Melissa Etheridge Biography
Summary
"Melissa Lou Etheridge" (born May 29, 1961, in Leavenworth, Kansas) is an Academy Award-winning and two-time Grammy Award-winning American rock musician and singer.
Career
Etheridge has released ten albums since signing her first major recording contract in 1987. Three of them have gone multi-platinum: "Melissa Etheridge" (1988), "Yes I Am" (1993) and "Your Little Secret" (1995). Two others went platinum and two more gold.
Etheridge is a Bruce Springsteen fan, and she has covered his songs 'Thunder Road' and 'Born to Run' during live shows. She is also a fan of the Dave Matthews Band and has expressed interest in collaborating with them.
In October 2004, Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, 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 was praised for her performance, which was considered one of the highlights of the show.
On September 10, 2005, Etheridge participated in ReAct Now: Music & Relief, a telethon in support for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. ReAct Now: Music & Relief, 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.
On November 15, 2005, Etheridge appeared on the "Tonight Show" to perform her song 'I Run For Life,' which references her own fight with breast cancer and her determination to overcome it, as well as encourages other breast cancer survivors and their families. After her performance, Jay Leno told her, 'Thanks for being a fighter, kiddo.'
Etheridge wrote the song 'I Need To Wake Up' for the documentary An Inconvenient Truth. The song was released only on the enhanced version of her greatest hits album, "The Road Less Traveled".
On 7 July 2007 Etheridge performed at Giants Stadium at the American leg of Live Earth. Etheridge performed the songs 'Imagine That' and 'What Happens Tomorrow' from "The Awakening", Etheridge's tenth album, released on September 25, 2007.
Etheridge is roughly the 125th top selling artist of all time with more than 27 million record sales.
Awards
At the 20th Annual Juno Awards in 1990, Etheridge won International Entertainer of the Year.
Etheridge has won the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance twice in her career, for the songs 'Ain't It Heavy' in 1992, and 'Come to My Window' in 1994.
In 2001 she won the Gibson Guitar Award for Best Rock Guitarist: Female.
In 2006 at the 17th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, Etheridge received GLAAD's Stephen F. Kolzak Award, honoring openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professionals who have made a significant difference in promoting equal rights.
On February 25, 2007, Etheridge received the Academy Award for Best Original Song for 'I Need to Wake Up', the theme song to the Al Gore-moderated, Academy Award winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth". The award was presented by Queen Latifah and John Travolta.
Personal life
Etheridge is famous as a gay rights activist, having publicly come out as a lesbian in January 1993 at the Triangle Ball, a gay/lesbian celebration of President Bill Clinton's first inauguration. She is also a committed advocate for environmental issues and in 2006, she toured the US and Canada using biodiesel.
Etheridge had a long-term partnership with Julie Cypher, which made headlines. During this partnership, Cypher gave birth to two children, Bailey Jean, born February 1997, and Beckett, born November 1998, fathered by sperm donor David Crosby.
In 2000, Cypher began to reconsider her sexuality and on September 19, 2000, Etheridge and Cypher announced they were separating. In 2001, Etheridge documented her breakup with Cypher and other experiences in her memoir "The Truth Is... My Life in Love and Music". In the book, Etheridge recounts that she was molested by her sister, Jennifer, over five years as a child, and mentions an alleged affair Cypher had with k.d. lang.
After splitting from Cypher, Etheridge went on to exchange vows in a 2003 commitment ceremony with actress Tammy Lynn Michaels.
In October 2004, Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy.
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 admitted to using medicinal marijuana while she was receiving the chemotherapy. She said that the drug improved her mood and increased her appetite. Chemotherapy patients often have difficulty eating because of severe nausea.
In April 2006, Etheridge and Michaels announced that Michaels was pregnant with twins via an anonymous sperm donor. Michaels gave birth to a son, Miller Steven, and a daughter, Johnnie Rose, on October 17, 2006.
Discography
Albums
"Melissa Etheridge" (May 2, 1988)
"Brave and Crazy" (September 11, 1989)
"Never Enough" (May 17, 1992)
"Yes I Am" (September 21, 1993)
"Your Little Secret" (November 14, 1995)
"Breakdown" (October 5, 1999)
"Skin" (July 10, 2001)
"Lucky" (February 10, 2004)
"Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled" (October 18, 2005)
"The Awakening" (September 25, 2007)
Virtual albums
"iTunes Originals - Melissa Etheridge"
RIAA certifications and album sales
"Melissa Etheridge", 2x Platinum, 2,000,000
"Brave and Crazy", Platinum, 1,000,000
"Never Enough", Platinum, 1,000,000
"Yes I Am", 6x Platinum, 6,000,000
"Your Little Secret", 2x Platinum, 2,000,000
"Breakdown", Gold, 500,000
"Skin", less than 500,000
"Lucky", less than 500,000
"Greatest Hits", Gold, 500,000
"The Awakening", less than 500,000
"Non US sales: about 13,000,000
"Total US: about 14,000,000"
"Total Worldwide: about 27,000,000"
References
(CMT.com: Melissa Etheridge: Biography)
External links
Websites
(Melissa Etheridge @ Island Records)
(Melissa Etheridge Information Network)
Media interviews
60 Minutes II (Interview (June 30, 2000)) with Charlie Rose
(CNN interview (May 24, 2003))
(CBS Early Show interview (October 26, 2005)) (includes video)
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Melissa Etheridge.
