Melissa Lou Etheridge was born on the 29th May 1961, in Leavenworth, Kansas USA, and is a rock singer, songwriter and guitarist, probably most famous for her hit singles “Bring Me Some Water”, “Ain’t It Heavy” and “Come to My Window” which have brought her two Grammy Awards.
Have you ever wondered how much wealth this rock star has accumulated so far? How rich Melissa Etheridge is? According to sources, it is estimated that the total amount of Melissa Etheridge’s net worth, as of late 2016, is $25 million, acquired through her music career which has been active since 1985.
Melissa Etheridge Net Worth 25 million
Melissa Etheridge is the second of two daughters to Elizabeth and John Etheridge, a computer consultant and a high school teacher. After attending David Brewer School, she enrolled at Leavenworth High School from which she matriculated in 1979. During her high school days, Melissa was a member of school’s first “Power and Life” musical ensemble; her interest in music, dating from her childhood age when she started playing guitar, led Melissa to perform with various country music bands during her teenage years. In order to pursue her passion, Melissa Etheridge moved to Boston where she enrolled at Berklee College of Music. Although she left college after three semesters, it didn’t stop her from making a successful career in music.
After leaving Berklee, Melissa moved to Los Angeles, California where she started circuiting at lesbian clubs and bars. During one of these gigs, Melissa “caught the ear and the eye” of music manager Bill Leopold, and Bill’s connections and Melissa’s talents led her to her first publishing deal with Island Records – writing the songs for 1987 John D. Hancock’s drama “Weeds”. Her net worth was established.
In 1988, Melissa Etheridge’s self-titled debut album hit the charts, becoming an instant hit while single “Bring Me Some Water” was honored with a Grammy Award nomination. This was followed by her second studio album “Brave and Crazy”, released in 1989, which rose to 22nd on the Billboard charts and was also nominated for a Grammy.
Melissa’s third album was released in 1992, named “Never Enough”, featuring the hit single “Ain’t It Heavy” which brought Melissa her first Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance. It is certain that all these achievements have helped Melissa Etheridge to successfully build her music career as well as to provide the basis for her net worth.
The real breakthrough in Melissa’s music career occurred just a year later in 1993, when she released “Yes I Am”; the album was a huge commercial hit with 138 weeks spent on the Billboard 200, and was rated platinum. The single “Come to My Window” brought Melissa her second Grammy Award. The rapid rise of Melissa’s popularity resulted in massive sales of her previous albums, dramatically increasing her overall net worth.
The next several years were quite dynamic and turbulent for Melissa. She released several studio albums, of which most notable certainly are “Skin”(2001) and “Lucky”(2004), both rewarded with Grammy nominations. Although the professional aspects were quite good, her health was endangered, as in 2004 she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
However, she did not give up, and at the 2005 Grammy Awards she returned at the stage, emboldened from chemotherapy, and performed Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart”. Later that year, her first compilation album hit the charts, named “Greatest Hits: The Road Less Travelled”, and rated gold soon after release. Melissa’s “I Need to Wake Up”, a song from the soundtrack of Davis Guggenheim’s 2006 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”, was rewarded with an Academy Awards Oscar for best original song. Doubtlessly, all these accomplishments have massively increased Melissa Etheridge’s net worth in total.
Melissa Etheridge’s most recent album – “Memphis Rock And Soul” – hit the charts on 7th October 2016.
When it comes to her personal life, Melissa Etheridge was in a long-time relationship with Julie Cypher with whom she has two children, fathered by David Crosby as a sperm donor. However, the partnership ended in 2001. In 2002 Melissa Etheridge began a romance with actress Tammy Lynn. Prior to separating in 2010, Tammy bore twins, fathered by a still anonymous sperm donor. In 2013, Melissa began dating Linda Wallen and in 2014 they married.
