of 1977 and moved to New York City.[19] Madonna had little money and for some time lived in squalor, working at Dunkin' Donuts and with modern dance troupes.[20] Speaking of her move to New York, Madonna said, "It was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a taxi cab. I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever done."[21] While performing as a dancer for the French disco artist Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 world tour,[22] Madonna became romantically involved with the musician Dan Gilroy, with whom she later formed her first rock band, the Breakfast Club in New York.[23] In it, she sang and played drums and guitar before forming the band Emmy in 1980 with drummer and former boyfriend Stephen Bray.[24] She and Bray wrote and produced dance songs that brought her local attention in New York dance clubs. Disc jockey and record producer Mark Kamins was impressed by her demo recordings, so he brought her to the attention of Sire Records founder Seymour Stein.[25] 1982–1985: Madonna and Like a Virgin In 1982, Madonna signed a singles deal with Sire Records, a label belonging to Warner Bros. Records.[26] Her first release was "Everybody" on April 24, 1982.[27] Her debut album, Madonna was primarily produced by