She began playing the guitar at age eight. She played with several bands as she grew up. After high school she attended the Berklee College of Music, A renowned college in Boston, MA.
After a year attending Berklee she dropped out and moved to Los Angeles, California to try and become a professional musician. Bill Leopold got a hold of her original compositions and decided to sign on as her manager. Slowly she began to receive more and more music gigs.
Several record labels decided they wanted to sign Melissa. She decided to sign to go with Island Records in the end. Her music was placed first on the movie soundtrack for weeds before her debut self titled album came out in 1988. The album went gold and the most memorable single from it was “Bring Me Some Water”.
Her sophomore effort, Brave and Crazy, Also received gold certification and went on to be a hit with fans once more. After three years she released yet another album, Never Enough. This album had varying sounds and styles of music then her first two.
It wasn’t until her fourth album that she decided to come out and kill the rumors. She titled it “Yes I Am”, making it known to the world that she was a lesbian. This album became her most successful bringing her to the Grammy’s.
She released several more albums over the years but none were as successful as her fourth effort. She released an autobiography titled “The Truth Is: My Life in Love and Music” in 2002. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, but recovered from it thanks to early detection. She continues to be an amazing folk/rock singer and role model for the gay and lesbian community.