Melanie

Singer and songwriter Melanie rose to fame in the late 1960s, significantly making her breakthrough with an appearance at Woodstock in 1969. While Melanie certainly seemed like a flower child in both creative vision and temperament, her singular blend of folk-rock, art song, purposefully playful pop, and daringly personal introspection set her apart from her peers, and she delivered it with a smoky, quavering passion that made her performances all the more incisive. 1970's Candles in the Rain -- which included the singles "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" and "Ruby Tuesday" -- would become her commercial breakthrough and defining work. 1971's Gather Me, which included the number one hit "Brand New Key," would be her best-remembered album, but she proved to be remarkably prolific, recording and performing well into the 2020s and never straying far from the creative vision that found her an audience early on.