Singer Melanie, who carried out at Woodstock in 1969 and had hits within the Nineteen Seventies with “Model New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles within the Rain),” died Tuesday. She was 76.
Her youngsters — Leilah, Jeordie and Beau Jarred — shared the information in a Fb publish on Wednesday. The reason for loss of life is unknown, although her reps talked about an “sickness” in their very own assertion.
“That is the toughest publish for us to write down, and there are such a lot of issues we need to say, first, and there’s no simple manner besides to say it… Mother handed, peacefully, out of this world and into the following on January, twenty third, 2024,” her youngsters wrote.
They requested followers to gentle a candle at 10 p.m. Central time on Wednesday to recollect their mother.
“She was one of the vital proficient, robust and passionate ladies of the period and each phrase she wrote, each observe she sang mirrored that,” they wrote. “Our world is far dimmer, the colours of a dreary, wet Tennessee pale along with her absence as we speak, however we all know that she remains to be right here, smiling down on all of us, on all of you, from the celebrities.”
Melanie, whose full identify was Melanie Safka, was not too long ago engaged on a brand new file that includes cowl songs. The album, titled Second Hand Smoke, would have been her thirty second album, mentioned her label, Cleopatra.
Melanie was 22 when she carried out at Woodstock. She instructed the AP in 2019 that she was nervous about performing earlier than a whole bunch of hundreds of individuals on the music competition, which additionally featured the likes of Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Useless. She mentioned she waited hours to carry out as her nervousness saved rising.
“The phobia saved constructing in me,” she mentioned. “The considered me performing in entrance of all of these individuals and that vast stage — I used to be all on my own. Then it began to rain and I actually believed that everybody was going to rise up and go dwelling. It’s raining, I’m free, I’ll return to life because it was. Perhaps I will probably be an archaeologist; perhaps I’ll be a part of the Peace Corps. That’s once they mentioned, ‘You’re subsequent.’”
Born Feb. 3, 1947, in Astoria, New York, Melanie studied on the American Academy of Dramatic Arts whereas pursuing her singing profession. She booked gigs at espresso homes and people golf equipment in Greenwich Village. In 1967, she met her future supervisor, producer and husband, Peter Schekeryk.
She signed with Columbia Information and launched two singles, “Lovely Folks” and “Backyard within the Metropolis,” however when Clive Davis declined to permit her to file an album, in keeping with her reps, she left the label for Buddah Information, which launched her debut LP. However it was Woodstock that gave her her huge breakthrough.
“Lay Down” was her first U.S. hit, adopted by “Peace Will Come,” “What Have They Finished to My Tune Ma,” “The Nickel Tune” and a canopy of the Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday.” In 1971, Billboard named her the yr’s biggest-selling feminine artist within the U.S.
She went on to kind her personal label, Neighborhood Information, which was the the primary female-owned unbiased label in rock historical past, in keeping with her reps. “Model New Key,” her first single for Neighborhood, topped charts around the globe. The track was launched to new audiences a number of years in the past through an advert for HP printers.
Melanie turned a spokesperson for UNICEF and continued recording albums frequently till the loss of life of her husband in 2010. Nevertheless, she incessantly teamed along with her youngsters to carry out dwell and to file and produce dwelling live performance specials for the Web.
Her new album of covers features a model of Morrissey’s “Ouija Board Ouija Board” and 9 Inch Nails’ “Damage,” amongst others.
Learn her youngsters’s full publish under.
A message from Leilah, Jeordie and Beau Jarred
Expensive Ones,
That is the toughest publish for us to write down, and there are such a lot of issues we need to say, first, and there’s no simple manner besides to say it… Mother handed, peacefully, out of this world and into the following on January, twenty third, 2024.
We’re heartbroken, however need to thank every certainly one of you for the love you’ve got for our Mom, and to inform you that she beloved all of you a lot! She was one of the vital proficient, robust and passionate ladies of the period and each phrase she wrote, each observe she sang mirrored that.
Our world is far dimmer, the colours of a dreary, wet Tennessee pale along with her absence as we speak, however we all know that she remains to be right here, smiling down on all of us, on all of you, from the celebrities.
We ask tonight, Wednesday January twenty fourth, at 10pm central time, every of you lights a candle in honor of Melanie. Elevate, elevate them excessive, excessive up once more. Illuminate the darkness, and allow us to all be linked in remembrance of the extraordinary lady who was spouse, mom, grandmother, great-grandmother and buddy to so very many individuals.
We’re planning a Celebration of Life for Mother and will probably be open to all of you who need to come and rejoice her. The small print will probably be introduced as quickly as they’re in place. We sit up for seeing you there.
Right now please permit us, her household, privateness as we grieve for her, bear in mind her, and work out tips on how to navigate this loopy world with out her.
Thanks all in your love – you meant so very a lot to her.
Love and Peace,
Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau Jarred
