Melanie Safka-Schekeryk, known as Melanie (Astoria, 3 February 1947) is an American singer-songwriter, known for among other things recommended "Look what they ve done to my song, ma", "Lay Down", "Ruby Tuesday" and "Beautiful People".
Content[]
Biography[Edit][]
Melanie Safka was born in Astoria, a neighborhood in Queens in New York, the daughter of Fred and Polly Safka-Alta mare. At the age of five, she made her first picture, the Shirley Temple Sung "Give A Little Kiss".
After high school , she appeared with her guitar in coffeehouses on Greenwich Village' in '. During the day she went to the ' American School of Drama '. At an audition for a play they ran the wrong door in, leaving them on the young producer Peter Schekeryk encountered, who asked her what to sing. He was so impressed by her voice and songs that he offered her a prompt contract. In 1968, she married him. The couple had three children: Leilah, Jeordie and Beau-Jarred, which all three later were also musicians.
Gilbert Bécaud Melanie to Paris, where she pulled out between the camels and revue dancers at L'Olympia occurred. She would write a song about here: Tuning my guitar. Then she performed in Netherlands on atSinging Europe and she had her first successes. The same summer, she played at the Woodstockfestival (1969) where the audience lit candles during her performance. It was the first time this happened. This use was finally banned by the fire department. Lay Down/Candles in the Rain was a summer hit in Netherlands. Look What they've Done To My Song, Ma is another well-known number.
Melanie was not the only one who took advantage of her music. The British group The Wurzels took in 1976 a parody of Mel's Brand New Keynumber, retained her melody. That obtained under the title The Combine Harvester first place in the UK Singles Chart.
Melanie makes since then annually a plate or cd. In recent years, she by her son, Beau ' Virtuoso ' Jarred Schekeryk, accompanied on guitar.
In July 2004, at CNR Paled by Dimmer Light from her cd. She has a loyal following in all age groups. They have been considered as an important female singer-songwriter.
In 2005, Photographher lp, considered by many to be her masterpiece, re-released as Double Exposure, with a bonus cd of previously unreleased tracks.
In 2010 the latest by her husband Peter Schekeryk produced CD Ever Since You Never Heard of Me from. Schekeryk died suddenly In October 2010.
In 2012 was a musical written about Mel's life with her husband, under the name Melanie and the Record Man. [1] This musical was staged a few weeks in Rochester in New York, invariably for sold out audiences.
Trivia[Edit][]
Because Melanie in 1969 a planned action in Netherlands had to say because of disease, saw the Organization of the event was forced to come up with an alternative. This alternative was a pop festival in Geleen, which became the first edition of Pinkpop would prove to be.
Discography[Edit][]
Albums[Edit][]
| Album with any chart positions (and)
in the Dutch Album Top 100 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born To Be | 1968 | onb | |||
| Back In Town | 1968 | onb | |||
| Affectionately/Melanie | 1969 | onb | En: Back in town | ||
| Melanie/Candles In The Rain | 1970 | onb | |||
| "left" about Wine | 1970 | onb | |||
| RPM (Soundtrack) | 1970 | onb | |||
| All The Right Noises (Soundtrack) | 1971 | onb | |||
| The Good Book | 1971 | onb | |||
| Gather Me | 1971 | onb | |||
| Live At Montreux | 1971 | onb | Live album | ||
| Garden In The City | 1971 | onb | |||
| Stoneground Words | 1972 | onb | |||
| Melanie at Carnegie Hall | 1973 | onb | |||
| Please Love Me | 1973 | onb | |||
| Madrugada | 1974 | onb | |||
| As I See It Now | 1974 | onb | |||
| Sunset And Other Beginnings | 1975 | onb | |||
| Photograph | 1976 | onb | |||
| Phonogenic/Not Just Another Pretty Face | 1978 | onb | |||
| Ballroom Streets | 1979 | onb | |||
| Arabesque | 1982 | onb | |||
| Seventh Wave | 1983 | onb | |||
| Am I Real Or What | 1985 | onb | |||
| Melanie | 1987 | onb | |||
| Cowabonga | 1989 | onb | |||
| Precious Cargo | 1991 | onb | |||
| Freedom Knows My Name | 1993 | onb | |||
| Silver Anniversary Unplugged | 1993 | onb | |||
| Old Bitch Warrior | 1995 | onb | |||
| Unchained Melanie | 1996 | onb | |||
| Her Greatest Hits Live & New | 1996 | onb | Compilation album | ||
| Lowcountry | 1997 | onb | |||
| On Air | 1997 | onb | |||
| Antlers | 1997 | onb | |||
| Moments from my life | 2002 | onb | |||
| Crazy Love | 2002 | onb | |||
| Paled by Dimmer Light | 2004 | onb | |||
| Photograph Double Exposure | 10-2005 | onb |
Singles[Edit][]
| Single with any chart positions (and)
in the Dutch Top 40 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Bobo's Party" | 1969 | tip | |||
| "Uptown downtown" | 1969 | tip | |||
| "Beautiful people" | 1969 | 15-11-' 69 | 9 | 9 | |
| "Lay down (candles in the rain)" | 1970 | 07-03-' 70 | 1 (2 wk) | 13 | with Edwin Hawkins Singers |
| "Ruby Tuesday (Look what they've done to my song ma recommended)" | 1970 | tip | |||
| "Peace will come (according to plan)" | 1970 | 19-09-' 70 | 6 | 10 | |
| "Stop I don't wanna hear it anymore" | 1970 | 21-11-' 70 | 10 | 7 | |
| "Brand New Key" | 1972 | 15-01-' 72 | 9 | 6 | |
| "Do you believe" | 1973 | tip |
Radio 2 Top 2000[Edit][]
| Number with listing (s)
in the Radio 2 Top 2000 |
' 99 | ' 00 | ' 01 | ' 02 | ' 03 | ' 04 | ' 05 | ' 06 | ' 07 | ' 08 | ' 09 | ' 10 | ' 11 | ' 12 | ' 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beautiful people | 528 | 508 | 624 | 438 | 548 | 574 | 485 | 545 | 648 | 554 | 603 | 585 | 706 | 654 | 674 |
| Lay down (candles in the rain) (with Edwin Hawkins Singers) | 879 | 1070 | 928 | 781 | 809 | 861 | 996 | 1145 | 1350 | 1041 | 1587 | 1436 | 1586 | 1514 | 1636 |
| Ruby tuesday | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1681 | 1283 | 1445 | 1790 | 1471 | 1574 | 1654 | 1755 | 1804 |