- Heart's first album, "Dreamboat Annie," was released in 1976
- Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson proved two women could front their own rock band
- Their new studio album, "Fanatic," will hit store shelves on October 2
(CNN) -- Legendary rock band Heart received the 2,481st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday.
Founding members Ann and Nancy Wilson unveiled the terrazzo tile in front of an excited crowd that included their children, members of Alice in Chains, and actress-singer Rita Wilson, who recalled driving down Mulholland Drive during the '70s in -- you guessed it -- her parent's Barracuda.
"When I was a teenager in Hollywood," Wilson said, "I became aware of a powerful rock band that was fronted by two women, two sisters, two chicks who rocked the house."
Ann and Nancy Wilson busted the rock 'n' roll boys club wide open in 1976 when they released their debut disc, "Dreamboat Annie." The album included singles "Magic Man" and "Crazy on You." It showcased Ann's powerful vocals and her younger sister's prodigious guitar skills.
Heart's second record, "Little Queen," produced the anthem "Barracuda," which has been the group's signature song since 1977.
In a testosterone-fueled genre, the Wilson sisters proved two women could front their own rock band, play their own instruments and write their own music.
"We never considered the gender aspect of it when we first started," Ann told CNN after the ceremony. "We just thought, 'Why can't we?'"
"It was just sort of being, not girlfriends of the Beatles, or wives of the Beatles -- we wanted to BE the Beatles," said Nancy.
But breaking down barriers wasn't easy, Nancy said, noting, "Being taken seriously was always the biggest challenge."
The two sisters also gave a shout-out to their children, thanking them for their patience as Heart toured the world.
"The guilt!" exclaimed Ann. "We're moms!"
"When we're home we like to cook, and be together and do mom things when we can," Nancy explained. "But we're the CEOs of the Heart corporation. Our job causes us to travel like a lot of CEO-type women, so they've been really beautiful about being proud of us and being there for us."
Heart is currently in the midst of a North American tour that will hit more than 50 cities by the time it wraps up in mid-November. The sisters recently released their first book, "Kicking & Dreaming," and their new studio album, "Fanatic," will hit store shelves on October 2.
