Wendy Melvoin

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Wendy Melvoin (born January 26, 1964) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince. Coming from a musical family, Wendy is sister to the late Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin and daughter to jazz pianist (and former NARAS president) Michael Melvoin. In addition, she is the twin sister of singer and composer Susannah Melvoin.

[edit] The Revolution

One of Michael Melvoin's friends was session musician Gary Coleman; Coleman's daughter Lisa Coleman became friends with Wendy Melvoin when they were children. Coleman eventually became one of the backup musicians for Prince, and introduced Melvoin to Prince during the sessions for 1999. Prince was impressed with Melvoin's guitar playing while in a hotel room, and Melvoin would replace guitarist Dez Dickerson in 1983. Both Coleman and Melvoin became members of the newly designated band The Revolution. The band experienced the explosive popularity of Purple Rain, and recorded two additional albums with Prince, Around the World in a Day and Parade, the soundtrack to Prince's film Under The Cherry Moon. Melvoin's partner is Writer/Director Lisa Cholodenko. They have one child together.

[edit] Other credits

Shortly after the completion of the Parade project, Melvoin and Coleman left the Revolution, and started their own musical duo, Wendy and Lisa (later known as Girl Bros). The duo also collaborate on musical scores for motion picture and television. They have scored the music for the NBC shows Crossing Jordan and Heroes, the latter of which won the duo the 2007 Film & TV Music Award for Best Score for a Science Fiction Television Program.

Melvoin has also worked as a producer and studio musician on her own, working with artists such as Lisa Germano, Nina Gordon, Sheryl Crow, Liz Phair, Scritti Politti, Neil Finn, k.d. lang, Nerina Pallot and Eric Clapton. They also contributed a remix of the Gwen Stefani track "The Real Thing" on the Love. Angel. Music. Baby. album.

She has recently been credited with playing guitar on the track "She's Not Me" on Madonna's 2008 album Hard Candy, and is mentioned by name in the song.