Lzzy Hale is smiling from ear to ear, looking like she’s 15 again. It’s understandable; the Halestorm singer-guitarist has just met her idol, Heart vocalist Ann Wilson, for the first time.
We’re in The Smoakstack, one of the many studios that has transformed Nashville neighborhood Berryhill into the next Music Row. Wilson is here recording a new solo album, and from the control room you can hear snippets of a playback with her unmistakable powerhouse voice.
For Classic Rock’s interview, the studio has set up what looks like a little staging set –a 1950s red formica table and chairs, with candles and flowers. As the two women settle into conversation, there are many knowing nods and bursts of shared laughter. By the end of the allotted hour it feels like a new friendship has been forged. And although age-wise they’re separated by a few decades – Hale is 38, Wilson 71 – they’re part of a continuum of remarkable artists who have continued to overturn outdated notions about rock music. More than that, to use Wilson’s phrase, they’ve both answered “a calling”.
You’re both in bands with your siblings. What’s the best and worst thing about that?
For me the best part was
