Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge (* May 29, 1961 in Leavenworth, Kansas) is an American singer and rock musician, who has won an Academy Award and two Grammys.
Life
Melissa Etheridge was born as the daughter of a computer specialist and a math teacher. Since the age of eight, she plays guitar and writes songs at the age of 13, she had her first appearance in public.
In 1987, Melissa Etheridge signed her first recording contract with Iceland Records after label founder Chris Blackwell had discovered them in a small club in Long Beach, California. In 1988 she released her first album Melissa Etheridge, for its sales figures, in spite of low production costs, multi-platinum, " one of the most stunning debut albums of the 80s" ( All Music Guide ). She succeeded also with the albums Yes I Am (1994) and Your Little Secret ( 1996), they also received two more albums simple platinum and another gold.
Melissa Etheridge lives openly homosexual, they outed himself publicly on the Vereidigungsfeier by Bill Clinton in January 1993. 1997 and 1998, she was with her longtime girlfriend Julie Cypher by sperm donor David Crosby of the mother of two children, who fought out Julie Cypher. In 2000 they separated and share custody since then. 2003 married Melissa Etheridge actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, invited to the wedding were Al Gore and his wife Tipper. With Tammy Lynn Michaels she also has two children (born 17 October 2006). The biological mother of the children is of Michael; the sperm donor remained anonymous. Michaels and Etheridge separated in April 2010. Since January 2011 Melissa Etheridge is in a relationship with the director and producer Linda Wallem.
Melissa Etheridge is a well-known women's rights activist and supporter of the homosexual movement. She has repeatedly supported the Democratic Party of the USA.
In October 2004, Etheridge announced that she was suffering from breast cancer. She underwent successful surgery and more chemotherapy and informed in early 2005 that it had survived the disease. In February 2005, she has appeared again at the Grammy Awards, where she - bald as a result of chemotherapy - a duet with Joss Stone as a tribute to Janis Joplin whose title Piece of My Heart sang. In 2007, she processed her cancer in the song Message to Myself.
In 2006 she worked on the music for the film Brother Bear 2 She wrote and sang the song It Will Be Me and Welcome to this Day. She also sang Feels Like Home, a duet with Josh Kelly. Melissa Etheridge released in 2007 album called The Awakening, followed in 2010 Fearless Love. From 1 February to 6 February 2011, she took over the role of St. Jimmy in the rock musical American Idiot on Broadway.
Awards
She twice won the Grammy for their songs Is not It Heavy ( 1992) and Come to My Window (1994 ), who is next to Like The Way I Do and Bring Me Some Water as their famous song.
In 2007 she was nominated for the song I Need To Wake Up, she wrote An Inconvenient Truth for Al Gore film, nominated for a Grammy and won the Oscar for best song.
In September 2011, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of music recordings.
Discography
Albums
- 2002: Live ... and Alone
- 2004: Lucky (Live)
- 2007: The Awakening Live (DVD / CD Edition )
- Open and Honest ( biography)