Madonna: The Early Years

Bette Midler famously referred to Madonna as "a woman who pulled herself up by her bra straps" and there's no doubt that the popstar has come a long way since her days as a wannabe ballerina. As she reaches her milestone 50th birthday - with no sign of slowing down - DS takes a look back at where it all began for the Queen of Pop.

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan in 1958, the third of six children. Her dad, Sylvio, was a first generation Italian-American who worked as a design engineer for General Motors. Her mother, also called Madonna Louise, was of French Canadian descent.

The young Madonna was devastated when her mum died from breast cancer at the age of 30 in 1963. She later said: "You walk around with a big hole inside you, a feeling of emptiness and longing." Sylvio, who gave his children a strict Catholic upbringing, went on to marry the family housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, with whom he had two children. However, Madonna admits she didn't adjust too well to her new family, saying: "I didn't accept my stepmother when I was growing up. In retrospect I think I was really hard on her."

Madonna harboured early ambitions to be a ballerina and managed to convince her dad to allow her to take ballet classes. She won a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan after high school, but left after three semesters when her teacher urged her to pursue a career in showbiz.

The future superstar left Michigan for New York in 1977, where she studied with choreographer Alvin Ailey. Strapped for cash, she started out living in squalor and paying her way by working for Dunkin' Donuts and several minor dance troupes. She later said of the move: "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."

In 1979 she became part of a disco outfit called the Patrick Hernandez Revue and travelled to Paris with the group. While there, she met new boyfriend Dan Gilroy and the pair formed her first rock band, The Breakfast Club, when they returned to New York. However, Madonna soon quit to form the band Emmy with her new lover, Breakfast Club drummer Stephen Bray.

The duo's dance tracks went down well at New York clubs and eventually caught the attention of DJ and record producer Mark Kamins, who recommended Madonna to Sire Records founder Seymour Stein. Stein wasted no time in demanding to meet her, despite being laid up in hospital with a heart condition. He signed her in 1982 after being instantly impressed with "the drive, the zeal, the ruthlessness" of the future icon.

Madonna's first single, 'Everybody,' produced by Kamins, became a club hit at the end of 1982. Three more dance hits later, she recorded 1984's 'Borderline', beginning the first of an unbroken run of 17 US top ten singles and launching a pop career which is still going strong.