• Birth Place: Leavenworth, KS
• Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 05/29/1961, Gemini
• Profession: Singer; songwriter

Melissa Etheridge Fast Facts:

• Began playing guitar at age 8.
  
• At age 11, she sang a song that she had written, “Lonely as a Child,” in a talent contest.
  
• Island Records founder Chris Blackwell was so taken with Etheridge that, after seeing her in concert for the first time at a Long Island, Cal., bar in 1986, he signed her on the spot.
  
• Publically came out at the Triangle Ball, the first gay-and-lesbian inauguration party (for President Bill Clinton) in 1993.
  
• Achieved a personal dream when her musical hero, Bruce Springsteen, joined her to sing “Thunder Road” on her MTV Unplugged appearance in 1995.
  
• Was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and underwent chemotherapy for two months.
  
• While still bald from the chemo, she appeared in a Janis Joplin tribute during the 2005 Grammy Awards and performed a mesmerizing rendition of “Piece of My Heart.”

Melissa Etheridge Relationships:
• Bailey Jean Cypher – Daughter
• Beckett – Son
• Elizabeth Etheridge – Mother
• Jennifer Etheridge – Sister
• John Etheridge – Father
• Johnnie Rose – Daughter
• Julie Cypher – Ex-significant Other
• Miller Steven – Son
• Tammy Lynn Michaels – Fiancée

Melissa Etheridge Awards:

• 2006 Oscar: Best Achievement in Music (Song) – Winner
• 1992 Grammy: Best Female Rock Vocal Performance – Winner
• 1994 Grammy: Best Female Rock Vocal Performance – Winner
• College:
• Attended Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA (1980)