Wendy Ann Melvoin (born January 26, 1964) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

as part of his backing band The Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo

Wendy & Lisa Wendy & Lisa (briefly known as Girl Bros.) are a music duo consisting of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman. They began working with Prince in the early 1980s and were part of his band the Revolution, before branching out on their own and releasin ...

Music career

Wendy Melvoin met Prince in 1980 when her girlfriend Lisa Coleman joined Prince's band for the ''

Dirty Mind ''Dirty Mind'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was released on October 8, 1980, by Warner Bros. Records and produced entirely by Prince at his home studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota ...

'' period. Prince would stay at their house when he came to the L.A. area and she was regularly at the Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 tour shows. She was watching from backstage when Prince and the band opened for the Rolling Stones in 1981. One night when she was practicing guitar in Lisa Coleman's room, Prince overheard and asked Coleman who was playing guitar. A few days later, when guitarist

Dez Dickerson Desmond D'andrea Dickerson (born August 7, 1955) is an American guitarist and singer who was a member of Prince's band, the Revolution. Life and career Dickerson was born in 1955 as Desmond D'andrea Dickerson, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A v ...

didn't show up at soundcheck, Prince asked Melvoin to play his guitar; that same night after asking Lisa first, Prince invited her to join the band. Melvoin sang back up on the '' 1999'' album song "Free", as well as the B-side single "Irresistible Bitch." Melvoin's debut show with The Revolution was a benefit concert for the

Minnesota Dance Theatre The Minnesota Dance Theatre (MDT) dance company and school in Minneapolis, Minnesota was founded by Loyce Houlton in 1962 as the Contemporary Dance Playhouse. It was renamed the Minnesota Dance Theatre in 1969. Lise Houlton succeeded her mother as ...

at the First Avenue nightclub in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

on August 3, 1983. This concert was recorded and some of the songs ("

Let's Go Crazy "Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album '' Purple Rain''. It was the opening track on both the album and the film '' Purple Rain''. "Let's Go Crazy" was one of Prince's most popular songs, and was a staple f ...

," "

Computer Blue "Computer Blue" is a song by Prince and The Revolution. Released on June 25, 1984, it is the fourth track on Prince's sixth album, '' Purple Rain'', which also served as the soundtrack to the film of the same name. In the film, the song represen ...

," " Purple Rain," "

Baby I'm a Star "Baby I'm a Star" is a song written and recorded by American musician Prince from his album '' Purple Rain''. It is also the B-side on the "Take Me with U" single. Release "Baby I'm a Star" has been played live many times since its inception an ...

," and "

I Would Die 4 U "I Would Die 4 U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, the fourth single in the US from their 1984 album, '' Purple Rain''. The up-tempo dance song was a top 10 hit—the final one from the album—in the US, reaching number 8 on the Billbo ...

") were released on '' Purple Rain'', Prince's next record. Melvoin was 19 at that time. Melvoin then worked extensively with Prince in the studio on songs released and unreleased, as well as contributing to protégé projects such as 1984's

Apollonia 6 Apollonia 6 was a 1980s American female singing trio. Origin Apollonia 6 was created by recording artist Prince, who had also created the group Vanity 6 one year prior in 1982, but the groups did not exist simultaneously. After a number of dis ...

, 1985's The Family, and the 1985 Prince & the Revolution album '' Around the World in a Day''. Shortly after the completion of Prince and The Revolution's 1986 album tour in October 1986 '' Parade'', Coleman and Melvoin left the Revolution and started their own duo,

, also known as Girl Brothers. Melvoin performed with Prince at a Bangles show later in 1986 and appears on Prince's 1987 album ''

Sign o' the Times ''Sign o' the Times'' (often stylized as ''Sign "☮︎" the Times'') is the ninth studio album by American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was first released on March 30, 1987 as a double album by Paisley Park ...

'' on the tracks "Slow Love," "Strange Relationship," and "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night." 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 '' Heroes: Original Score''. Melvoin and Coleman composed the main title song for ''

Nurse Jackie ''Nurse Jackie'' is an American medical comedy-drama television series. It premiered on Showtime on June 8, 2009, and its seventh and final season premiered on April 12, 2015. The series finale aired on June 28, 2015. The show stars Edie Fal ...

'', for which they were awarded an Emmy in 2010. As of mid-November 2015, the duo was working on the American TV series ''

Touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch ( haptic perception), as well as temperature ( thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It ...

''. Melvoin and Coleman performed with Prince on and off during the 2004–2007 period: notably, the 2004

Tavis Smiley Tavis Smiley (; born September 13, 1964) is an American talk show host and author. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to ...

show performing "Reflections" with Prince; a June 5, 2004, '' Musicology'' tour aftershow; the 2006

Brit Award The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

Show; and the 2007 Triple Hit shows in Minneapolis (the Macey's Show, the Target show, and the First Avenue show.) They also worked on a few songs on Prince's ''

Planet Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...

'' album. Melvoin also contributed guitars to Madonna's 2008 album ''

Hard Candy A hard candy (American English), or boiled sweet (British English), is a sugar candy prepared from one or more sugar-based syrups that is heated to a temperature of 160 °C (320 °F) to make candy. Among the many hard candy varieti ...

'' on the song "She's Not Me." She is mentioned by name during the song. Melvoin contributed heavily to

Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...

's second solo album ''

One Nil ''One Nil'', released in 2001, is the second solo album by New Zealand singer-songwriter, Neil Finn. When released in the United States the following year, the album had a slightly different track listing and was issued under the name ''One All ...

'', 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 Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

's 2011 final studio album, ''

Ghost on the Canvas ''Ghost on the Canvas'' is the sixty-first album by Glen Campbell, which was intended to be Campbell's farewell studio recording following him being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The production of the album was announced in ...

''.

Personal life

Wendy Melvoin was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father

Mike Melvoin Mike Melvoin (May 10, 1937February 22, 2012) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He served as chairman and president of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, The Recording Academy and worked as a prolific Session mus ...

was a pianist and member of studio musicians known as The Wrecking Crew, and also a former president of the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

. Her brother Jonathan Melvoin was a touring keyboardist with the

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Ar ...

, and her twin sister is singer and composer

Susannah Melvoin Susannah Melvoin (born January 26, 1964) is an American vocalist and songwriter. Melvoin is best known for her association with Prince in the mid-1980s. Melvoin comes from a musical family and is the twin sister of musician Wendy Melvoin, sister ...

. In April 2009, Melvoin gave an interview with '' Out'' magazine that, for the first time, publicly revealed she is a lesbian and discussed her past romantic relationship with Lisa Coleman, who is still her musical partner. Melvoin was also in a long-term relationship with film director

Lisa Cholodenko Lisa Cholodenko (born June 5, 1964) is an American screenwriter and director. Cholodenko wrote and directed the films '' High Art'' (1998), ''Laurel Canyon'' (2002), and '' The Kids Are All Right'' (2010). She has also directed television, includ ...

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 ''

''. 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 (ASCAP), an award which honors those whose achievements have contributed to the diversity of film and television music.

Collaborations

With

Meshell Ndegeocello Michelle Lynn Johnson, better known as Meshell Ndegeocello (; born August 29, 1968), is a German-born American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on so ...

* ''

Peace Beyond Passion ''Peace Beyond Passion'' is the second studio album by American musician Meshell Ndegeocello, Me'shell Ndegeocello, released on June 25, 1996, on Maverick Records. The album peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart and ...

'' (Maverick Records, 1996) With

* '' Meet Glen Campbell'' (Capitol Records, 2008) * ''

'' (Surfdog Records, 2011) With k.d. lang * '' Drag'' (Warner Bros. Records, 1997) * ''

Invincible Summer ''Invincible Summer'' is the fifth solo album by k.d. lang, released by Warner Bros. Records in 2000. The album's title derives from a quote by Albert Camus: "In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible sum ...

'' (Warner Bros. Records, 2000) With

Doyle Bramhall II Doyle Bramhall II (born December 24, 1968) is an American guitarist, producer and songwriter best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters. He is the son of the songwriter and drummer Doyle Bramhall. Early life Bramhall was born i ...

* ''

'' (Geffen, 1996) * '' Jellycream'' (RCA Records, 1999) With

Lisa Marie Presley Lisa Marie Presley (born February 1, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter. She is the only child of singer and actor Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley, as well as the sole heir to her father's estate. Presley has developed a caree ...

* ''

To Whom It May Concern To Whom It May Concern may refer to: *Salutation (greeting), used for opening a letter to an unknown recipient In music ; Albums * ''To Whom It May Concern'' (Bee Gees album), 1972 * ''To Whom It May Concern'', a Blacklite District album, 2016 ...

'' (Capitol Records, 2003) With

Michael Penn Michael Daniel Penn (born August 1, 1958) is an American musician, singer and composer. He is noted for the 1989 single " No Myth", a top 20 hit in the US and successful in several other countries. Early life Penn was born in the Greenwich Vi ...

* ''

March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...

'' (RCA Records, 1989) * ''

Free-for-All Free for All may refer to: * ''Free for All'' (film), a 1949 American comedy film * "Free for All" (The Prisoner), a 1967 episode of the British television series ''The Prisoner'' * ''Free-for-All'' (Ted Nugent album), a 1976 album by Ted Nuge ...

'' (RCA Records, 1992) With Ilse DeLange * '' The Great Escape'' (Universal Music, 2006) With Rob Thomas * '' ...Something to Be'' (Atlantic Records, 2005) * ''...Something More'' (Atlantic Records, 2005) With

Nerina Pallot Nerina Natasha Georgina Pallot (born 26 April 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and producer, who has released six albums and over a dozen EPs. She was nominated for British Female Solo Artist at the 2007 BRIT Awards and nominated for an I ...

* ''

Fires Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are pr ...

'' (Idaho Records, 2006) With

* ''

'' (Parlophone Records, 2001) With Sheryl Crow * ''

The Globe Sessions ''The Globe Sessions'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, released on September 21, 1998, in the United Kingdom and September 29, 1998, in the United States, then re-released in 1999. It was nominated for Grammy ...

'' (A&M Records, 1998) * '' C'mon, C'mon'' (A&M Records, 2002) With

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

* '' Human Being'' (Warner Bros. Records, 1998) With

Nikka Costa Domenica "Nikka" Costa (born 4 June 1972) is an American singer whose music combines elements of pop, soul, and blues. She also had a career as a child singer starting in the early 1980s. She is the daughter of music producer Don Costa. Early ...

* '' Can'tneverdidnothin''' (Virgin Records, 2005) With

Skye Edwards Skye Edwards (born Shirley Klaris Yonavieve Edwards; 27 May 1974), sometimes simply Skye, is a British singer-songwriter. Her career began in 1994 when she and the Godfrey brothers (Paul Godfrey, a DJ, and Ross Godfrey, a multi-instrumentalist ...

* '' Mind How You Go'' (Atlantic Records, 2006)

References

External links

Official Wendy & Lisa site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melvoin, Wendy 1964 births American women singers American women songwriters Songwriters from California American funk guitarists American multi-instrumentalists American rhythm and blues guitarists American rock guitarists Twin musicians American soul guitarists American lesbian musicians LGBT composers LGBT people from California LGBT singers from the United States LGBT songwriters Living people Rhythm guitarists The Revolution (band) members American twins Waldorf school alumni 20th-century American guitarists La-La Land Records artists 20th-century American women guitarists 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people