Madonna Louise Ciccone

Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist all time by the Guinness World Records. According to the Recording Industry Association America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist the 20th century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States, behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history the chart. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Fame in the same year. Considered to be one the most influential figures in contemporary music, Madonna is known for continuously reinventing both her music and image, and for retaining a standard autonomy within the recording industry. She is recognized as an inspiration among numerous music artists.
1958–81: Early life and beginnings
Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan on August 16, 1958. Her mother, Madonna Louise (née Fortin), was French Canadian descent, and her father, Silvio Anthony Ciccone, was a first-generation Italian American. The Ciccone family originated from Pacentro, Italy; her father later worked as a design engineer for Chrysler and General Motors. Madonna was nicknamed "Little Nonni" to distinguish her from her mother. The third six children, her siblings are Martin, Anthony, Paula, Christopher, and Melanie. Madonna was raised in the Detroit suburbs Pontiac and Avon Township (now part Rochester Hills).