Melissa etheridge bio biography timeline

She began playing the guitar at the age of eight, and through her teenage years, played in all-men country music groups. She then moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. In , Etheridge established a performing arts scholarship at Leavenworth High School in honor of her father who used to drive her around so she could play in bands. In October , Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The title referred to her hometown's main road. Her upbringing is referred to in many tracks. It peaked at 12 on the Billboard charts, and spent 18 weeks in the charts. The album did not do well. She also took a lengthy break from the music business to concentrate on her family when her first two children Bailey and Beckett were born. Etheridge returned to the music charts with the release of Breakdown in October Breakdown peaked at No.

The album was certified gold by the RIAA. The year saw the release of Skin , an album she described as "the closest I've ever come to recording a concept album. It has a beginning, middle and end. It's a journey. On the Billboard charts, it peaked at No. The music video for the song starred Jennifer Aniston. Etheridge began with the release of her eighth album Lucky on February Etheridge was now in a new relationship with actress Tammy Lynn Michaels , whom she had begun dating in Lucky performed similarly to Skin , selling fewer than , copies, peaking on the Billboard charts at No.

In October , Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the Grammy Awards the same ceremony for which "Breathe" was nominated , 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's performance was lauded in song in India.

Melissa etheridge bio biography timeline

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. The song was released only on the enhanced version of her greatest hits album, The Road Less Traveled. Etheridge was also a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

In August , Etheridge also produced and sang the vocal tracks on the Brother Bear 2 soundtrack, including collaborations with Josh Kelley. On December 11, , she performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo , Norway, together with a variety of artists, a concert which was broadcast live to over countries. Etheridge was featured in UniGlobe Entertainment's breast cancer docudrama titled 1 a Minute released in Etheridge performed the role of St.

The single was released on iTunes on January 28, The cover art for the album is a mosaic that includes pictures submitted by fans. Etheridge explains the album cover on her official website: "Because my fans are such a huge part of ME, and I wouldn't be ME without YOU, I took photos submitted by my fans and turned it into my album cover.

It was recorded at the closing show of the U. On October 6, , Etheridge released her 14th studio album, MEmphis Rock and Soul , [ 56 ] a covers album made of blues tracks originally recorded by blues legends such as Otis Redding , William Bell , and the Staples Singers. Etheridge came out publicly as a lesbian in January at the Triangle Ball, a homosexual-themed celebration of President Bill Clinton 's first inauguration.

She is also an advocate for environmental issues and in , she toured the US and Canada using biodiesel. Etheridge had a long-term partnership with Julie Cypher , and their relationship received coverage in The Advocate , when an interview with editor Judy Wieder done in Amsterdam, "The Great Dyke Hope", was released in July In it, Etheridge answered Wieder's questions about why the couple wanted to have children: "I think one of the many fears people have about homosexuality is around children.

I think that the more gay parents raise good, strong, compassionate people, the better the world will be. In , Etheridge began dating actress Tammy Lynn Michaels. She underwent surgery [ 72 ] and chemotherapy. 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 discussed using medicinal marijuana while she was receiving the chemotherapy. In October , five months after the Supreme Court of California overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage , Etheridge announced that she and Michaels were planning to marry but were currently "trying to find the right time Etheridge supported Barack Obama 's decision to have Pastor Rick Warren speak at his Presidential inauguration , believing that he can sponsor dialogue to bridge the gap between gay and straight Christians.

She stated in her column at The Huffington Post that "Sure, there are plenty of hateful people who will always hold on to their bigotry like a child to a blanket. But there are also good people out there, Christian and otherwise, that are beginning to listen. In , Etheridge called Angelina Jolie 's choice to have a double mastectomy to avoid the possibility of breast cancer a "fearful" choice.

Etheridge told the Washington Blade in an interview that "my belief is that cancer comes from inside you and so much of it has to do with the environment of your body It's the stress that will turn that gene on or not I really encourage people to go a lot longer and further before coming to that conclusion. Sinai Hospital, criticized Etheridge's remarks.

Experts also cautioned that Etheridge's statements were not accurate. In a interview with CNN after the U. Supreme Court's decisions in United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry , Etheridge stated that she planned to marry her partner, Linda Wallem. Starting in , Etheridge partnered with a California medical marijuana dispensary to make cannabis-infused wine.

In , her daughter, Bailey Cypher, graduated from Columbia University. On May 13, , Etheridge announced on her Twitter that Beckett, her son with Cypher, had died of causes related to opioid addiction at the age of Etheridge has received various accolades and honors throughout her career. Among her competitive awards, she has won two Grammy Awards from 15 nominations , [ 6 ] an Academy Award , [ 13 ] and a Juno Award.

She ranked No. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. Motherhood has become a primary focus for Etheridge since the birth of the couple's two children: Bailey, born in , and Beckett, born in In January of , Etheridge and Cypher revealed that rock legend David Crosby was the children's biological father, donating the sperm so the couple could conceive through artificial insemination.

Etheridge and Cypher announced on September 19, , that they were ending their year relationship. They bought homes next door to one another so that their children could easily be with either parent. All this time, Etheridge seemed poised to break through into true rock stardom. She spent much of her year on the road, in the United States and overseas, building an ever-more-devoted fan base.

By she had collected four Grammy nominations; Never Enough's "Ain't It Heavy" finally came through for her that year, winning her the award for best female rock vocal performance. Into this atmosphere, in late , Island released Yes I Am, apparently catalyzing the musician's rise as a household name. This new status had many manifestations.

She carried the bill in her first major U. Cohen supplied Rolling Stone 's seal of approval with his determination that "Etheridge has solidified her reputation as one of rock's most dynamic performers. By the summer of , all of Etheridge's albums had achieved platinum status, and Yes I Am eventually went quadruple-platinum. By they all had reached the Top Ten.

The cable station proved it a month later, when it sponsored--with a massive publicity campaign--Etheridge's tour. It was, in the words of Billboard 's Deborah Russell, the "most comprehensive tour sponsorship, promotional campaign, and direct marketing effort in its history. Further proving Etheridge's megastar status, the station began running promotional videos chronicling the performer's life and career.

Also in , the performer experienced her own greatest sign that she had "arrived"--the opportunity to sing with her lifelong idol and one of the most enduring names in American rock, Bruce Springsteen. In Time , Christopher John Farley called the performance "magical The end of featured the release of Etheridge's fifth album, Your Little Secret.

Although berated by critics as being too similar to her previous work, fans eagerly withdrew themselves to her bluesy vocals and emotional delivery. Still, the momentum couldn't carry the album to the multi-platinum levels of Yes I Am , but she continued to pack arenas with her full force stage presentation. Etheridge sought out new projects during the late s, including a starring role in a Lakeshore Entertainment biographical film about Janis Joplin and the job of host on the Lifetime Television series Beyond Chance.

In addition to the release of a solo album, Skin, that year Etheridge was heard on Earl Scruggs and Friends. Also in she logged in a summertime performance at New York's City Center and gave a well received acoustic concert at the University of Nevada's Bite of Las Vegas concert. Began playing guitar at age eight; performed at local venues with band during high school years; moved to Boston, then Los Angeles, ; performed in gay clubs in Los Angeles area, c.

Signed to Island Records by Chris Blackwell, ; released self-titled debut album on Island, ; began touring national and international club circuit. Brave and Crazy , Island, Your Little Secret , Island, Breakdown , Island, Skin , Island, Live and Alone , Island, Lucky Live , Island, Sources Advocate , April 20, ; September 21, ; July 26, Billboard , November 11, ; April 4, ; December 10, ; April 15, Detroit Free Press , June 9, Source: E!

Online, www. By doing so she gave hope to many women afflicted with the disease. She followed that up with the release of The Medicine Show in April, For The Medicine Show , Melissa reunited with celebrated producer John Shanks and sounds as rousing as ever, bringing a new level of artistry to her 15th studio recording.