Melissa Manchester at Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant

Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is best known for her powerful voice and chart-topping hits, including "Midnight Blue" (1975), "Don't Cry Out Loud" (1979), and "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" (1982), the latter of which earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Over her five-decade career, Manchester has enjoyed success in pop, adult contemporary, and theatre music, as well as in film and television acting. Melissa Manchester was born in the Bronx, New York, into a musical family of Jewish descent. Her father, David Manchester, was a bassoonist for the New York Metropolitan Opera, while her mother worked in the fashion industry. This rich musical upbringing influenced Melissa from an early age. She studied piano and harpsichord at the Manhattan School of Music and Arts and began singing commercial jingles by the age of 15. While attending New York City's High School of the Performing Arts, Manchester became a staff writer for Chappell Music and went on to study songwriting at New York University with Paul Simon. During this period, she also performed in the Manhattan club scene, where she was discovered by Bette Midler and Barry Manilow. The two invited her to be a backup singer for Midler’s shows in 1971, which gave Manchester a crucial platform to launch her solo career. In 1973, Manchester released her debut album Home to Myself, co-writing many of the songs with Carole Bayer Sager. Two years later, her album Melissa produced her first top-ten hit, "Midnight Blue," which firmly established her as a significant force in the pop music scene. Over the years, Manchester continued to collaborate with notable artists and songwriters, including Kenny Loggins, with whom she co-wrote the 1978 hit duet "Whenever I Call You Friend" for Loggins and Stevie Nicks. In 1979, Manchester's rendition of Peter Allen's "Don't Cry Out Loud" became another top-ten hit and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance. Manchester's talent for delivering emotionally powerful ballads continued to bring her critical acclaim throughout her career. In 1980, Manchester became the first artist to have two film songs nominated for an Academy Award in the same year: "Through The Eyes of Love" from Ice Castles and "I'll Never Say Goodbye" from The Promise. Two years later, she achieved her biggest commercial success with "You Should Hear How She Talks About You," which won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1982. Manchester also ventured into acting, appearing with Bette Midler in the 1991 film For the Boys and playing a recurring role on the TV show Blossom. In addition to her screen work, Manchester wrote and starred in the musical I Sent a Letter to My Love, based on the novel by Bernice Rubens. After releasing If My Heart Had Wings in 1995, Manchester took a break from recording studio albums until 2004 when she returned with When I Look Down That Road. This album marked her first new material in a decade, showcasing a mix of adult contemporary and pop sounds, with a focus on personal storytelling and introspective themes. Throughout the 2000s, Manchester continued to perform in concerts and contribute to various musical projects. She remained active in musical theatre and songwriting, nurturing the next generation of songwriters through workshops and masterclasses. Her involvement in education grew, and she became an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where she taught students about songwriting and performance. In 2015, Manchester released You Gotta Love the Life, an album funded through a successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The album marked her return to her jazz and blues roots, featuring collaborations with artists such as Stevie Wonder and Al Jarreau. The project received critical praise and highlighted Manchester's continued relevance and versatility in the music industry. The album celebrated her 40 years in the business and included both original material and covers of classic standards. In 2017, Manchester released The Fellas, a tribute album to iconic male vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Nat King Cole. This album allowed her to showcase her love for the Great American Songbook, paying homage to the legendary performers who inspired her throughout her career.