Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge (born
May 29,
1961 in
Leavenworth,
Kansas) is an
American rock musician.
Career
Etheridge has released nine
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.
She has won the
Grammy award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance twice in her career, for the song "Ain't It Heavy" in 1992 and "
Come to My Window," in 1994.
She is a
Bruce Springsteen fan, and she has covered his song "Thunder Road" during live shows.
In October 2004, she was diagnosed with
breast cancer. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, she made a return to the stage and, although bald from
chemotherapy, performed in tribute to
Janis Joplin with
Piece of my Heart. Etheridge was praised for her performance, which was considered one of the highlights of the show.
Etheridge has admitted to using
medicinal marijuana while she was receiving chemotherapy. She said that the drug improved her mood and increased her appetite. Chemotherapy patients often have difficulty eating because of severe nausea.
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, will seek to raise funds for the
American Red Cross, the
Salvation Army, 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.
On November 15, 2005, she appeared on the
Tonight Show to perform her song "I Run For Life," which references her illness and her determination to overcome it. After her performance,
Jay Leno told her, "Thanks for being a fighter, kiddo."
Personal life
Etheridge is also famous as a
gay rights activist, having publicly
come out as a
lesbian during President
Bill Clinton's first inauguration in January 1993. She had a long-term partnership with
Julie Cypher, with whom she had two children, Bailey Jean, born February
1997, and Beckett, born November
1998, via a
sperm donor,
David Crosby. Cypher is known as the ex-wife of actor Lou Diamond Phillips, best known for his portrayal of Ritchie Valens in the movie La Bamba. Cypher made headlines for her love affair with Etheridge, yet in 2000, Cypher began to reconsider her sexuality, and on
September 19,
2000, they announced they were separating. In 2001, Etheridge documented this and other experiences in her memoir
The Truth Is... My Life in Love and Music. In it, she 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, she went on to exchange vows in a 2003 commitment ceremony with actress
Tammy Lynn Michaels. In April 2006, the couple announced that Michaels was pregnant with
twins via an anonymous sperm donor. She is due in fall 2006.
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 to
chemotherapy. She said that her partner had been very supportive during her illness.
Albums
Melissa Etheridge (1988)
Brave and Crazy (1989)
Never Enough (1992)
Yes I Am (1993)
Your Little Secret (1995)
Breakdown (1999)
Skin (2001)
Lucky (2004)
Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled (2005)
RIAA Certifications and Album Sales
Meslissa 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
*Non US sales: about 13,000,000
*
Total US: about 14,000,000*
Total Worldwide: about 27,000,000Melissa Etheridge is roughly the 125th top selling artist of all time
Singles
NOTES:
* "I Run For Life" also hit #80 on the Pop 100.
* "Like The Way I Do" was the B-side of "If I Wanted To" in 1995, but since some radio stations were playing "Like The Way I Do" as a current hit in addition to or instead of "If I Wanted To," Billboard listed the single as a double A-side. #42 was the highest position the single was rated on the Hot 100 with "Like The Way I Do" listed first.
*
Best selling music artists — World's top-selling music artists chart.
Websites
*
Official Web site - Melissa Etheridge Information Network*
Melissa Etheridge Lyrics*
Melissa Etheridge Fan SiteReferences
*
CMT.com: Melissa Etheridge: BiographyMedia 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)
