(DailyDig.com) – At the age of 76, Melanie Safka died on January 23. She was a vocalist who had many songs in the early 1970s, including “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain),” and performed at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. Her public relations agency, Glass Onyon PR, broke the news of her death.
Beau Jarred, Jeordie, and Leilah, Melanie’s three children, have expressed their grief and gratitude to their mother’s admirers. From her heavenly vantage point, she is still among them, and they know it.
The immediate cause of her death was not revealed at that time.
“Lay Down (Candles in the Rain),” a gospel-tinged duet between Melanie and the Edwin Hawkins Singers, peaked in 1970 at No. 6 and was Melanie’s first mainstream success. In 1971, her subsequent single “Brand New Key” peaked at No. 1, which ended up being her only other single to enter the top 10 in the United States.
Melanie spent her formative years in Queens after being born on February 3, 1947, in Astoria, New York. Although she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, her passion for performing in Greenwich Village at their folk clubs ultimately led her to seek a career in music.
In 1969, prior to her having any radio successes, she was flown to the performers section of the Woodstock Festival as a complete unknown. She described her terror as she saw herself go on stage, take a seat, and sing a few lines. However, she quickly felt secure and completed her set.
Before she became a trailblazer for independent musicians, Melanie had her greatest successes at the start of the 1970s on the Buddah label. In 1971, she departed to form her own label. She had inked a deal with the Los Angeles-based Cleopatra label, which is reissuing all of her music after Buddah.
Melanie’s three children have announced that they are inviting anyone who wishes to attend a celebration of her life to honor their mother. As soon as the details are finalized, they will be publicized.
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