home | search | your stars | faQs | astrologers | consultants | gift books | research | articles | links | copyright | donate | email | me
QUEER STARS > | actors | artists | fashion/designers | filmmakers | politicians | singers/musicians | sportspeople | thinkers | ETC

Melissa Etheridge

American Singer-Songwriter, Musician, Lesbian & Gay Rights Activist
Astrology chart, profile, free music, books, links

Virgo Ascendant, Gemini Sun, Sagittarius Moon, Mutable Grand Cross
her astro-chart

ASTRO-DATA: Melissa Lou Etheridge, born 29 May 1961, 13:15 (1:15PM) CST (6hW), Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. [Sy Scholfield [copyright] quotes data from Joyce Luck's Melissa Etheridge: Our Little Secret (1997), p. 9. RR: B].
FEATURES: PERSONALIZED PLANETS: Capricorn SATURN (sextile Sun & Trine Moon), Aquarius JUPITER (trine Sun & Sextile Moon), Pisces CHIRON (ruler of Ascendant; square Sun & Moon; conjunct South Node), Aries ERIS (trine Moon; sextile Sun), Leo MARS (trine Moon & sextile Sun), Virgo PLUTO (square Moon & Sun). PATTERNS: MUTABLE GRAND CROSS (Moon, Chiron, Sun, Pluto), GRAND WATER TRINE (Chiron, Mercury, Neptune), KITE (Grand Water Trine plus Pluto), FIXED T-SQUARE (Jupiter opposite Mars, both square Scorpio Neptune), YOD (Moon sextile Saturn, both quincunx Mercury), YOD (Eris sextile Sun, both quincunx Neptune). SHAPE: SPLASH. CHINESE SIGN: METAL OX [BUFFALO]. NUMEROLOGY: "33" LIFEPATH.

Wikipedia Biography [with Astrology comments by Sy Scholfield].

Personal life

Etheridge's father, John Etheridge, was a high school Psychology teacher, counselor and athletic director at her alma mater, Leavenworth High School [Sun (father) in 9th House (teacher) squared by Pluto (Psychology)]. He died in 1993. Her mother Elizabeth, was a homemaker and an computer analyst and is now retired [Moon (mother) ruled by Jupiter in Aquarius (computers)].

Etheridge is famous as a gay rights activist [Uranus (gay rights) conjunct Mars (activist)], having come out publicly as a lesbian in January 1993 [Solar-Arc progressed Uranus conjunct natal Ascendant (time to come out)] at the Triangle Ball, a gay/lesbian celebration of President Bill Clinton's first inauguration. She is also a committed advocate for environmental issues and in 2006, she toured the US and Canada using biodiesel [Pluto (committed) in Virgo (environmental issues) on North Node].

Etheridge had a long-term partnership with Julie Cypher, and their relationship occasionally received press coverage. During this partnership, Cypher gave birth to two children, Bailey Jean, born 10 February 1997, and Beckett, born November 1998, fathered by sperm donor David Crosby [Crosby's Sun (sperm donor) at 21 Leo is conjunct Etheridge's Uranus, ruler of her 6th House of assisted conceptions].

In 2000, Cypher began to reconsider her sexuality and on September 19, 2000, Etheridge and Cypher announced they were separating. In 2001, Etheridge documented her breakup with Cypher and other experiences in her memoir The Truth Is... My Life in Love and Music [Solar-Arc progressed Mercury (books, writing) conjunct Mars-Uranus midpoint, plus solar-arc Mars conjunct natal Ascendant (revealing the truth, particularly the hard facts of life)]. In the book, Etheridge recounts that she was molested by her sister, Jennifer, over five years as a child ['double feminine' Pluto at 5 Virgo in hidden 12th House], and mentions an alleged affair Cypher had with k.d. lang [Venus in Aries in the 8th House can manifest as 'another woman.' Moreover, Etheridge's Mars at 12 Leo (ruler of her Venus and 8th House of intimate relationships) is conjunct kd lang's 12th House cusp (mystery, suspicion) at 11 Leo].

In April 2003, Etheridge became engaged to actress Tammy Lynn Michaels. The two married in Malibu, CA on September 20, 2003 [Solar-Arc progressed Eris (marriage) conjunct 9th House cusp (spiritual union) and trine Ascendant (blessed marriage)]. Their wedding was featured on ABC's InStyle Celebrity Weddings.

In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy [Solar-arc progressed Uranus (ruler of 6th House of health) at 5 Libra, quincunx natal Chiron (ruler of Ascendant) in 6th House (bringing a major and unexpected health issue to the fore)].

In October 2005, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Etheridge appeared on Dateline NBC with Michaels to discuss her struggle with cancer. By the time of the interview, Etheridge's hair had grown back after being lost during chemotherapy. She said that her partner had been very supportive during her illness. Etheridge also discussed using medicinal marijuana while she was receiving the chemotherapy. She said that the drug improved her mood and increased her appetite. Chemotherapy patients often have difficulty eating because of severe nausea [Chiron in Pisces (natural drugs) in 6th House of health treatments].

In April 2006, Etheridge and Michaels announced that Michaels was pregnant with twins via an anonymous sperm donor. Michaels gave birth to a son, Miller Steven, and a daughter, Johnnie Rose, on October 17, 2006 [Solar-arc progressed Moon sextile natal Part of Fortune (proud motherhood)].

In October 2008, five months after the Supreme Court of California overturned the state's ban on same sex marriage, Etheridge announced that she and Michaels are planning to marry but are currently "trying to find the right time... to go down and do it".

In November 2008, in response to the passing of California’s Proposition 8 banning gay marriage, Etheridge announced that she would not pay her state taxes as a sign of civil disobedience [Solar-arc progressed Moon quincunx Mars-Uranus midpoint].

Etheridge supported Barack Obama's decision to have conservative Christian and gay marriage opponent Rick Warren speak at the 2009 Presidential inauguration, believing that he can sponsor dialogue to bridge the gap between gays and straight Christians. She stated in her column at The Huffington Post that "Sure, there are plenty of hateful people who will always hold on to their bigotry like a child to a blanket. But there are also good people out there, Christian and otherwise that are beginning to listen."[12]

In a June 15, 2009 interview with Anderson Cooper, Etheridge admits that she still uses marijuana to lessen the effects of acid reflex or in extremely stressful situations.

Career

Etheridge attended Berklee College of Music in Boston for three semesters in 1979 and 1980 and was friends with fellow student Lauren Passarelli, now a guitar professor at Berklee. While in Boston as a student, Etheridge performed at many local establishments including Ken's By George.

In 1982, Etheridge moved from Leavenworth to Los Angeles, California, to break into the music business. She got some small gigs performing at The Candy Store on the Sunset Strip, as well as at least four lesbian or mixed bars: Robbie's, the Executive Suite and the Que Sera Sera in Long Beach and Vermie's in Pasadena [Pluto in 12th = lesbian bars]. Some of her early fans from Vermie's gave her demo tape to Bill Leopold, a friend's husband who worked in the music business. Etheridge auditioned for Leopold, who was so impressed that he offered to represent her on the spot.

As Etheridge continued performing in lesbian bars in Los Angeles, Leopold arranged for music executives to come see her play. Eventually, she caught the attention of A&M Records, who hired her as a staff songwriter. For two years, Etheridge wrote music for A&M and many of her songs were recorded by mainstream artists. In 1985, Etheridge sent her demo to Olivia Records, a lesbian record label, but was ultimately rejected. She saved the rejection letter, signed by "the women of Olivia", which was later featured in Intimate Portrait, the Lifetime Television documentary of her life.

In 1986, Etheridge was signed by Island Records, but her first album was rejected by the label as being too polished and glossy. Given four days in the studio to re-record, she cut ten tracks which were released as her eponymous debut album.

Etheridge has released ten albums in her career. Three of them have gone multi-platinum: Melissa Etheridge (1988), Yes I Am (1993) and Your Little Secret (1995). Two others went platinum and two more gold [Mars-Uranus midpoint at 17 Leo (gold) quincunx Part of Fortune at 17 Pisces (music)].

Etheridge is a Bruce Springsteen fan, and she has covered his songs "Thunder Road" and "Born to Run" during live shows [Springsteen's Pluto at 17 Leo is exactly conjunct Etheridge's Mars-Uranus midpoint]. She is also a fan of the Dave Matthews Band and has expressed interest in collaborating with them.

In 1994, Etheridge played a cover version of "Burning Love" live in Memphis, during the "It's Now Or Never, The Tribute To Elvis".

In 1997 she appeared on the sitcom Ellen.

In October 2004, Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, she made a return to the stage and, although bald from chemotherapy, performed a tribute to Janis Joplin with the song "Piece of My Heart" [Etheridge's Moon is conjunct Joplin's MC]. Etheridge was praised for her performance, which was considered one of the highlights of the show. Etheridge's bravery was lauded in song in India.Arie's "I Am Not My Hair."

On September 10, 2005, Etheridge participated in ReAct Now: Music & Relief, a telethon in support for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. ReAct Now, part of an ongoing effort by MTV, VH1, CMT, seeks to raise funds for the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and America's Second Harvest. Etheridge introduced a new song specially written for the occasion called "Four Days". The a cappella song included themes and images that were on the news during the aftermath of the hurricane. Other charities she supports include The Dream Foundation and Love Our Children USA.

On November 15, 2005, Etheridge appeared on the Tonight Show to perform her song "I Run for Life", which references her own fight with breast cancer and her determination to overcome it, and seeks to encourage other breast cancer survivors and their families. After her performance Jay Leno told her, "Thanks for being a fighter, kiddo".

Etheridge wrote the song "I Need to Wake Up" for the film documentary An Inconvenient Truth. The song was released only on the enhanced version of her greatest hits album, The Road Less Traveled.

Etheridge was also a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Etheridge performs during the third night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.On July 7, 2007, Etheridge performed at the Giants Stadium on the American leg of Live Earth. Etheridge performed the songs "Imagine That" and "What Happens Tomorrow" from The Awakening, her tenth album, released on September 25, 2007, as well as the song "I Need To Wake Up" before introducing Al Gore. On December 11, 2007 she performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, together with a variety of artists, which was broadcast live to over 100 countries.[6] In addition, she performed at the U.S. 2008 Democratic National Convention on August 27, 2008. In July 2009, Etheridge announced through her website that she and John Shanks well begin recording her 10th studio album this summer. This is the first time since 1999 Etheridge and and Shanks were the only ones involved in the production of a project. More details are to be released later in the year.

Awards

At the 20th Annual Juno Awards in 1990, Etheridge won International Entertainer of the Year [Asteroid Juno is exactly conjunct Etheridge's Part of Fortune].

Etheridge has won the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance twice in her career, for the songs "Ain't It Heavy" in 1992, and "Come to My Window" in 1994.

In 1996 she was awarded ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year Award.

In 2001, she won the Gibson Guitar Award for Best Rock Guitarist: Female.

In 2006, at the 17th GLAAD Media Awards, Etheridge received GLAAD's Stephen F. Kolzak Award, honoring openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professionals who have made a significant difference in promoting equal rights. In addition, she was awarded as Outstanding Music Artist for Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled.

On February 25, 2007, Etheridge received the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "I Need to Wake Up", the theme song to the Al Gore-moderated, Academy Award winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth [Mars (need) conjunct Uranus (awakening)]. The award was presented by Queen Latifah and John Travolta.

On February 18, 2009, Etheridge was named the "Celebrity Marshall" for Boston's 2009 Pride Parade, by the Boston Pride Committee.


more lesbian stars


www.MelissaEtheridge.com


biographies


DVDs

References:
Glenna & David Johnson. The Melissa Etheridge FAQ and Never Enough Information.

© 2000+
all rights reserved in all media

Sy Scholfield