Melissa Etheridge

Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, 1962 but lived most of her adult life in Los Angeles, where she also recorded five best-selling albums, Melissa Etheridge, Brave, and Crazy, Never Enough, Yes, I am and Your Little Secret. LATEST ALBUM: Your Little Secret, with Melissa on vocals/ guitar; John Shanks on guitar/keyboards; Mark Brown on bass and Dave Beyer on drums. The guest musician is Kenny Aronoff, also on drums. The album was produced by Hugh Padgham and Melissa and features her characteristic blend of raucous rock songs and power ballads. A predatory approach to sexuality is also apparent in tracks like I Want to Come Over which, she jokes, “is pretty true to my nature!” Melissa also laughs off the suggestion that such songs are “too much in-your-face” claiming “only people in Ireland and England say that” and rationalises this full-tilt approach to selfexpression, by explaining she “kept too much hidden for too long,” an obvious reference, in part, to her lesbianism. Has been described, by gay magazine, The Advocate , as ‘rock’s great dyke hope…