Melanie Doane is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and music educator.

Early years

Daughter of J. Chalmers Doane, a music educator and member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

, Doane learned many instruments at a young age, including piano, bass guitar, mandolin, guitar, violin. After high school, she studied music at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

with the intention of becoming a music teacher. Her career path changed after she received a role in Neptune Theatre's production of ''

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice ...

'' in 1986. She was cast regularly in productions at Neptune for two years before moving to Toronto in 1988. Over the next few years Doane played roles in various theatre productions, including '' Fire!'' and '' Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story'' on Broadway.

Music career

In 1993, Doane released the EP '' Harvest Train'' independently. Some of the songs drew the attention of Sony Music Canada, and she was signed to the label. She recorded her debut album, '' Shakespearean Fish'' in 1996. Although the album wasn't a hit on commercial radio, it was noticed by record producer Rick Neigher in Los Angeles. He worked with Doane on the second album, '' Adam's Rib'' (1998). The title song became the album's first

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

hit, followed by "Waiting for the Tide", "Goliath", and "Happy Homemaker". She toured in support of the album for two years with

Jann Arden Jann Arden (born Jann Arden Anne Richards; March 27, 1962) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, author and actress. She is best known for her signature ballads, " Could I Be Your Girl" and " Insensitive", which is her biggest hit to date, as well ...

, Great Big Sea, The Philosopher Kings, and

Lilith Fair Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride (CEO), Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during ...

. In 1999, Doane won the Juno Award for New Artist of the Year. After touring, she left Sony Music Canada. Through a partnership with Ted Dykstra and actor

Gary Sinise Gary Alan Sinise (; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, director, producer, musician and humanitarian. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has ...

, she began working on another album with Neigher in Los Angeles. During the recording process, she gave birth to her first child, worked as a session musician, wrote songs with SHeDAISY, starred in the independent film ''Black Swan'', and released the live album '' Melvin Live''. '' You Are What You Love'' was released by Actorboy Records and

Warner Music Canada Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Music of Canada, Ltd. (French: ''WEA Musique du Canada, Ltée''), often shortened to WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA Internationa ...

. The single "Still Desire You" reached the Top 5 at Canadian radio stations and its accompanying music video reached No. 1 on MuchMoreMusic's viewer's choice countdown. During promotion, she gave birth to her second child. In 2007, Doane began working on an album that was inspired by motherhood. Initially dubbed a lullaby album, the resulting independent release '' A Thousand Nights'' had much wider appeal, mixing covers by

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

, and

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

with originals by Doane and including guests

Jim Cuddy James Gordon Cuddy, (born December 2, 1955) is a Canadian singer-songwriter primarily associated with the band Blue Rodeo. Early life and education Cuddy was born in Toronto, Ontario. His mother Jean Cuddy was an English teacher at Monarch P ...

, Ron Sexsmith, Kathryn Rose, Emilie-Claire Barlow, and Ted Dykstra. Released in 2008, ''A Thousand Nights'' was preceded by the lead single "

Songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5,00 ...

" featuring Cuddy, which became a Top 5 hit on the

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

country singles chart in Canada. Doane's "Every Little Thing" and "Chopin Ballad" each received placements in the television shows ''

Being Erica ''Being Erica'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that aired on CBC Television, CBC from January 5, 2009, to December 12, 2011. Created by Jana Sinyor, the series was originally announced by the CBC as ''The Session'', but was later r ...

'' and '' Flashpoint''. In 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2013, she was the featured entertainer on the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

Holiday Train Tour. Each tour consisted of approximately 60 shows over the span of three weeks in various communities in the United States and Canada. Doane began working on a new studio album in 2009 with her brother and drummer

Creighton Doane Creighton Doane is a Canadian drummer and songwriter, best known as a longtime member of the rock band Harem Scarem. The son of music educator J. Chalmers Doane and the brother of singer-songwriter Melanie Doane, his first significant musical proj ...

at his studio in Toronto. Throughout the recording process, early demos of tracks "Back To LA", "Make God Laugh", "From Your Lips to God's Ears", "Sweet on You", and "The Stupider I Am" were given away as free downloads via Doane's official website. In the summer of 2010, "Sweet on You" reached #1 on the ''East Coast Countdown'', a popular radio show in Atlantic Canada. In December 2010, '' The Emerald City'' was announced with a March 1, 2011 release date.

War Horse

Shortly after the release of ''The Emerald City'' in 2011, Doane was asked to audition for the role of "Song Woman" in Mirvish's Toronto production of the acclaimed play ''

War Horse The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot design ...

''. She was offered the role and began rehearsals for the production in December 2011. The play opened at the

Princess of Wales Theatre The Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2,000-seat live theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on King Street West, in Toronto's downtown Entertainment District. The theatre's name has a triple meaning: it honours Diana, Princess of Wales, ...

in February 2012 to rave reviews, and eventually closed after a successful run on January 6, 2013. Of Doane's role in the production, ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'''s Richard Ouzounian wrote:

Through it all, the soaringly symphonic score of
Adrian Sutton Adrian Sutton (born 1967) is a British composer, best known for his theatre music. He composed the scores for a series of well received National Theatre productions, including ''War Horse'' (2007) and ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nigh ...
contrasts with the simple songs selected by John Tams, sung here with poignant effect by Melanie Doane.

Pat Donnelly of

Postmedia News Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (also known as Postmedia Network, Postmedia News or Postmedia) is an American-owned Canadian-based media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in En ...

wrote:

The manner in which traditional songs (performed principally, in this production by the multi-talented Melanie Doane, who does wonders with voice and violin) are deftly woven into the narrative, uplifting it into anthem, is masterful.

Song placements

* ''

'' – "Every Little Thing" (3 episodes) * '' Flashpoint'' – "Chopin Ballad" * '' Brothers and Sisters'' – "Good Gifts" * ''

Buffy The Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'' – "I Can't Take My Eyes Off You" * ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

'' – "Bionic" * ''

Party of Five ''Party of Five'' is an American teen and family drama television series created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000, with a total of six seasons consisting of 142 epis ...

'' – "Absolutely Happy", "Waiting for the Tide" * '' That's Life'' – "Way Past Blue", "Still Desire You", "You Are What You Love", "Bionic", "I Can't Take My Eyes Off You" * ''

Baywatch Hawaii ''Baywatch'' is an American drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, who ...

'' – "I Can't Take My Eyes Off You" * ''

Resurrection Blvd ''Resurrection Blvd.'' is an American drama television series that aired on Showtime for three seasons from June 26, 2000, to September 18, 2002. Plot In East Los Angeles, California, the Santiago family has had three generations of boxers with ...

'' – "Absolutely Happy", "Waiting for the Tide", "I Can't Take My Eyes Off You", "How You Cried", "Good Gifts" * '' Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story'' – "You Are What You Love" * ''

Santa Baby "Santa Baby" is a song performed by American singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René and His Orchestra and originally released in 1953. The song was written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer, who also used the pseudonym Tony Springer in an attemp ...

'' – "Happy Together" * ''Servitude'' – "How Can a Girl"

Music Education/Doane Uschool

In 2009-2010, Melanie volunteered to teach a small group of students at her children's school in Toronto using the method of ukulele instruction established by her father, J. Chalmers Doane in the 1960s. Now a registered charity, Doane Uschool (www.uschool.ca) teaches over 1000 students each week in schools throughout Toronto and Nova Scotia. Melanie lends exposure to her groups through concerts, recording projects with artists like

and

Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies (BNL) is a Canadian Rock music, rock band which was formed in 1988 in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their Barenaked Ladies (EP), self-titled 1991 cassette becoming th ...

, appearances in the PanAm Games, with Chris Hadfield in the International Space Station, the CBC Music Festival and the 2018 Luminato Festival.

Ukulele U

In 2022, Doane's new children's show '' Ukulele U'' debuted on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

and

CBC Gem CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

. She co-created the show with legendary music producer

Bob Ezrin Robert Alan Ezrin (born March 25, 1949) is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, best known for his work with Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, Andrea Bocelli and Phish. As of 2010, Ezri ...

. In addition to hosting the show, Doane is also an executive producer, writer, and composer on the show. She received two

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...

nominations at the

11th Canadian Screen Awards The 11th Canadian Screen Awards, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, honoured achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media production in 2022.Bob Ezrin Robert Alan Ezrin (born March 25, 1949) is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, best known for his work with Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, Andrea Bocelli and Phish. As of 2010, Ezri ...

.John R. Kennedy
"Ian LeFeuvre Up For 2 Canadian Screen Awards"
.

iHeartRadio Canada Bell Media Radio, G.P. (formerly CHUM Radio), operating as iHeartRadio Canada, is the radio broadcasting and music events subsidiary of Canadian media conglomerate Bell Media, a division of BCE Inc.. The company owns stations across the countr ...

, February 22, 2023.

Discography

Albums

*1993: '' Harvest Train'' *1996: '' Shakespearean Fish'' *1998: '' Adam's Rib'' *2001: '' Melvin Live'' *2003: '' You Are What You Love'' *2008: '' A Thousand Nights'' *2011: '' The Emerald City''

Awards and nominations

* 1999 Won for Best New Solo Artist -

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

* 1999 Won for Most Charted Rock Artist for " Adam's Rib" -

Canadian Radio Music Awards The Canadian Radio Music Awards is an annual series of awards presented by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters that was part of Canadian Music Week The Departure Festival + Conference, formerly known as Canadian Music Week, is an industr ...

* 1999 Nominated for Album of The Year for " Adam's Rib" -

East Coast Music Awards The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is a non-profit association purposed towards supporting the music industry in the Canadian east coast, i.e., Atlantic Canada. The ECMA hosts the annual East Coast Music Awards (formerly the Maritime Music A ...

* 1999 Nominated for Best Pop/Rock Artist -

* 1999 Nominated for Single of The Year for " Adam's Rib" -

* 1999 Nominated for SOCAN Songwriter of The Year for " Adam's Rib" -

* 1999 Nominated for Best New Artist -

* 2003 Won for Best International Actress (for "Black Swan") - New York International Independent Film and Video Festival * 2004 Nominated for Entertainer of The Year -

* 2004 Nominated for Best Pop Recording for " You Are What You Love" -

* 2004 Nominated for Best Female Artist -

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doane, Melanie 20th-century Canadian singer-songwriters 20th-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian women singers Canadian children's television personalities Canadian guitarists Canadian music educators Canadian musical theatre actresses Canadian ukulele players Canadian women guitarists Canadian women music educators Doane, Melanie Canadian women singer-songwriters Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year winners Living people Musicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia Singers from Nova Scotia Year of birth missing (living people)