Birth name Melissa Lou Etheridge
Born May 29, 1961
Origin Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S.
Genres Rock
Occupations Singer-songwriter, musician, activist
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica, mandolin
Years active 1988–present
Premii
At the 20th Annual Juno Awards in 1990, Etheridge won International Entertainer of the Year.
Ain't It Heavy
Etheridge has won the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance twice in her career, for the songs "Ain't It Heavy" in 1992, and "Come to My Window" in 1994.
In 1996 she was awarded ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year Award.
In 2001, she won the Gibson Guitar Award for Best Rock Guitarist: Female.
In 2006, at the 17th GLAAD Media Awards, Etheridge received GLAAD's Stephen F. Kolzak Award, honoring openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professionals who have made a significant difference in promoting equal rights. In addition, she was awarded as Outstanding Music Artist for Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled.
On February 25, 2007, Etheridge received the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "I Need to Wake Up", the theme song to the Al Gore-moderated, Academy Award winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth. The award was presented by Queen Latifah and John Travolta.
On February 18, 2009, Etheridge was named the "Celebrity Marshall" for Boston's 2009 Pride Parade, by the Boston Pride Committee
