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by Wisconsin Gazette

Milwaukee, WI — Belinda Carlisle will headline the opening night of PrideFest Milwaukee 2012 with an 8 p.m. performance on the Miller Lite Mainstage on Friday, June 8.

Carlisle rose to fame as a vocalist with the pop rock band The Go-Go's. After the breakup of the initial Go-Go's in 1985, Carlisle launched a successful solo career. Her second album, 1987's "Heaven on Earth," yielded three Top 10 singles, including "I Get Weak," "Circle in the Sand," and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth," which climbed to Billboard's No. 1 position.

Her 1989 album "Runaway Horses" featured the popular songs "Leave a Light on" and "Summer Rain." Other albums have included "Live Your Life Be Free," "Real" and "A Woman and a Man."

Carlisle's seventh album "Voila" was released in 2007, and she continues to enjoy a successful international touring career.

Carlisle became a gay rights supporter after her son James Duke Mason came out to her at the age of 15. Mason is the grandson of the late British actor James Mason.

"My son is gay, and I want the best for him," Carlisle told The Advocate after appearing in a public service announcement for marriage equality in 2010.

"I don't understand why gay marriage is such a divisive issue in the first place," she told the magazine.

Mason, 19, is a vocal advocate for equality. He participated in a roundtable discussion of LGBT youth on "Dr. Phil," has written about LGBT issues for The Huffington Poast and did a video for the It Gets Better campaign.

Carlisle joins a growing list of top entertainers set to appear at PrideFest, which is scheduled for June 8 – 10 at the Summerfest Grounds. The annual event is the nation's largest LGBT music festival.

Taylor Dayne will headline PrideFest Milwaukee's Saturday night line-up on June 9. Best known for her dance music, the pop singer/songwriter had a string of hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her 1987 debut album "Tell It to My Heart" yielded four top-10 singles, and her song "Love Will Lead You Back" climbed to Billboard's No. 1 spot in 1989.

This year will mark Dayne's second appearance at PrideFest. She was also a headliner at the 2010 Gay Games and appeared in March at Pride South Florida in Ft. Lauderdale.

GOD-DES & SHE are the PrideFest headliners on Sunday, June 10. The duo, who are based in Madison, have been featured on "The L Word." Their song "Love You Better" reached the No. 1 spot on LOGO.

For more about PrideFest Milwaukee 2012, go to the group's website.

Related: Read the CP interview with Belinda Carlisle (2010)


Article provided in partnership with Wisconsin Gazette.

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