Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200[5] and its lead single, "Bring Me Some Water", garnered Etheridge her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female in 1989.[6] Her second album, Brave and Crazy, appeared that same year and earned Etheridge two more Grammy nominations. In 1992, Etheridge released her third album, Never Enough, and its lead single, "Ain't It Heavy", won Etheridge her first Grammy Award.[6]
In 1993, she released what would become her mainstream breakthrough album: Yes I Am. Its tracks "I'm the Only One", "If I Wanted To", and "Come to My Window" all reached the Top 40 in the United States, while the latter earned Etheridge her second Grammy Award.[6]Yes I Am spent 138 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 15,[5] and earned a RIAA certification of 6× Platinum,[7] her largest selling album to date. Her fifth album, Your Little Secret, was released in 1995 and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, her highest-charting album to date.[5] Its tracks "Nowhere to Go" and "I Want to Come Over" both reached the Top 40 in the United States.
Etheridge achieved further success with her albums Breakdown (1999), Skin (2001), and Lucky (2004). In October 2004, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent surgery and chemotherapy. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, she made a return to the stage, performing a tribute to Janis Joplin with Joss Stone. Stone began the performance with "Cry Baby" and Etheridge, bald from chemotherapy, joined her to perform the song "Piece of My Heart".[8] Their performance was widely acclaimed, and India.Arie later wrote "I Am Not My Hair" about Etheridge.[9] Later that year, Etheridge released her first compilation album, Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled. A great commercial success, it peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard 200, and went Gold almost immediately.[7] Etheridge has released 16 studio albums to date, the most recent being One Way Out (2021).[10][11]
Etheridge is known for music with a mixture of "confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals".[3] She has been a gay and lesbian rights activist since her public coming out in January 1993.[12] Among her various accolades, Etheridge has received two Grammy Awards (from 15 nominations), and an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "I Need to Wake Up" from the film An Inconvenient Truth (2006).[13] She received the Berklee College of Music Honorary Doctor of Music Degree in 2006.[14] The following year, she was honored with the ASCAP Founders Award.[15] In September 2011, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[16]
Etheridge began guitar lessons aged eight.[18] She started to play in local country music groups in her teenage years and graduated from high school in 1979.[19][20] While attending college at Berklee College of Music, Etheridge played the club circuit around Boston. After three semesters, Etheridge decided to drop out of Berklee and move to Los Angeles to attempt a career in music.[3]
Career
1982–1992: Road to rock stardom
Etheridge was discovered at Vermie's, a bar in Pasadena, California. She had made some friends on a women's soccer team, and those new friends came to see her play. One of the women was Karla Leopold, whose husband, Bill Leopold, was a manager in the music business. Karla convinced Bill to see Etheridge perform live. He was impressed, and became a pivotal part of Etheridge's career.[21] This, in addition to her gigs in lesbian bars around Los Angeles, led to her discovery by Island Records chief Chris Blackwell. She signed a publishing deal to write songs for films including the 1986 movie Weeds.[22]
After an unreleased first effort that was rejected by Island Records as being too polished and glossy, she completed her stripped-down, self-titled debut in just four days. Her eponymous debut album Melissa Etheridge (1988), was an underground hit, and the single "Bring Me Some Water" performed well on radio and was nominated for a Grammy Award.[22]
At the time of the album's release, it was not generally known that Etheridge was a lesbian. While on the road promoting the album, she paused in Memphis, Tennessee, to be interviewed for the syndicated radio program Pulsebeat—Voice of the Heartland, explaining the intensity of her music by saying: "People think I'm really sad—or really angry. But my songs are written about the conflicts I have...I have no anger toward anyone else."[23] She invited the radio syndication producer to attend her concert that night. He did and was surprised to find himself one of the few men in attendance.[24]
Etheridge's second album, Brave and Crazy, was released in 1989.[25]Brave and Crazy followed the same musical formula as her eponymous debut; it also garnered a Grammy nomination. The album peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard charts (equal to her first album). Etheridge then went on the road, like one of her musical influences, Bruce Springsteen, and built a loyal fan base.[26]
In 1992, Etheridge released her third album, Never Enough. Similar to her prior two albums, Never Enough didn't reach the top of the charts, peaking at No. 21, but gave Etheridge her first Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female for her single "Ain't It Heavy". Never Enough was considered a more personal and mature album from Etheridge at that time. With rumors circulating around her sexuality (Etheridge was not out yet at this point), the album seemed to inadvertently address these rumors.[27]
In 1992, Etheridge established a performing arts scholarship at Leavenworth High School in honor of her recently deceased father. According to Etheridge, her father purchased her first guitar and "would come with me to bars in the area when I played because I was underage".[28]
1993–1995: Yes I Am and Your Little Secret
In January 1993, Etheridge came out publicly as a lesbian. On September 21, 1993, she released Yes I Am, which became her mainstream breakthrough album.[29] Co-produced with Hugh Padgham, Yes I Am spent 138 weeks on the Billboard 200 charts and peaked at No. 15. It scored two mainstream hits: "Come to My Window" and her only Billboard Top 10 single, "I'm the Only One", which also hit #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. Yes I Am earned a RIAA certification of 6× platinum.[7]
In 1993, Etheridge boycotted playing shows in Colorado over its passage of Amendment 2.[26]
Also in 1994, she was honored by VH-1 for her work with the AIDS organization L.A. Shanti. During the televised occasion, she highlighted the appearance with a performance of "I'm the Only One" and a duet with Sammy Hagar covering The Rolling Stones' song, "Honky Tonk Women."[31]
The success of Yes I Am helped increase sales of Etheridge's earlier albums. In 1995, Melissa Etheridge earned a RIAA certification of 2× platinum, while Never Enough earned a RIAA certification of platinum.[7]
Etheridge's follow-up to Yes I Am was the successful Your Little Secret (1995). The album was not as well received by critics as Etheridge's prior recordings. Featuring a lead single of the same name, Your Little Secret is the highest-charting album of Etheridge's career, having reached No. 6 on the Billboard album charts; however, the album spent only 41 weeks on the chart. The album produced two Top 40 singles "I Want to Come Over" (Billboard #22, RPM #1) and "Nowhere to Go" (Billboard #40) and earned a RIAA certification of 2× platinum.[7]
1996–2003: After her breakthrough
In 1996, Etheridge won an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award. She also took a lengthy break from the music business to concentrate on her family when her first two children Bailey (1997) and Beckett (1998) were born.[33][22] She also recorded "Sin Tener A Donde Ir (Nowhere to Go)" for the AIDS benefit album Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin produced by the Red Hot Organization.[34]
The year 2001 saw the release of Skin, an album she described as "the closest I've ever come to recording a concept album. It has a beginning, middle and end. It's a journey." Skin garnered generally positive reviews with Metacritic scoring the album 73/100 from 9 reviews.[35] Recorded after her breakup with partner Julie Cypher, Skin was described as "[a] harrowing, clearly autobiographical dissection of a decaying relationship." Despite positive reviews, Skin sold less than 500,000 copies. On the Billboard charts, it peaked at No. 9 but dropped out of the Top 200 after just 12 weeks. The single "I Want to Be in Love" was nominated for the Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female (losing to Lucinda Williams). The music video for the song starred Jennifer Aniston.[36]
In 2002, Etheridge released an autobiography entitled The Truth Is: My Life in Love and Music.[37]
2004–2008: Lucky, cancer diagnosis, Academy Awards and The Awakening
Etheridge began 2004 with the release of her eighth album Lucky on February 10. Etheridge was now in a new relationship with actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, whom she had begun dating in 2001. Lucky performed similarly to Skin, selling fewer than 500,000 copies, peaking on the Billboard charts at No. 15 and spending 13 weeks on the charts. It also garnered a Grammy nomination for Etheridge's cover of the Greenwheel song "Breathe" for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo (losing to Bruce Springsteen).[38]
In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the 2005 Grammy Awards (the same ceremony for which "Breathe" was nominated), she made a return to the stage and, although bald from chemotherapy, performed a tribute to Janis Joplin with the song "Piece of My Heart". Etheridge's performance was lauded in song in India.Arie's "I Am Not My Hair".[9]
On September 10, 2005, Etheridge participated in ReAct Now: Music & Relief, a telethon in support for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. ReAct Now, part of an ongoing effort by MTV, VH1, CMT, seeks to raise funds for the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and America's Second Harvest. Etheridge introduced a new song specially written for the occasion called "Four Days". The a cappella song included themes and images that were on the news during the aftermath of the hurricane. Other charities she supports include The Dream Foundation and Love Our Children USA.[39][40]
Etheridge was also a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.[44]
In August 2006, Etheridge also produced and sang the vocal tracks on the Brother Bear 2 soundtrack, including collaborations with Josh Kelley.[45]
On July 7, 2007, Etheridge performed at the Giants Stadium on the American leg of Live Earth. Etheridge performed the songs "Imagine That" and "What Happens Tomorrow" from The Awakening, her tenth album, released on September 25, 2007, as well as the song "I Need To Wake Up" before introducing Al Gore. On December 11, 2007, she performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, together with a variety of artists, a concert which was broadcast live to over 100 countries.[46] In addition, she performed at the U.S. 2008 Democratic National Convention on August 27, 2008.[47]
2009–2015: Fearless Love, 4th Street Feeling, and This Is M.E.
Etheridge performing live. Spirit Mountain, August 2010
Etheridge was featured in UniGlobe Entertainment's breast cancer docudrama titled 1 a Minute released in 2010.[48]
Etheridge performed her new song "Uprising of Love" in the 2013–2014 New Year's Eve celebration in New York City's Times Square along with the rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine" before the ball drop. The single was released on iTunes on January 28, 2014.[51][52]
On July 1, 2014, she released "Take My Number", the first single from her 13th studio album This Is M.E.. The cover art for the album is a mosaic that includes pictures submitted by fans. Etheridge explains the album cover on her official website: "Because my fans are such a huge part of ME, and I wouldn't be ME without YOU, I took photos submitted by my fans and turned it into my album cover." The album was released on September 30, 2014.[54]
On June 9, 2015, she released a live album titled: A Little Bit of Me: Live in L.A.. It was recorded at the closing show of the U.S. leg of her This Is M.E. Tour on December 12, 2014, at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles.[55]
2016–present: MEmphis Rock and Soul, The Medicine Show, and One Way Out
Etheridge performing live on Broadway, October 10, 2023
On April 12, 2019, Etheridge released her 15th studio album The Medicine Show.[58] The first single released from the album was titled "Faded by Design".[57]
On September 17, 2021, Etheridge released a new album, One Way Out on BMG.[10][11] The album is composed of songs written in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but recorded recently with her original band, although the last two songs were recorded live at the Roxy in Los Angeles in 2002.[59]
In September 2023, Etheridge premiered her one-woman show Melissa Etheridge: My Window at Circle in the Square Theatre in New York City.[61]
Personal life
Etheridge came out publicly as a lesbian in January 1993 at the Triangle Ball, a homosexual-themed celebration of President Bill Clinton's first inauguration.[29][62] Etheridge supported Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign and since coming out, has been a gay rights activist. She is also an advocate for environmental issues and in 2006, she toured the US and Canada using biodiesel.[63]
Etheridge speaking in 2005
Etheridge had a long-term partnership with Julie Cypher, and their relationship received coverage in The Advocate, when an interview with editor Judy Wieder done in Amsterdam, "The Great Dyke Hope", was released in July 1994. In it, Etheridge answered Wieder's questions about why the couple wanted to have children: "I think one of the many fears people have about homosexuality is around children. I think that the more gay parents raise good, strong, compassionate people, the better the world will be."[64] During this partnership, Cypher gave birth to two children, Bailey Jean and Beckett.[65] Cypher became pregnant via artificial insemination using sperm donated by musician David Crosby.[66] On September 19, 2000, Etheridge and Cypher announced they were separating.[67]
In 2002, Etheridge began dating actress Tammy Lynn Michaels.[68] The two had a commitment ceremony on September 20, 2003.[69] On October 17, 2006, Michaels gave birth to fraternal twins, Johnnie Rose and Miller Steven, who were conceived via an anonymous sperm donor.[70][71]
In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent surgery[72] and chemotherapy.[73] In October 2005, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Etheridge appeared on Dateline NBC with Michaels to discuss her struggle with cancer. By the time of the interview, Etheridge's hair had grown back after being lost during chemotherapy. She said that her partner had been very supportive during her illness. Etheridge also discussed using medicinal marijuana while she was receiving the chemotherapy.[74]
In October 2008, five months after the Supreme Court of Californiaoverturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage, Etheridge announced that she and Michaels were planning to marry but were currently "trying to find the right time... to go down and do it".[75] In November 2008, in response to the passing of California's Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage, Etheridge announced that she would not pay her state taxes as an act of civil disobedience.[76] On April 15, 2010, Etheridge and Michaels announced they had separated.[77] In May 2012, it was announced that their two-year child support battle had been settled.[78]
Etheridge performing at a September 2011 ceremony where she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Etheridge supported Barack Obama's decision to have Pastor Rick Warren speak at his 2009 Presidential inauguration, believing that he can sponsor dialogue to bridge the gap between gay and straight Christians. She stated in her column at The Huffington Post that "Sure, there are plenty of hateful people who will always hold on to their bigotry like a child to a blanket. But there are also good people out there, Christian and otherwise, that are beginning to listen."[79]
In 2013, Etheridge called Angelina Jolie's choice to have a double mastectomy to avoid the possibility of breast cancer a "fearful" choice. Etheridge told the Washington Blade in an interview that "my belief is that cancer comes from inside you and so much of it has to do with the environment of your body...It's the stress that will turn that gene on or not...I really encourage people to go a lot longer and further before coming to that conclusion."[80] Andrea Geduld, the director of the Breast Health Resource Center at Mt. Sinai Hospital, criticized Etheridge's remarks. Experts also cautioned that Etheridge's statements were not accurate.[81]
On May 13, 2020, Etheridge announced on her Twitter that Beckett, her son with Cypher, had died of causes related to opioid addiction at the age of 21.[89][90]
Etheridge shared her personal experiences of advocating for the LGBT community at a United States Department of Justice Event
Etheridge has received various accolades and honors throughout her career. Among her competitive awards, she has won two Grammy Awards (from 15 nominations),[6] an Academy Award,[13] and a Juno Award.[91]
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, and actress. She is noted for her optimistic and idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released twelve studio albums, five compilations, and three live albums, and contributed to several film soundtracks. Her most popular songs include "All I Wanna Do" (1994), "Strong Enough" (1994), "If It Makes You Happy" (1996), "Everyday Is a Winding Road" (1996), "My Favorite Mistake" (1998), "Picture", and "Soak Up the Sun" (2002).
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), "The Right Thing to Do" (No. 17), "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" (No. 14), "You Belong to Me" (No. 6), "Coming Around Again" (No. 18), and her four Gold-certified singles "You're So Vain" (No. 1), "Mockingbird", "Nobody Does It Better" (No. 2) from the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, and "Jesse" (No. 11). She has authored two memoirs and five children's books.
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Skin is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released by Island Records on July 10, 2001. The album explores the pain, confusion, grief, and recovery Etheridge went through following her split from Julie Cypher, her companion of 12 years. "Heal Me" features background vocals by Laura Dern and Meg Ryan. Etheridge plays almost all the instruments and penned all the songs.
Kim Carnes is an American singer and songwriter born and raised in Los Angeles. A veteran writer of many of her own hits, as well as those for numerous other artists, she began her career in 1966 as a member of folk group The New Christy Minstrels, before embarking on a solo career as a songwriter and performer in the early 1970s, playing in local clubs. She also worked for several years as a session background singer with the famed Waters Sisters, Maxine Waters Willard and Julia Waters Tillman, who were later featured in the acclaimed 2013 documentary, 20 Feet from Stardom). In 1971, after she signed her first publishing deal with Jimmy Bowen, Carnes released her debut album Rest on Me. Released in 1975, Carnes' self-titled second album primarily contained self-penned songs, including her first charting single "You're a Part of Me," which reached No. 35 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. In the following year, Carnes released Sailin', produced by the legendary Jerry Wexler, which featured "Love Comes from Unexpected Places." The song won the American Song Festival and the award for Best Composition at the Tokyo Song Festival in 1976.
Yes I Am is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released by Island Records on September 21, 1993. The pivotal album that gave Etheridge national and international recognition, the rock ballad "Come to My Window" was the first single released from the album, which peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its video featured the actress Juliette Lewis having a nervous breakdown. This single was quickly followed by "I'm the Only One", which became a major hit in the US and reached No. 8 on the Hot 100, and "If I Wanted To", which reached No. 16. By 2010, the album had sold over 4,348,000 copies in the United States alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"Come to My Window" is a song by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released in 1993 as the second single from her fourth studio album, Yes I Am (1993). This was the first song to become a hit after Etheridge publicly announced that she was a lesbian. With the driving force of gay rights, the song gained substantial airplay on radio stations, mostly through call-in requests. The song debuted on the Billboard charts after the first week of its release, reaching number 25 on the chart, remaining on the Hot 100 for 44 weeks and being certified Gold. The song also charted in Canada, reaching number 13 on the RPM Top Singles chart. It was the second song from Etheridge that earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In 2019, Billboard included "Come to My Window" in its list of the "30 Lesbian Love Songs".
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Underwood's single "Inside Your Heaven" (2005) made her the first country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), was bolstered by the successful crossover singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", and became the best-selling debut album of all time by a solo female country artist. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. Her next studio album, Carnival Ride (2007), sold over half a million copies in its first week, placed an all-time record-tying four consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and won two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, Play On (2009), produced the single "Cowboy Casanova", which had one of the biggest single-week upward movements on the Hot 100.
Beth Hart is an American musician from Los Angeles, California. She rose to fame with the release of her 1999 single "LA Song " from her second album Screamin' for My Supper. The single was a number one hit in New Zealand, as well as reaching the top 5 of the US Adult Contemporary and Top 10 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 charts.
"Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States.
Philip Sayce is a Welsh-born-American-Canadian guitarist, singer, songwriter, performer, and producer.
"I Am Not My Hair" is a song by American soul and R&B singer–songwriter India.Arie from her third studio album, Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship (2006). Written by Arie, Shannon Sanders, and Drew Ramsey, it was released as the album's lead single in late 2005 to moderate chart success. The song was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 2007 Grammy Awards. A remix version of "I Am Not My Hair" featuring Akon was also released.
"I'm the Only One" is a song by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge from her fourth studio album, Yes I Am (1993). It was released as the first single in September 1993, reaching No. 12 in Canada and No. 26 in the Netherlands. In the United States, it was slow to gain momentum, but after the success of "Come to My Window", it was re-released, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in January 1995. It remains Etheridge's biggest hit on either chart and earned her a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1995.
"Bring Me Some Water" is the debut single of American singer Melissa Etheridge. It was released in 1988 and became a hit in several countries, reaching the top 20 in Australia, New Zealand, and on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.
"Like the Way I Do" is a song by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released as the second US single from her first album, Melissa Etheridge (1988). In the United Kingdom, "Don't You Need" was released as the second single.
"Angels Would Fall" is a song by American musician Melissa Etheridge, released as the first single from her sixth album, Breakdown (1999), on August 31, 1999.
This is a comprehensive listing of official releases by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge. She has released 16 studio albums, 43 singles and 38 music videos on Island Records, Universal Music Group, ME Records, and BMG. Over the course of her career, she has amassed five Platinum albums, three of which are multi-platinum, and two Gold albums. She also has 11 Billboard Hot 100 charting singles, with six of them hitting the Top 40, and 11 Billboard Adult Contemporary charting singles, all peaking in the Top 40. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, she has sold 13 million certified albums in the United States.
Fearless Love is the 11th studio album by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released by Island Records and Def Jam Music Group on April 27, 2010. Etheridge stated in an interview the album is "about being fearless. It's about choosing love over fear. It's a way, a philosophy of living life that suits me well." The album was recorded at the Document Room in Malibu, and Hensons Studios in Hollywood, CA. It features twelve tracks on the standard release and two bonus tracks on the deluxe edition.
This Is M.E. is the 13th studio album by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released on September 30, 2014 by Etheridge's own label ME Records, which is distributed by Primary Wave Records. It features eleven tracks on the standard release and four bonus tracks on the Target exclusive version.
"Your Little Secret" is the first single and title track from American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge's fifth studio album of the same name (1995). The song was released to US radio stations on October 9, 1995.
↑ Katherine Rosman (October 7, 2016). "A Mother-Daughter Night With Melissa Etheridge". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2017. How does a rock star begin an evening? She puts in her hearing aids.
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