Melissa Etheridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Melissa Etheridge
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Etheridge in 2011
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Melissa Lou Etheridge
May 29, 1961 Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S.
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| Years active | 1985–present |
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Linda Wallem
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| Children | 4 |
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Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She is known for her powerful voice and rock music style. Her first album, Melissa Etheridge, came out in 1988 and became popular. It reached No. 22 on the Billboard 200 music chart. Her song "Bring Me Some Water" was nominated for a Grammy Award.
In 1992, Melissa won her first Grammy Award for "Ain't It Heavy." Her album Yes I Am (1993) made her a big star. Songs like "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window" became hits. "Come to My Window" also won her a second Grammy Award. Yes I Am sold over 6 million copies, making it her best-selling album.
Melissa Etheridge has released 16 studio albums. She has won two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "I Need to Wake Up" from the film An Inconvenient Truth. In 2011, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Melissa Etheridge was born in Leavenworth, Kansas. Her mother, Elizabeth, was a computer consultant. Her father, John, taught about the American Constitution. He passed away in 1991.
Melissa started learning guitar when she was eight years old. As a teenager, she played in local country music groups. After high school, she went to Berklee College of Music. While there, she played in clubs around Boston. She later moved to Los Angeles to start her music career.
Road to Rock Stardom (1982–1992)
Melissa Etheridge was discovered at a bar in Pasadena, California. A friend's husband, Bill Leopold, who managed musicians, was impressed by her. This led to her signing with Island Records. She also wrote songs for movies, like Weeds in 1986.
Her first album, Melissa Etheridge (1988), was recorded quickly in just four days. It was a success, and "Bring Me Some Water" became a radio hit.
Her second album, Brave and Crazy, came out in 1989. It was similar to her first album and also received a Grammy nomination. Melissa toured a lot, building a loyal fan base.
In 1992, she released her third album, Never Enough. It reached No. 21 on the charts. The song "Ain't It Heavy" won her first Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female. This album was seen as more personal for Melissa.
Melissa also started a scholarship at her old high school in honor of her father. Her father had bought her first guitar and supported her early music playing.
Breakthrough Success (1993–1995)
On September 21, 1993, Melissa released Yes I Am. This album became a huge hit and made her famous. It stayed on the Billboard 200 charts for 138 weeks.
The album had two major hits: "Come to My Window" and "I'm the Only One." "I'm the Only One" even reached No. 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. Yes I Am sold six times platinum, meaning it sold over 6 million copies.
Melissa won her second Grammy for "Come to My Window." The success of Yes I Am also helped her earlier albums sell more copies.
Her next album, Your Little Secret (1995), was also very successful. It reached No. 6 on the Billboard charts, which is her highest-charting album ever. It included popular songs like "I Want to Come Over" and "Nowhere to Go."
Continued Music Journey (1996–2003)
In 1996, Melissa Etheridge won an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award. She took a break from music to spend time with her family.
She returned with the album Breakdown in 1999. It reached No. 12 on the Billboard charts. Her song "Angels Would Fall" was nominated for two Grammy Awards. Another song, "Enough of Me," was also nominated for a Grammy.
In 2001, Melissa released Skin. She described it as a "journey" album. It received good reviews, but sold fewer copies than her previous albums. The song "I Want to Be in Love" was nominated for a Grammy. The music video for this song featured actress Jennifer Aniston.
In 2002, Melissa wrote her autobiography called The Truth Is: My Life in Love and Music.
New Albums and Health Journey (2004–2008)
Melissa started 2004 with her eighth album, Lucky. It was released on February 10. This album also sold well and reached No. 15 on the Billboard charts. Her cover of the song "Breathe" was nominated for a Grammy.
In October 2004, Melissa was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery and chemotherapy treatments. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, she returned to the stage. Even though she was bald from chemotherapy, she performed a powerful tribute to Janis Joplin with the song "Piece of My Heart". Her performance was highly praised.
In September 2005, Melissa took part in a telethon called ReAct Now: Music & Relief. This event raised money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. She performed a new song called "Four Days" for the occasion. She also supports other charities like The Dream Foundation.
In 2006, Melissa wrote "I Need to Wake Up" for the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth. This song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
On July 7, 2007, Melissa performed at the Live Earth concert in New York City. She sang songs from her tenth album, The Awakening, and "I Need To Wake Up" before introducing Al Gore. She also performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, in December 2007. In 2008, she performed at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Recent Years (2009–Present)
In 2010, Melissa was featured in a breast cancer documentary called 1 a Minute.
In 2011, she performed in the Broadway musical, American Idiot, for a short time.
Melissa performed her song "Uprising of Love" during the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square in 2013–2014. She also sang John Lennon's "Imagine."
In 2014, she performed at WorldPride in Toronto, Canada. On July 1, 2014, she released "Take My Number," the first song from her album This Is M.E.. The album cover for This Is M.E. is a mosaic made from pictures sent in by her fans. The album was released on September 30, 2014.
In 2015, she released a live album called A Little Bit of Me: Live in L.A.. It was recorded during her This Is M.E. Tour.
On October 6, 2016, Melissa released her 14th studio album, MEmphis Rock and Soul. This album features covers of blues songs by famous artists like Otis Redding.
Her 15th studio album, The Medicine Show, came out on April 12, 2019.
On September 17, 2021, Melissa released a new album called One Way Out. This album includes songs she wrote in the late 1980s and early 1990s, recorded recently with her original band.
In September 2023, Melissa premiered her one-woman show, Melissa Etheridge: My Window, in New York City.
Personal Life
Melissa Etheridge has been an advocate for environmental issues. In 2006, she toured using biodiesel fuel.
In October 2004, Melissa was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery and chemotherapy. In October 2005, she spoke about her experience with cancer on Dateline NBC. She shared that her partner was very supportive during her illness.
In 2013, Melissa Etheridge announced her plans to marry her partner, Linda Wallem. They were married on May 31, 2014, in Montecito, California.
In 2019, her daughter, Bailey Cypher, graduated from Columbia University. Sadly, in May 2020, Melissa announced that her son, Beckett, had passed away at age 21.
Awards and Honors
Melissa Etheridge has received many awards and honors throughout her career. She has won two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award. She also won a Juno Award.
She has received honorary awards like the ASCAP Founders Award. She also has an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree from Berklee College of Music. In 2011, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1999, she was ranked No. 49 on VH1's list of 100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll.
Discography
- Melissa Etheridge (1988)
- Brave and Crazy (1989)
- Never Enough (1992)
- Yes I Am (1993)
- Your Little Secret (1995)
- Breakdown (1999)
- Skin (2001)
- Lucky (2004)
- The Awakening (2007)
- A New Thought For Christmas (2008)
- Fearless Love (2010)
- 4th Street Feeling (2012)
- This Is M.E. (2014)
- MEmphis Rock and Soul (2016)
- The Medicine Show (2019)
- One Way Out (2021)
Images for kids
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Melissa Etheridge concert ticket, 1995
See also
In Spanish: Melissa Etheridge para niños
