Melissa Manchester

Melissa Manchester是美國(guó)著名女歌手、歌曲創(chuàng)作者和演員，1951年2月??15日出生于紐約市布朗區(qū)，她的父親是紐約大都會(huì)歌劇院的低音管演奏家。Manchester15歲時(shí)就展露頭角，演唱了不少?gòu)V告歌曲，在進(jìn)入表演藝術(shù)高中后便成為Chappell Music公司的撰稿人，為了提高自己的創(chuàng)作能力，她還到紐約大學(xué)由Paul Simon執(zhí)教的詞曲創(chuàng)作研習(xí)班進(jìn)修。1971年，20歲的Manchester受僱在曼哈頓上城的一傢俱樂(lè)部裡演唱，被當(dāng)時(shí)已經(jīng)小有名氣的Bette Midler和Barry Manilow發(fā)現(xiàn)，受邀成為他們的專屬合音歌手，共同登上著名的卡內(nèi)基音樂(lè)廳，開(kāi)始向世人展現(xiàn)她音樂(lè)上的才華，并在半年之后，獲得了她的第一張唱片合約。1973年Manchester與著名詞曲作者Carole Bayer Sager合作，推出了她的首張專輯《Home to Myself》；1975年發(fā)行了第三張專輯《Melissa》，其中的《Midnight Blue》成為她首支打入Billboard榜單前十的單曲，渾厚有力的嗓音，灑出淡淡憂鬱之情，奠定了她大部分職業(yè)生涯的流行基調(diào)；1978年她和Kenny Loggins 合寫(xiě)的《Whenever I Call You Friend》成為當(dāng)年的流行金曲；1979年，Manchester憑藉一曲《Don't Cry Out Loud》再度進(jìn)入榜單前十，并獲得第22屆格萊美最佳流行女歌手獎(jiǎng)的提名；1980年，Manchester憑藉電影《Ice Castles》和《The Promise》的主題曲，成為有史以來(lái)第一位同時(shí)擁有兩首入圍奧斯卡金像獎(jiǎng)歌曲的歌手，兩年后她又憑藉獲得Billboard單曲排行榜最高位置的《You Should Hear How She Talks About You》贏得了第25屆格萊美最佳流行女歌手獎(jiǎng)。貫??穿80年代和90年代，Manchester除了創(chuàng)作和灌製唱片外，偶爾也參與影視劇的表演，比如與Bette Midler合演電影《For the Boys》，在電視劇集《Blossom》扮演主角的親生母親。2004年春，Manchester發(fā)行了十年來(lái)的首張專輯《When I Look Down That Road》。
 
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. 1975s 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 latters 1978 duet hit with Stevie Nicks, Whenever I Call You Friend, and the following year, Manchester returned to the Top Ten with Dont Cry Out Loud. 1980 saw Manchester become 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 placing with the number five hit You Should Hear How She Talks About You, which won a Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance. Through the 80s and 90s, Manchester has alternated occasional recording with scriptwriting and acting, appearing with Bette Midler in For the Boys and on the television series Blossom as the title characters birth mother. In spring 2004, Manchester returned with her first album in 10 years. When I Look Down That Road, which included collaborations with Beth Nielsen Chapman and Keb Mo, marked her first proper release with Koch.