Melissa Etheridge Biography

Rock singer-songwriter; born in Leavenworth, Kansas. After receiving her first guitar at age eight, Etheridge took an early interest in blues-influenced rock music. After briefly studying music in Boston, she moved to Los Angeles on her twenty-first birthday, and soon won a devoted following in the lesbian club scene at Long Beach.

Etheridge's big break came in 1986, when Island Records president Chris Blackwell heard her perform and signed her a few days later. After an unreleased first effort, she completed her stripped down self-titled debut in just four days. Melissa Etheridge (1988) was an underground hit, and one song, "Bring Me Some Water," was nominated for a Grammy.

In 1989, Brave and Crazy was released, and failing to break the top of the charts, Etheridge went on the road, building a widespread fan base thanks to long, high energy sets in the spirit of her musical idol Bruce Springsteen. A song from Never Enough (1992) won her her first Grammy, and Yes I Am (1993) launched her into rock stardom. The title of the hit album was a nod to her recently publicly acknowledged homosexuality, and similar themes were explored in 1995’s Your Little Secret.

In the next year, Etheridge announced that her live-in partner Julie Cypher was pregnant, and in 1997 the couple had their first child, a daughter named Bailey Jean. In 1998, their family had another addition when Cypher gave birth to Beckett, a son. It was later revealed that the father of their child (by artificial insemination) is singer David Crosby, of the classic folk-rock band, Crosby, Stills and Nash. Etheridge and Cypher announced their separation in September 2000, and in 2003, Etheridge wed actress Tammy Lynn Michaels. The following year, the singer canceled an upcoming tour after announcing she had breast cancer. The cancer was caught early, and her doctor expects her to make a full recovery.

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