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ALBUMRE:VIEWMelissa Manchester
Albums by Melissa Manchester
ALBUMThe FellasMelissa Manchester
ALBUMYou Gotta Love the LifeMelissa Manchester
ALBUMEmergencyMelissa Manchester
ALBUMWhen I Look Down That RoadMelissa Manchester
ALBUMJoyMelissa Manchester
ALBUMTributeMelissa Manchester
ALBUMMathematicsMelissa Manchester
ALBUMHey RickyMelissa Manchester
ALBUMFor the Working GirlMelissa Manchester
ALBUMDon't Cry Out LoudMelissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester's Popular Music Videos
Don't Cry Out Loud
Melissa Manchester
Whenever I Call You Friend (feat. Dave Koz)
Melissa Manchester & Kenny Loggins
Midnight Blue (feat. Dolly Parton)
Melissa Manchester
Covid-19 Blues (Remix)
Deborah Silver, Melissa Manchester & Tony Orlando
Confide In Me
Melissa Manchester
Just Too Many People
Melissa Manchester
A Mother and Father's Prayer
Collin Raye & Melissa Manchester
Artist Biography
MOR singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester, whose father was a bassoonist for the New York Metropolitan Opera, began singing commercial jingles at age 15 and went on to become a staff writer for Chappell Music while attending the High School of Performing Arts. After taking a songwriting class at New York University taught by Paul Simon, Manchester took her talents to the Manhattan club scene, where she was discovered by Bette Midler and Barry Manilow; the two hired her as a backup singer in 1971. She recorded her debut album, Home to Myself, in 1973, co-writing many of the songs with Carole Bayer Sager. Released in 1975, Melissa produced her first Top Ten hit, "Midnight Blue," and set the tone for most of her career with its direct, slickly produced MOR pop sound. She and Kenny Loggins co-wrote the latter's 1978 duet hit with Stevie Nicks, "Whenever I Call You Friend," and the following year, Manchester returned to the Top Ten with "Don't Cry Out Loud." In 1980, Manchester became the first singer to have two movie themes nominated for Academy Awards (Ice Castles and The Promise); two years later she achieved her highest Billboard singles chart placement with the number five hit "You Should Hear How She Talks About You," which won a Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Manchester alternated occasional recording with script writing and acting, appearing with Bette Midler in For the Boys and on the television series Blossom as the title character's birth mother. In spring 2004, Manchester returned with her first album in ten years. When I Look Down That Road, which included collaborations with Beth Nielsen Chapman and Keb' Mo' and marked her first proper release with Koch. In 2017, Manchester released Fellas, a nod to the male vocalists who influenced her, and a sort of sequel to her 1989 release Tribute, which saw her paying homage to the great female singers. ~ Steve Huey
Hometown
Bronx, NY, United States
Genre
Pop