By Brad
Dison
Louise Ciccone was born in 1958 in Bay City, Michigan to Tony and Louise Ciccone. Because she shared the same name as her mother, her five siblings called her Little Nonnie. Little Nonnie was five years old when her mother died from breast cancer. Her father was a hard worker but struggled to provide for his large family. When one of the kids wanted something, Tony replied, “Get a job. I’m not paying for it.” Tony could barely afford the necessities.
In high school, Little Nonnie was intelligent, got straight A’s in school, but struggled to fit in. Little Nonnie felt like a country bumpkin around her rich classmates. They wore the finest and most fashionable clothing while she often wore the same inexpensive clothing for several days in a row. Little Nonnie’s home life was difficult. As the eldest daughter in a family without a mother, she was responsible for doing the laundry, cleaning the house, fixing meals, taking care of her younger siblings, and a myriad of other tasks required to keep a household running while her father was working. For these reasons, Little Nonnie did not associate with her classmates.
Little Nonnie graduated from high school early and attended the University of Michigan for a year as a dance major. She planned to become a professional dancer to escape from Michigan, and she was a natural. With the encouragement of one of her teachers, Little Nonnie decided to move to New York to fulfill her dream despite her father’s objections. Her first time in an airplane was her flight from Michigan to New York. From the airport, she took her first taxi ride. With no idea where to go, Little Nonnie told the taxi driver to take her to the center of the city. He dropped her off in Times Square. Little Nonnie immediately experienced the culture shock of coming from the suburbs of the Midwest into the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. She knew no one, had no place to stay, had about $35 in cash, and wore all of the clothing she brought with her. She quickly made friends with someone who asked why she was wearing a winter jacket in the middle of summer. He allowed her to sleep on his couch until she found a place to stay.
Little Nonnie began going to auditions. She knew her dancing career waited just around the corner, but getting around that corner proved harder than she had expected. In the meantime, Little Nonnie worked at whatever job she could find including a short stint as a hat check girl at the Russian Tea Room, a job she was fired from for wearing fishnet stockings although she was only visible from the waist up, and an even shorter stint at Dunkin’ Donuts, a job she was fired from for playfully squirting jelly on customers. While waiting for her big break, Little Nonnie’s apartment was burglarized repeatedly. She was mugged. She was raped.
Despite all the obstacles, Little Nonnie never gave up. She eventually became a dancer, but her talents led her to a blend of world renown and controversy. The highest selling musical artists of all time in order are Elvis, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, and then Little Nonnie. Although some members of her family still refer to her as Little Nonnie, the rest of the world knows Louise Ciccone by her first name, Madonna.
Source: “The Howard Stern Show 2015 Madonna,” Vincenzo Depalma, June 20, 2024, YouTube video, 1:15:35,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=El0crjdU2Nw
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