Melissa Etheridge began her career in 1988 with a self-titled album, which included one of her signature songs, “Bring Me Some Water.” In 1993, Etheridge came out as a lesbian and also released her breakthrough album, Yes I Am, notching hits like “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One.”
Following numerous Grammy nominations and a string of critically and commercially well-received albums, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 after the release of her eighth full-length, Lucky. She made a stirring return to the stage at the 2005 Grammys ceremony, performing “Piece of My Heart” in tribute to Janis Joplin.
In 2006 Etheridge won the Best Original Song Academy Award for “I Need to Wake Up,” her contribution to the climate-change documentary An Inconvenient Truth.
Etheridge has long used her platform to advocate for many causes, especially when they involve things with which she’s had direct experience. Since coming into the public eye, she has been outspoken about LGBTQ rights and also supported breast cancer awareness orgs, music education groups and numerous other endeavors.
In April, Etheridge released her 15th studio album, The Medicine Show, on which she sings about various forms of wellness and healing, including the tragedy of the opioid crisis and the curative powers of cannabis.
“Calling the album The Medicine Show puts straight up, front and center, that this is about health, wellness, cannabis, this new thought, new paradigm, however you want to talk about it, however you want to understand it,” she says in a press release.
7:30 p.m. Monday (Aug. 19). $29.50-$58.50. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, tafttheatre.org.
