Melanie
Melanie Anne Safka
February 3, 1947
Queens, New York City, U.S.
January 23, 2024 (aged 76)
- Singer
- songwriter
- musician
- Vocals
- guitar
1967–2024
Melanie is widely known for the 1971–72 global hit "Brand New Key"; her 1970 version of the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday"; her composition "What Have They Done to My Song Ma"; and her 1970 international breakthrough hit "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)", which was inspired by her experience of performing at the 1969 Woodstock music festival.[3][4]
Early life[edit]
Melanie was born and raised in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York City. Her father, Frederick M. Safka (1924–2009), was of Ukrainian ancestry,[5] and her mother, jazz singer Pauline "Polly" Altomare (1926–2003), was of Italian heritage.[6][7] Melanie made her first public singing appearance at age four on the radio show Live Like A Millionaire, performing the song "Gimme a Little Kiss".[8] She moved with her family to Long Branch, New Jersey, and attended Long Branch High School. Disturbed that she was rejected by her schoolmates as a "beatnik", she ran away to California. After her return to New Jersey, she transferred to Red Bank High School in Red Bank, New Jersey. She graduated in 1966, although she was prevented from attending her graduation ceremony because of an overdue library book. She was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2014.[9]
Personal life[edit]
Melanie married record producer Peter Schekeryk in 1968. They had three children:[10] daughter Leilah born on October 3, 1973; daughter Jeordie on March 27, 1975; and son Beau-Jarred on September 11, 1980.[46] Leilah and Jeordie, when aged seven and six, released a cover of "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" that charted in Canada, reaching No. 27.[47][48] Peter Schekeryk died in 2010.[49] Melanie was a vegetarian in the early 1970s; she also practiced fasting.[50][51]
Melanie identified herself politically as a libertarian, stating, "I am not a Democrat, a Socialist, or a Republican."[52][16] She said that she had experienced acceptance from a "universal force of motherhood" after receiving a hug from Mata Amritanandamayi, a.k.a. Amma ("Mother") or as the "hugging saint" from India, as she is also known, which had inspired her to write "Motherhood of Love".[53]
Melanie resided in the Nashville metropolitan area.[54] She died on January 23, 2024, at the age of 76.[45][55]