Susannah Melvoin

Susannah Melvoin
Gary Baca TV · CC BY 3.0 · source
Name	Susannah Melvoin
Birth date	1964
Birth place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1980s–present
Associated acts	Prince, The Revolution, Wendy Melvoin, Tommy LiPuma

Susannah Melvoin Susannah Melvoin is an American singer and songwriter known for her work in the 1980s and 1990s with artists and bands across pop, rock, and funk genres. She rose to prominence through close collaboration with Prince and contributions to The Revolution and other projects, later establishing credits as a co-writer and vocalist with figures from Warner Bros. Records-era mainstream popular music to independent productions. Melvoin's career intersects with notable musicians, producers, and cultural institutions from Hollywood to Minneapolis's music scene.

Early life and background

Born in Los Angeles to a musical family active in the entertainment industry, Melvoin grew up amid connections to Capitol Records, A&M Records, and session work tied to the Los Angeles County studio ecosystem. Her siblings include Wendy Melvoin, a guitarist and songwriter who later became a member of The Revolution, and relatives who worked with producers such as T Bone Burnett and Tommy LiPuma. Raised during the height of MTV's influence and the post-Motown era shift in popular music, she was exposed to songwriting and recording techniques associated with studios like Sunset Sound and Westlake Recording Studios. Early influences cited in interviews include performers from Prince's orbit, members of The Beatles, and contemporaries on the Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records rosters.

Career

Melvoin's professional career began with session singing and background vocals for artists connected to Los Angeles and Minneapolis music circles, contributing to recordings overseen by producers such as David Z, Brownmark, and Sheila E.. Her studio work placed her alongside performers from The Revolution, touring bands affiliated with Prince, and songwriting teams collaborating with labels including Warner Bros. Records and RCA Records. During the late 1980s and 1990s she expanded into co-writing, working with songwriters and musicians from D'Angelo, Sade, and pop acts associated with Arista Records, while also participating in independent releases on boutique labels tied to Paisley Park Studios. Her vocal credits appear on releases that involved arrangers and engineers associated with Geffen Records and Columbia Records sessions.

Collaboration with Prince and The Revolution

Melvoin's most visible association was with Prince and the extended family of performers surrounding The Revolution. She contributed as a vocalist and collaborator during periods when Prince was expanding his ensemble, intersecting with members from The Revolution such as Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Bobby Z., and Brownmark. This collaboration included studio work at Paisley Park and performances tied to release cycles on Warner Bros. Records. Melvoin's presence in Prince-related projects placed her in creative dialogues with producers and musicians like Sheila E., Jellybean Johnson, David Z, and songwriters who later worked with artists on the Prince-affiliated label ecosystem. Her association with The Revolution era contributed to the cross-pollination between Minneapolis sound innovators and Los Angeles session communities, influencing arrangements and vocal production on tracks recorded during that time.

Songwriting and production credits

As a co-writer and credited vocalist, Melvoin contributed to songs released on albums distributed by Warner Bros. Records, Paisley Park Records, and independent labels. She has songwriting credits alongside collaborators who worked with Madonna, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and producers connected to Quincy Jones-influenced sessions. Her work as a background and featured vocalist led to credits on projects engineered at studios like Ocean Way Recording and mixed by professionals affiliated with Maverick Records-era pop and A&M Records releases. Melvoin also contributed to recordings that involved musicians from The Family, The Time, and artists who toured with Prince and members of The Revolution, resulting in songwriting and vocal credits that appear across compilation releases, soundtrack placements, and reissues curated by labels such as Rhino Entertainment.

Personal life and relationships

Melvoin's personal and professional life is interwoven with figures from the music industry, including familial ties to Wendy Melvoin and collaborations with artists like Prince, Sheila E., and session musicians rooted in projects produced for Warner Bros. Records and Paisley Park. Her social circle has included songwriters, producers, and instrumentalists who worked with David Bowie, Stevie Nicks, and studio staff from Sunset Sound and Westlake Recording Studios. Over the years she maintained connections to producers and managers associated with labels such as Columbia Records, Geffen Records, and RCA Records, participating in reunion events, tribute performances, and industry gatherings that brought together alumni from The Revolution, Prince's touring ensembles, and other veterans of the 1980s pop and funk scenes.

Legacy and influence

Melvoin's contributions are remembered within the networks of artists emerging from the Minneapolis sound and the Los Angeles session community, influencing vocal arrangements and collaborative practices shared among musicians tied to Prince, The Revolution, and associated acts on Warner Bros. Records. Her collaborations helped foster connections between artists on the Paisley Park roster and performers from labels such as A&M Records and Arista Records, leaving a footprint on projects that continue to be referenced in retrospectives about 1980s and 1990s popular music. Musicians, producers, and historians examining the period cite ensembles, songwriters, and studio practices involving Melvoin when tracing the lineage from Motown-influenced session work to the hybrid pop-funk-R&B sounds that shaped late 20th-century American popular music.

Category:American singer-songwriters Category:People from Los Angeles