Madonna
Identification American singer, songwriter,
producer, actor, and entertainer
Born August 16, 1958; Bay City, Michigan
Madonna was a leading singer and entertainer who en-
tered onto the world stage in the 1980’s and exerted a strong
influence on popular culture, including music, videos, and
fashion.
Coming from humble roots, a determined Madonna
along with her boyfriend Steve Bray formed a band
in 1981 that was called Madonna. She had previously
performed with other groups as a singer and drum-
mer. With the formation of the group Madonna, she
began to play the guitar and write music. In 1982,
her funky music, which also showed rhythm and
blues influences, won her a contract with Sire Re-
cords, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Madonna’s first
record with Sire, “Everybody,” was released in 1982
and did not make theBillboardHot 100 chart. Two
other singles, “Burning Up” and “Physical Attrac-
tion,” were released in 1982. These early singles es-
tablished a fan base that prompted Sire Records to
offer Madonna the opportunity of recording an al-
bum. In 1983, her first album,Madonna, was re-
leased to critical acclaim; early sales totaled over
three million albums. Eventually, the album sold
over six million copies, with “Holiday,” “Borderline,”
and “Lucky Star” becoming key singles.
Madonna developed a fan base among teenage
girls, who also followed her fashion style, which in-
cluded wearing lingerie outside her clothing, in ad-
dition to other overtly sexual outfits. This style was
considered by many to be too provocative, and the
singer was criticized as a bad role model for young
girls. The videos that accompanied the release of her
albums often presented sexuality and other themes
that many parents thought inappropriate for their
children.Madonnawas followed in 1985 byLike a Vir-
gin. With the release of this second album, Madonna
became a household name around the world, as mil-
lions of fans and critics followed her music and her
cultural influence.Like a Virginwas Madonna’s first
number one album in the United States, as twelve
million copies were sold upon its release, and even-
tually over seventeen million copies were sold. Key
singles included the songs “Like a Virgin” and “Ma-
terial Girl.” Madonna wrote five songs for this al-
bum, as her strength as a music writer began to be
recognized. Fashioning a moniker from Madonna’s
hit song, the media began to refer to Madonna as the
Material Girl.
Madonna’s Career Broadens In 1985, Madonna
married an up-and-coming actor named Sean Penn.
The couple was often featured in fan and tabloid
magazines, but the fast-moving singer and the actor
soon separated and divorced in 1989. Early nude
pictures of Madonna caused a public stir when they
appeared inPlayboyandPenthousein 1985. The black-
and-white art photographs had been taken in the
late 1970’s, before Madonna had achieved stardom.
She tried to block publication of the photographs
but was unsuccessful.
Madonna’s albumTrue Bluewas released in 1986,
continuing her streak of successful releases in the
1980’s. In addition to writing many of the songs onThe Eighties in America Madonna 609
Madonna at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards.(AP/Wide
World Photos)