Lez Keep It Real

This week’s Notable Lesbian is:
Melissa Lou Etheridge
May 29, 1961 -

Melissa Etheridge is is an Academy Award-winning and two-time Grammy Award-winning American rock musician and singer. If you don’t know who she is and you are a lesbian … then you must live under a rock. Seriously, how can I have a Notable Lesbian series without her? I can’t. So here she is.

Melissa Etheridge has released nine albums since signing her first major recording contract in 1987. Three of them have gone multi-platinum: Melissa Etheridge (1988), Yes I Am (1993) and Your Little Secret (1995). Two others went platinum and two more gold. Etheridge is famous as a gay rights activist, having publicly come out as a lesbian in January 1993 at the Triangle Ball, a gay/lesbian celebration of President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration. She is also a committed advocate for environmental issues and in 2006, she toured the US and Canada using biodiesel. In April 2006, Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels announced that Michaels was pregnant with twins via an anonymous sperm donor. Michaels gave birth to a son, Miller Steven, and a daughter, Johnnie Rose, on October 17, 2006.

Interesting tid bit:
Etheridge is a Bruce Springsteen fan, and she has covered his songs “Thunder Road” and “Born to Run” during live shows. She is also a fan of the Dave Matthews Band and has expressed interest in collaborating with them. In October 2004, Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, she made a return to the stage and, although bald from chemotherapy, performed a tribute to Janis Joplin with the song, “Piece of My Heart.” Etheridge was praised for her performance, which was considered one of the highlights of the show.

Buy Melissa’s new album, The Awakening

More Notable Lesbians

If you have a suggestion for a Notable Lesbian, e-maill me at lyndsey.darcangelo@451press.net or use the contact form above and I’ll highlight her in an upcoming post.

melissa etheridge, tammy lynn michaels, breast cancer, notable lesbians, the awakening, bruce springsteen, bill clinton, yes i am, your little secret