Name	Melissa Ethridge
Height
Naionality
Date of Birth	May 29, 1961
Place of Birth	Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S.
Famous for

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.[citation needed]

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. 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.