Melissa Etheridge became one of the '90s most popular recording artists due
to her mixture of confessional lyrics; pop-based folk-rock; and raspy,
Janis Joplin/Rod
Stewart-esque vocals. But the road to stardom was not all smooth sailing for
Etheridge as she debated behind the scenes whether or not to disclose to the
public that she was gay early on in her career. Born May 29, 1961, in
Leavenworth, KS,
Etheridge first picked up the guitar at the age of eight and began penning
her own songs shortly thereafter. Playing in local bands throughout her teens,
Melissa Etheridge then attended the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
The up-and-coming singer/songwriter and guitarist dropped out after a year
before making her way to Los Angeles in the early '80s to give a shot at a
career in music.
Etheridge's music at this point was slightly more bluesy than her
subsequently renowned folk-pop style, as a demo of original compositions caught
the attention of Bill Leopold, who signed on as
Etheridge's manager. Soon after, steady gigs began coming her way, including
a five-night-a-week residency at the Executive Suite in Long Beach, which led to
a bidding war between such major record labels as A&M, Capitol, EMI, and Warner
Bros., but it was Island Records that
Melissa Etheridge decided to go with.
Etheridge's first recorded work appeared on the forgotten soundtrack to the
Nick Nolte prison movie Weeds before her self-titled debut was issued in 1988.
The album quickly drew comparisons to such heavyweights as
Bruce Springsteen and
John Mellencamp, as it spawned the hit single "Bring Me Some Water" and
earned gold certification. In the wake of the album's success,
Melissa Etheridge performed at the Grammy Awards the following year and contributed
vocals to
Don Henley's The End of the Innocence.
Melissa Etheridge managed to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump with 1989's Brave and
Crazy, which followed the same musical formula as its predecessor and proved to
be another gold-certified success. It would be nearly three years before
Etheridge's next studio album appeared, however, and 1992 signaled the
arrival of Never Enough, an album that proved to be more musically varied.
But it was
Etheridge's fourth release that would prove to be her massive commercial
breakthrough. Tired of rumors and questions regarding her sexuality,
Melissa Etheridge decided to put the speculation to rest once and for all, titling
the album Yes I Am. Ex-Police
producer Hugh Padgham guided the album, which spawned two major MTV/radio hits
with "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window" (the latter of which featured a
video with movie actress
Juliette Lewis); the album would sell a staggering six million copies in the
U.S. during a single-year period and earned a 1995 Grammy Award for Best Female
Rock Vocalist. But subsequent releases failed to match the success of Yes I Am,
including 1995's Your Little Secret, 1999's Breakdown, and 2001's Skin, the
latter of which dealt with her separation from Julie Cypher. (Cypher had birthed
the couple's two children via artificial insemination;
CSN&Y's
David Crosby was the father). 2002 saw the release of
Melissa Etheridge's autobiography The Truth Is: My Life in Love and Music, and
2004's Lucky was her celebration of a new romance. Later that same year
Etheridge revealed that she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer. But early
detection allowed for recovery, and she gave strength to many of those stricken
by the disease with a powerful performance of
Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" at the 47th Annual Grammys, held in
February 2005. That September Etheridge released Greatest Hits The Road Less
Traveled, a compilation of career highlights and new material. It featured a
cover of Tom Petty's "Refugee" as well as "Piece of My Heart" and a new song
dedicated to breast cancer survivors. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
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