Melissa Etheridge Set to Release New Concord Album on Legendary Stax Records

Concord Music Group has announced that acclaimed singer-songwriter and activist Melissa Etheridge is scheduled to release a new album honoring Stax Records in August or September 2016. Etheridge; an Oscar and two-time GRAMMY winner, is currently recording at Royal Studios in Memphis on what will be her first album since 2014’s critically lauded This Is M.E.

Along with original material, Etheridge’s ambitious Concord release will feature interpretations of classic songs from the legendary Stax catalog, celebrating its artists and legacy and spotlighting the vital role Stax Records played in the Civil Rights Movement. Engineered by Lawrence "Boo” Mitchell, son of famed music producer Willie Mitchell, the as-yet-untitled project will include a number of top Memphis musicians, including the Hodges Brothers.

"We are delighted and honored to welcome Melissa Etheridge to the Concord family,” says album co-producer and Concord Label Group President, John Burk. "She’s an incredible talent with her own unique blend of rock and soul that’s perfectly suited to interpret some of the classic Memphis repertoire that was foundational to both genres.”

Etheridge says, "It is such an honor to work with John Burk and Concord Music Group. I can see how well the company serves its artists, and it’s the perfect place for me to make my first musical concept album. Stax is like the Bible of rock ’n’ roll, and to pay tribute to that label, to see the roots of that music and to sing an Otis Redding song is such an amazing experience. I am so thrilled – I can’t wait to get started.”


Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Etheridge has remained one of America’s favorite female singer-songwriters for more than two decades. She stormed onto the American rock scene in 1988 with the release of her critically acclaimed, self-titled debut album. Her popularity grew around such memorable originals as "Bring Me Some Water,” "No Souvenirs” and "Ain’t It Heavy,” for which she won a GRAMMY in 1992. Etheridge hit her commercial and artistic stride with her fourth album, Yes I Am (1993). The collection featured the massive hits, "I’m the Only One” and "Come to My Window,” a searing song of longing that brought Etheridge her second GRAMMY® Award for Best Female Rock Performance. In February 2007, She celebrated a career milestone with a victory in the Best Song category at the Academy Awards for "I Need to Wake Up,” written for the Al Gore documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth. Earlier in her recording career, Etheridge acknowledged her sexual orientation when it was considered less than prudent to do so. In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer, a health battle that, with her typical tenacity, she won.