MELANIE, 1947-2024

Melanie, the folk singer who emerged from Woodstock to become a pioneer of the artist-owned label, died Tuesday (1/23). She was 76.

Born Melanie Safka, she was best known for the hits “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain).” She was also one of the first artists to create and run their own label to retain control of their work. Her first release on her Neighborhood Records, founded in 1971, was also her biggest hit—“Brand New Key”—which went to #1 in 1972.

A native of Astoria, Queens, she got her start in the folk clubs of Greenwich Village, which led to her signing with Buddah Records and scoring hits in Europe such as “Bobo’s Party” and “Beautiful People.” After her appearance at Woodstock, she wrote and released the gospel-influenced “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain).” The song, inspired by what she saw from the stage, peaked at #6.

Melanie left Buddah after being asked to produce albums on demand—the label released three of her LPs in less than three years and one after she left. With her husband, Peter Schekeryk, she founded Neighborhood and released her fifth album, Gather Me, which went to #15. It included “Brand New Key,” which would sell 3m copies.

Melanie released a half-dozen albums on Neighborhood before going through other indie outlets. At the time of her death the L.A.-based Cleopatra label was working with her on reissuing her post-Buddah catalog.

In 1989 she won an Emmy for her lyrics to "The First Time I Loved Forever," the theme to the TV series Beauty and the Beast.

She'd recently been collaborating musically with her son, Beau-Jarred Schekeryk, and daughters Leilah and Jeordie and was working on a set of covers that included songs by Morrissey, David Bowie and Radiohead.

“She was one of the most talented, strong and passionate women of the era, and every word she wrote, every note she sang reflected that,” Melanie's children wrote in a joint statement posted to Facebook. “Our world is much dimmer, the colors of a dreary, rainy Tennessee pale with her absence today, but we know that she is still here, smiling down on all of us, on all of you, from the stars.”