MELISSA MANCHESTER Celebrating 50 Years Still Singing Up A Storm

A career spanning 50 years, singer-songwriter, actress, recording artist, Grammy award-winning MELISSA MANCHESTER has multiple albums and counting. She has recently released her 25th album, Re:View for which she has re-recorded several of her charted hits. Melissa credits the stage for helping her grow and evolve as an artist and believes her songs have become reflections of that growth. She tells us that through the pandemic, she found herself in a deeply thoughtful space and used it to reflect on her music. Manchester's hit song, Don't Cry Out Loud, is, she says, a reflection of her own experiences. The song speaks of a girl who is an awful lot like her, who is trying to hide her tears, and who is trying to find joy and strength in the face of sadness. 

Melissa Manchester is an independent musician who has been creating music for five decades. Her songs reflect the current events and social issues going on in the world, such as the importance of frontline workers and the impact of the presidential election. Manchester believes in the power of music and how it can be used to evoke emotion, inspire, and create meaningful conversations. She also believes that music has a mystical quality and can be used to tell stories and connect people in a unique way. In this episode, Melissa talks about how she undertook a six month song writing course with Simon and Garfunkel’s Paul Simon while attending New York University. She speaks about her early life in a musical family and how she was always destined to become a songwriter and performer.

Melissa Manchester is a wonderfully energetic artist with roots firmly planted in music. Her unique experience growing up with a musician father in the Metropolitan Opera and a mother in the fashion industry fostered her love for music and it grew and developed as she began her career singing jingles for commercials. This was a road that took her alongside musicians like BARRY MANILOW. In 1980, Manchester became the first singer to have two movie themes nominated for Academy Awards (Ice Castles and The Promise); two years later she achieved her highest Billboard singles chart placement with the number five hit "You Should Hear How She Talks About You," which won a Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance. She also created a group called The Harlettes singing backup for Bette Midler. During our chat Melissa speaks glowingly about her friend BETTE MIDLER.

Melissa's songs have been recorded by Barbra Streisand, Roberta Flack and Kenny Loggins, to name a few. Her writing partnership with CAROLE BAYER-SAGER is legendary. She has composed music for the animated features The Great Mouse Detective and Lady And The Tramp II, the sequel to the Disney classic. In addition to composing the scores for the theatrical musicals I Sent A Letter To My Love and Sweet Potato Queens, MELISSA also co-wrote the radio mainstays “Midnight Blue”, “Come In From The Rain” and “Whenever I Call You Friend.”

Melissa celebrated her tenure as Artist In Residence at Citrus College with the release of her 21st album, The Fellas, a tribute to the iconic male singers who set the platinum standard for pop music. In November 2021, Melissa was inducted into the Great American Songbook Foundation’s Hall of Fame and in December 2021, she had the pleasure of saluting her longtime colleague, Bette Midler, on The Kennedy Center Honors awards telecast.

Melissa's 25th album, RE:VIEW is a celebration of her fifty-year career, features fresh takes on several of her nineteen Billboard-charted classic hits. A career sprinkled with creative endeavours, a Grammy win and several Academy award nominations, please join us as Melissa shares her incredible journey this week. 

For more information about Melissa Manchester head to her website: https://melissamanchester.com/

To get in touch with me with feedback, comments or any requests for future interviewees, please head to my website www.abreathoffreshair.com.au

I hope you enjoy the episode