Studio Album · No. 6
Private Audition Songwriting Credits by Heart
Produced by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis, Howard Leese · Engineered by David Thoener, Shelly Yakus, Brian Foraker, Rob Perkins, Steve Marcantonio
Holds writing credit on 11 of 11 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 11 / 11 documented
Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether Heart carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Private Audition is a fully in-house Heart record. The band self-produced it under the joint pseudonym 'Connie & Howie' - 'Connie' standing for Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Sue Ennis, and 'Howie' for guitarist Howard Leese - so the production credit is the group itself rather than an outside name. The writing follows the same pattern: the Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Sue Ennis team wrote or co-wrote almost every song, with Nancy Wilson taking a solo credit on 'One Word' and a co-credit with drummer Michael Derosier on 'The Situation.' In the composer column the sisters appear under their legal names, Ann Dustin Wilson and Nancy Lamoureux Wilson. It was the last album cut by the classic rhythm section of Steve Fossen and Michael Derosier before both left the band.
Private Audition is the sixth studio album by American rock band Heart, released May 20, 1982 on Epic Records. Recorded between October 1981 and March 1982 across Studio 56 in Los Angeles, Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco, and Kaye-Smith/Studio X in Seattle, it was self-produced by the band under the joint credit 'Connie & Howie,' a pseudonym covering Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Sue Ennis ('Connie') plus guitarist Howard Leese ('Howie'). The songwriting is almost entirely in-house, with the Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Sue Ennis writing camp behind nearly every track. It gave Heart the single 'This Man Is Mine,' which reached number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached number 25 on the Billboard 200. It marked the final Heart album for the band's longtime rhythm section, bassist Steve Fossen and drummer Michael Derosier, who departed after recording and were replaced by Mark Andes and Denny Carmassi.