Madonna's most memorable picture

1958–1981: Early life and beginnings

Madonna was born in Bay City, Michigan at 7:05 AM on August 16, 1958 to Madonna Louise (née Fortin), who was of French Canadian descent, and Silvio Ciccone, who was a first-generation Italian American Chrysler/General Motors design engineer, originating from Pacentro, Abruzzo, Italy.[8][9] Madonna is the third of six children; her siblings are Martin, Anthony, Paula, Christopher, and Melanie.[10]

Madonna was raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township (now Rochester Hills). Her mother died of breast cancer at age 30 on December 1, 1963. Then her father married the family's housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, and they had two children; Jennifer and Mario Ciccone. Madonna commented on her father's second marriage: "I didn't accept my stepmother when I was growing up ... In retrospect, I think I was really hard on her."[11] She attended St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Elementary Schools (the latter is now known as Holy Family Regional School), and after that West Middle School. There she became known for her high GPA - and for her "unusual" behavior, particularly a kind of an underwear fetish: Madonna performed cartwheels and handstands in the hallways between classes, dangled by her knees from the monkey bars during recess, and thought nothing of tugging her skirt up over her desk during class so that all the boys could see her briefs.


Later, she went to 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.[12] She wanted to take ballet lessons and convinced her father to allow her to partake the classes.[13] Her ballet teacher persuaded her to pursue a career in dance, so she left the college at the end of 1977 and relocated to New York City.[14] Madonna had little money at that time and hence lived in squalor, working as a waitress in Dunkin' Donuts and with modern dance troupes.[15] 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.

"[16] While performing as a dancer for the French disco artist Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 world tour,[17] Madonna became romantically involved with the musician Dan Gilroy, with whom she later formed her first rock band, the Breakfast Club, in New York.[18][19] She sang and played drums and guitar for the band and lived in a converted synagogue in Corona, Queens.[20] However, she departed from them and formed another band called Emmy in 1980, with drummer and former boyfriend Stephen Bray.[21] She and Bray wrote and produced dance songs that brought her to local attention in the New York dance clubs. DJ and record producer Mark Kamins was impressed by her demo recordings, so he brought her to the attention of Sire Records founder Seymour Stein.[22]
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