An online petition to urge the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to induct Melanie is garnering quite a bit of support as over 1,000 people have signed to date.
While she may not have been the first person to come to mind as overlooked, the petition builds a very good case:
…WHY ? …BECAUSE:
1). MELANIE HAS SOLD MORE THAN 80 MILLION RECORDS !
2). MELANIE’S “BRAND NEW KEY” WAS A #1 HIT IN THE U.S. ~ CANADA ~ SOUTH AFRICA ~and~ AUSTRALIA IN 1971 !
3). MELANIE WAS THE TOP SELLING RECORDING ARTIST IN THE WORLD IN 1971 !
4). MELANIE WAS AWARDED BILLBOARD’S #1 TOP FEMALE VOCALIST IN 1972 !
5). MELANIE WAS AWARDED TWO GOLD ALBUMS !
6). MELANIE WON AN EMMY IN 1989 FOR TELEVISION’S ‘BEAUTY & THE BEAST’ !
7). MELANIE WAS THE FIRST SOLO/POP/ROCK ARTIST EVER TO APPEAR BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS !
8). MELANIE WAS THE FIRST SOLO/POP/ROCK ARTIST EVER TO APPEAR AT CARNEGIE HALL.
9). UNICEF APPOINTED MELANIE AS THEIR OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON AND AMBASSADOR IN 1972 !
10). MELANIE WAS THE FIRST SOLO/POP/ROCK ARTIST EVER TO APPEAR AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE !
11). MELANIE WAS THE FIRST SOLO/POP/ROCK ARTIST EVER TO APPEAR AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE !
12). MELANIE’S APPEARANCE AT THE 1969 WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL PROMPTED THE NOW COMMON PHENOMENON OF SIGNALING AN ARTIST FOR AN ENCORE BY HOLDING UP SOME FORM OF LIGHT: (Then it was with a candle, which emerged into lighters, now it’s cel phones) ! (The Song was “Candles In The Rain”)
13). MELANIE WAS THE ONLY ARTIST TO BRAVE THE COURT INJUNCTION AND PERFORMED AT THE POWDER RIDGE ROCK FESTIVAL IN 1970 !
14). MELANIE WAS THE SECOND ARTIST (after The Beatles) TO HAVE THREE SEPARATE SINGLES ON BILLBOARD MAGAZINE’S HOT 100 CHART AT THE SAME TIME <> (“BRAND NEW KEY“, “RING THE LIVING BELL” ~and~ “THE NICKEL SONG“) !
15). MELANIE WAS THE YOUNGEST FEMALE SOLO/POP/ROCK ARTIST TO SELL-OUT THE CONCERTGEBOUW IN AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS !
16). MELANIE’S SONGS HAVE BEEN COVERED BY: CHER ~ DOLLY PARTON ~ MACY GRAY ~ THE NEW SEEKERS ~ RAY CHARLES ~ BILLIE JO SPEARS ~and~ MOTT THE HOOPLE !
…IT IS WITH HER LEGENDARY STATUS, HER INFLUENTIAL AND SIGNIFICANT INSPIRATIONAL IMPACT ON THE EVOLUTION, DEVELOPMENT AND PERPETUATION OF ROCK AND ROLL, AND HER CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD OF MUSIC IN GENERAL, THAT WE URGE YOU, THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME FOUNDATION, TO STRONGLY CONSIDER MELANIE SAFKA SCHEKERYK (“MELANIE”) FOR INCLUSION AND INDUCTION INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME !
Melanie's recording career started in 1969 with the release of her first solo album,
Born to Be, which she supported at the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival.
It wasn't until her third album a year later,
Candles in the Rain, that her career started to take off. The title song hit number six and was followed later in the year by the live album,
Leftover Wine and the top forty hit
Peace Will Come (According to Plan).
By this time, her label (Buddah) had forced her to release four albums in two years and she was left wanting more control of her career. Melanie started her own label, Neighborhood, and released her biggest single, Brand New Key, which reached the top of the charts.
Unfortunately, the break from her original label was not smooth and, when she released her next album on Neighborhood (
Gather Me), they released an album of material from the shelves (
Garden in the City). The two albums, along with their two singles (
Ring the Living Bell and
Nickel Song) damaged Melanie's career by oversaturating the store shelves and airwaves. She recorded a few more albums during the decade, but never again up to her previous sales.
After some time off, Melanie reemerged in the late-80's with her music for the TV series Beauty and the Beast. Since that time, she has periodically toured, currently with the support of her son, Beau Jarred, on guitar.
Melanie's official website is at
www.melaniesmusic.com. Petition support sites include
www.letherin.org.
Read more...
There's a problem in the new era of music merchandising. Stores that hold exclusives with bands sometimes don't want anyone to know how many units they've moved.
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- Ella Fitzgerald - Up from #16 (12 weeks)
