Melanie Thornton
May 13, 1967---November 24, 2001
Melanie Janene was born in Charleston, … Read Full Bio ↴May 13, 1967---November 24, 2001
Melanie Janene was born in Charleston, South Carolina and began studying voice from the age of six, as well as learning to play the piano and the clarinet. Growing up her mother would listen to Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack. Melanie would mimic the female vocalists she saw on television or heard on radio.
Later on she financed her college studies with appearances in talent shows and smaller band concerts. She frequented a club called The Peacock Lounge, getting up and doing jam sessions when the live band invited people up to sing. She had long dreamed of a career in music and in February 1992 Melanie went to Germany. Her sister lived there with her U.S. Army husband and Thornton had dual citizenship in Germany and the United States. His uncle, Bob Chisolm, a singer and piano player, encouraged Melanie to give the German nightclub circuit a try. She had been singing in a Macon, Ga., band, Danger Zone, pulling down $50 on a good night. However Bob Chisolm told her that on a bad night in Germany she would make $150.
She tried it and soon found work in studios recording demos. It was her recording of the song "Sweet Dreams" that caught the attention of producer Frank Farian, the mastermind of the infamous '80s duo Milli Vanilli. Farian took Melanie under his wing, teaming her with rapper Lane McCray in the duo La Bouche, which is French for "The Mouth".
She left La Bouche in February 2000 to be replaced by Natascha Wright while Lane remained a part of the project. She signed a record deal with Sony/Epic Records. Her first solo single was released in November 2000, titled Love How You Love Me, a ballad (the CD-maxi includes a few dance remixes).
Melanie presented her new single on November 29, 2000 on the RTL Spendenmarathon, and on December 1 at the Dome in Berlin. The follow-up single was entitled "Heartbeat".
On May 7, 2001, Melanie released her first solo album entitled Ready To Fly under the label X-Cell (distributed by Sony/Epic Records). She continued to do club appearances in the United States under the billing "Melanie Thornton, formerly of La Bouche".
On the night of November 24, 2001, Melanie died in a plane crash of the Crossair Flight 3597 near Bassersdorf by Zurich in Switzerland. She gave her final performance in Leipzig and then drove to Berlin where she took the ill-fated plane to Zurich for radio and TV appearances (among others, the broadcast "Die Bar" on TV3, which was cancelled) to promote her new single "Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming)" and her album Ready To Fly (New Edition). "Wonderful Dream" was a Christmas ballad recorded for a German Coca-Cola TV commercial. Although Thornton's death occurred practically on the eve of that year's Christmas season, Coca Cola decided to stick with the commercial as planned. It has also been used in Christmas Coca-Cola TV commercials in the Germany, Ireland, UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.
On November 25, 2002 the single "In Your Life" was released to commemorate the first anniversary of her death. Included is an "in memory" dedication from Lane McCray and SonyBmg/X-Cell Records
Thornton is buried in Mount Pleasant Memorial Gardens, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Melanie Janene was born in Charleston, … Read Full Bio ↴May 13, 1967---November 24, 2001
Melanie Janene was born in Charleston, South Carolina and began studying voice from the age of six, as well as learning to play the piano and the clarinet. Growing up her mother would listen to Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack. Melanie would mimic the female vocalists she saw on television or heard on radio.
Later on she financed her college studies with appearances in talent shows and smaller band concerts. She frequented a club called The Peacock Lounge, getting up and doing jam sessions when the live band invited people up to sing. She had long dreamed of a career in music and in February 1992 Melanie went to Germany. Her sister lived there with her U.S. Army husband and Thornton had dual citizenship in Germany and the United States. His uncle, Bob Chisolm, a singer and piano player, encouraged Melanie to give the German nightclub circuit a try. She had been singing in a Macon, Ga., band, Danger Zone, pulling down $50 on a good night. However Bob Chisolm told her that on a bad night in Germany she would make $150.
She tried it and soon found work in studios recording demos. It was her recording of the song "Sweet Dreams" that caught the attention of producer Frank Farian, the mastermind of the infamous '80s duo Milli Vanilli. Farian took Melanie under his wing, teaming her with rapper Lane McCray in the duo La Bouche, which is French for "The Mouth".
She left La Bouche in February 2000 to be replaced by Natascha Wright while Lane remained a part of the project. She signed a record deal with Sony/Epic Records. Her first solo single was released in November 2000, titled Love How You Love Me, a ballad (the CD-maxi includes a few dance remixes).
Melanie presented her new single on November 29, 2000 on the RTL Spendenmarathon, and on December 1 at the Dome in Berlin. The follow-up single was entitled "Heartbeat".
On May 7, 2001, Melanie released her first solo album entitled Ready To Fly under the label X-Cell (distributed by Sony/Epic Records). She continued to do club appearances in the United States under the billing "Melanie Thornton, formerly of La Bouche".
On the night of November 24, 2001, Melanie died in a plane crash of the Crossair Flight 3597 near Bassersdorf by Zurich in Switzerland. She gave her final performance in Leipzig and then drove to Berlin where she took the ill-fated plane to Zurich for radio and TV appearances (among others, the broadcast "Die Bar" on TV3, which was cancelled) to promote her new single "Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming)" and her album Ready To Fly (New Edition). "Wonderful Dream" was a Christmas ballad recorded for a German Coca-Cola TV commercial. Although Thornton's death occurred practically on the eve of that year's Christmas season, Coca Cola decided to stick with the commercial as planned. It has also been used in Christmas Coca-Cola TV commercials in the Germany, Ireland, UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.
On November 25, 2002 the single "In Your Life" was released to commemorate the first anniversary of her death. Included is an "in memory" dedication from Lane McCray and SonyBmg/X-Cell Records
Thornton is buried in Mount Pleasant Memorial Gardens, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
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Melanie Thornton Lyrics
Apologize Music by bobby stalker & jay tee rogers Lyrics by jay…
Back On My Feet Again No matter what you do Now it's too late You may not…
Fallin' in Love Baby, baby, fallin' in love I'm fallin' in love again Fa…
Forever 'Cause I'm with you everyday, every time, every way Forever…
Heartbeat You came into my life And you showed me how to…
Holidays are coming Love for everyone When the world is ever changing Light a c…
I Apologize Music by bobby stalker & jay tee rogers Lyrics by jay…
I Wish It Was Love Music by mitchell lennox & julien nairolf Lyrics by melanie …
Intoxicated Music, wine and candlelight You know how to please me The wa…
It's Alright Music by melanie thornton and todd chisolm Lyrics by melanie…
Love How to Love Me What am I gonna do What am I gonna say Lying in…
Love How You Love Me (Art-Of-Soul Tight Mix) What am I gonna do? What am I gonna say? Lying in…
Love How You Love Me (Chicago radio remix) Verse 1 What am I gonna do What am I gonna say Laying…
Love How You Love Me (Deep Chilled Store Cut) What am I gonna do? What am I gonna say? Lying in…
Makin' Oooh Oooh No one Can live without love Don't you wanna be with me Sett…
Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories Now you're gone Never f…
Memòries Written by Mitchell Lennox & Julien Nairolf Verse 1 Now you…
No Tears So long I've waited, patiently Did what I was told was…
Oooh Oooh No one Can live without love Don't you wanna be with me Sett…
Say You'll Be Mine You've got everthing I've been dreaming of And I will…
Straight From My Heart So good I see you again Would you come out…
Sweet Dreams Chorus: Sweet dreams of rhythm and dancing Sweet dreams o…
Too Late This is the end - you did it again Stop to…
Walk On By If you see me walking down the street And I start…
Wonderful Dream Love for everyone When the world is ever changing Light a c…
Wonderful Dream Radio version When the world is ever changing Light a candle in the…
Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Love for everyone When the world is ever changing Light a c…