Listen to Melissa Etheridge on Batanga

Melissa Etheridge is a top pop, folk-rock artist who became hugely popular in the nineties.

Born in Leavenworth, KS, on May 29th 1961, Melissa has been writing songs ever since she first picked up a guitar aged just eight. She continued her love-affair all through her teenage years by playing in local bands during her teenage years. These experiences allowed her to hone her talents before attending the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.

After a year, Melissa had enough and left college to head to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. Luckily, her talents as showcased on her demo record were noticed by Bill Leopold, who became her manager and scored her many gigs including a five night a week residency at the Executive Suite in Long Beach. It was her stunning performances here that generated a huge buzz, grabbing the attention of major record companies like Warner Bros, EMI and Capitol, who entered into a fierce bidding war to sign up Melissa. She chose to sign on the dotted line with Island Records.

After signing her long-awaited deal, she recorded music for the soundtrack to the jail-based movie Weeds, and then released her self-titled debut album in the late nineties. The album was acclaimed by both fans and critics alike. It sold enough copies to obtain gold status. The release launched Melissa’s memorable hit "Bring Me Some Water". Riding the wave of success that the album brought, she performed at the 1989 Grammy Awards ceremony.

The talented singer, songwriter and guitarist’s second album, "Brave and Crazy", was released in 1989 and proved just as successful as her debut. It also was certified gold. Although she failed to take any risks with the album, that followed the same formula as her first.

She waited three years before unleashing her next studio album “Never Enough”. The album broke away from the sound of the first two albums, bringing in more musical influences.

Although Melissa’s first three albums brought her a taste of success and fame, it was her fourth release, "Yes I Am", that provided her with the breakthrough that she deserved and catapulted her to stardom. The album’s title addressed the rumours surrounding her sexuality. Her honesty won her even more respect. The hit album spawned the two massive hit singles "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window". These tracks helped the album to sell a humungous six million copies in American during just 12 months and won Melissa a 1995 Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocalist.

As any artist will tell you, a massive hit album can be both an amazing and frustrating thing, as your subsequent releases will almost certainly fail to match it. This was also true for Melissa, whose later album releases failed to match the success of "Yes I Am". These included: 1995's "Your Little Secret", 1999's "Breakdown", and 2001's "Skin".

In 2002, Melissa’s autobiography, "The Truth Is: My Life in Love and Music", was released. It gave fans and insight into her fascinating life.

In 2004, Melissa was sadly diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, doctors caught the condition the early stages and she was able to recovery. This terrible experience did have some possible aspects; it gave sufferers hope and a famous figure to look up to that had overcome the terrible disease.

In September 2005, Melissa was back in record stores with her “Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled” CD. It combined her best known hits with new material, included an inspirational song dedicated to breast cancer sufferers.