Wendy Melvoin


Wendy Ann Melvoin is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band The Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy & Lisa.

Music career

Melvoin met Prince in 1983, one night when she was practicing guitar in Lisa Coleman's room. A few days later, when guitarist Dez Dickerson didn't show up at soundcheck, Prince asked her to play his guitar; that same night, Prince invited her to join the band. Melvoin's debut show with The Revolution was a benefit concert for the Minnesota Dance Theatre at the First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis on August 3, 1983. This concert was recorded and some of the tracks ended up on Purple Rain, Prince's next record, most notably the title track. Melvoin was 19 at that time.
Shortly after the completion of Prince and The Revolution's 1986 album Parade, Coleman and Melvoin left the Revolution and started their own duo, Wendy & Lisa, also known as Girl Brothers.
Melvoin and Coleman also composed music for the first season of the TV series Heroes. In September 2008, they announced that they would release an album consisting entirely of the score from Heroes, entitled . Melvoin and Coleman composed the main title song for Nurse Jackie, for which they were awarded with an Emmy in 2010. As of mid-November 2015, the duo were working on the American TV series Touch.
Melvoin also contributed guitars to Madonna's 2008 album Hard Candy on the song "She's Not Me", and she is mentioned by name during the song.
She contributed heavily to Neil Finn's second solo album One Nil, co-writing many tracks and playing drums and bass on several. She is credited for guitar work on most of the tracks on Rob Thomas's first solo album, ...Something to Be.
Melvoin is also listed in the credits of Glen Campbell's 2011 final studio album, Ghost on the Canvas.

Personal life

Wendy Melvoin was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of jazz pianist Mike Melvoin, who in the 1960s was part of the Los Angeles session musician collective The Wrecking Crew. Her brother, Jonathan Melvoin, was the Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboardist, and her twin sister is singer and composer Susannah Melvoin.
In April 2009, Melvoin gave an interview with Out magazine that, for the first time, publicly revealed that she is a lesbian and discussed her past romantic relationship with Lisa Coleman, who is still her musical partner. She was in a longterm relationship with film director Lisa Cholodenko. They care for a son, Calder, to whom Cholodenko gave birth. Calders father is an anonymous sperm donor.

Awards and recognition

In 2007, the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards gave Melvoin and Coleman the "Top Television Series" award for their work on Heroes.
Melvoin and Coleman were awarded with an Emmy for Outstanding Original Main Title in 2010 for their theme to Nurse Jackie. They also technically share the honor of winners of a Grammy and Oscar for being part of The Revolution, as Purple Rain won two Grammys, and the Oscar for Best Original Score.
In 2014, Melvoin and Coleman received the inaugural Shirley Walker Award from The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, an award which honors those whose achievements have contributed to the diversity of film and television music.

Collaborations

With Glen Campbell
With k.d. lang
With Doyle Bramhall II
With Lisa Marie Presley
With Michael Penn
With Ilse DeLange
With Rob Thomas
With Nerina Pallot
With Neil Finn
With Sheryl Crow
With Seal
With Nikka Costa
With Skye Edwards'