melanie

Career

Melanie made her first recording, "Gimme A Little Kiss", when she was five. She first found chart success in Europe when her 1969 song "Bobo's Party" reached #1 in France. Later that year she had a hit in the Netherlands with "Beautiful People" before performing at Woodstock. The inspiration for her signature classic "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" apparently arose from the Woodstock audience lighting candles during her set. A gospel-boosted genuine one-off that combined high drama with Melanie's trademark hippy sincerity, the recording became a hit in both Europe and the USA in the spring and summer of 1970. The B-side of the 45 single featured Melanie's spoken-word track "Candles in the Rain". In 1970 Melanie was the only artist to brave the court injunction banning the Powder Ridge Rock Festival and played for the crowd on a homemade stage powered by Mr. Softie trucks. Her biggest US hit was the novelty-sounding 1972 number one, "Brand New Key" (also known as "The Roller Skate Song"). She has been awarded three gold albums. Three of Melanie's compositions were hits for The New Seekers: "Look What They've Done to My Song Ma", "Beautiful People" and "The Nickel Song".

Since 1969 Melanie has released almost one album a year. With one exception her albums have been produced by her husband, Peter Schekeryk. Her three children - Leilah, Jeordie and Beau-Jarred - are also musicians. Beau-Jarred is a guitarist and accompanies his mother on tour.

In 1976, Scrumpy and Western band The Wurzels covered "Brand New Key" with substantially rewritten lyrics as The Combine Harvester. It reached number 1 of the UK singles charts and stayed there for a fortnight.

In 1999, American artist Meredith Brooks covered "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" with backing vocals by Queen Latifah.

The 2003 Australian hip-hop track "The Nosebleed Section" by The Hilltop Hoods sampled Melanie's "People In The Front Row".

In 2004 Melanie released Paled by Dimmer Light, which is co-produced by Peter and Beau-Jarred Schekeryk, including "To be the one", "Extraordinary", "Make it work" and "I tried to die young".

Personal

Although she is viewed by many as the definitive "flower child," she identifies herself politically as a Libertarian rather than a Liberal.

Despite recording the song "I Don't Eat Animals (And They Don't Eat Me)," she is no longer a vegetarian, having written the song while experimenting with a vegetarian diet.

She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

Album discography

• Born To Be (aka My First Album), May 1969
• Melanie (aka Affectionately Melanie), December 1969
• Candles In The Rain, September 1970
• Leftover Wine, November 1970
• R.P.M. (Revolutions Per Minute) (film soundtrack), 1970
• The Good Book, May 1971
• All The Right Noises (film soundtrack), August 1971
• Gather Me, December 1971
• Stoneground Words, November 1972
• Madrugada, May 1974
• As I See It Now, February 1975
• Sunset And Other Beginnings, October 1975
• Photograph, 1976
• Phonogenic - Not Just Another Pretty Face, September 1978
• Ballroom Streets, August 1979
• Arabesque, August 1982
• Seventh Wave, September 1983
• Am I Real Or What, 1985
• Cowabonga - Never Turn Your Back On A Wave, April 1988
• Silence is King, February 1993
• Old Bitch Warrior, February 1996
• Crazy Love, 2002
• Moments From My Life, 2003
• Paled By Dimmer Light, 2004

Singles

• "Bobo's Party" (#1, France, 1969)
• "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" (#6, United States; #5 Canada, 1970) (with the Edwin Hawkins Singers)
• "Brand New Key" (#1, United States, Canada; #4, United Kingdom, 1971)

Other Credits

• Music for the television series "Beauty and the Beast"
• Recorded "I've Got New York" on The 6ths' "Hyacinths and Thistles", 2000

External links

• Melanie's official website
• American fan website
• Melanie Music Society
• Melanie's performance at the banned 1970 Powder Ridge festival
• Dutch fan website
• German fan website
• News & Discussion
• MelanieMusic.org; links to various websites