Melinda Schneider

She has dazzled with her dexterity on television’s Dancing with The Stars, received numerous awards including six CMAA Golden Guitars, produced the shimmering tribute album Melinda Does Doris, which spent nine weeks at #1 on the ARIA charts, launched the funny and moving stage show DORIS and is currently preparing for her fourteenth release, an empowering new album called The Woman.

For over two decades Melinda has been a leading light of the ‘new-breed’ of Australian Country artists both in Australia and the US. However, Melinda’s music career started way before that.  In fact, 2019 marks her Ruby anniversary, 40 years in show business. 

In a career which began with a stage debut at the age of three, (appearing with her mother, the legendary Mary Schneider) she has kept her family tradition alive by becoming one of Australia’s most sublime singers and popular live performers. But it is through her assured and accomplished song writing that she has really discovered her true voice.  Melinda is a two time ARIA nominee and has won numerous awards, including six CMAA Golden Guitars – 2008 Top Selling Album for Stronger, 2005 Album of The Year with Family Tree, APRA Song of The Year for the song Real People and Female Vocalist of The Year in 2003 for The Story of My Life.

Melinda’s songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as John Farnham, Billy Thorpe, Jimmy Little, Olivia Newton-John and Paul Kelly.  2008 brought with it an exciting new phase in Melinda’s career, the launch of her independent record label, Be Music.  Melinda released her fifth studio album Be Yourself in 2008 which earned her second ARIA nomination for Best Country Album and a special appearance on Andrew Denton’s, ‘Enough Rope’. Denton chose the title track ‘Be Yourself’, for the closing song on the final episode of the series.

Melinda was awarded her 6th CMAA Golden Guitar for Vocal Collaboration of The Year in January 2009 for her heartwarming duet ‘Still Here,’ with Paul Kelly.

Melinda’s first concept album, Melinda Does Doris – A Tribute ToDoris Day was released July 2010 through Universal Music. It debuted at #1 on the ARIA Jazz and Blues chart and stayed at the top for 9 weeks, bursting Michael Buble’s bubble, bumping him from the top position he’d held for a combined total of 145 weeks. 

In 2011, Melinda starred in her original stage show DORIS, Doris Day – So Much More Than The Girl Next Door. Co-written by Melinda and David Mitchell (of Dusty/Shout fame), this musical tribute to Melinda’s idol enjoyed sell out seasons at Brisbane’s Twelfth Night Theatre and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and two huge weeks at Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre. DORIS opened at The Lyric Theatre, Sydney in November  2011 to rave reviews, followed by a sell-out reprise performance at the prestigious Sydney Opera House Concert Hall in April 2012.

Meanwhile, in October 2011, Melinda also released her 9th album Life Begins At 40 – The Ultimate Melinda Schneider Collection. The double CD release marked her milestone birthday and celebrated over three decades of Melinda’s successful recording career.

Melinda entered another wonderful phase of her life with the birth in August 2012 of her beautiful baby boy Sullivan.

In November 2014 Melinda and Beccy Cole collaborated on their #1 charting album ‘Great Women of Country - and The Songs That Made Them’. A National major theatre tour followed in 2015, including the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

In Oct. 2016 Melinda released  Melinda Does Doris…Again – The Movie Songs and has been touring nationally with a concert version of her DORIS show ‘Melinda Does Doris’ A Tribute to Doris Day.  Melinda also embarked on a sold-out capital city concert hall tour, including the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall with her tribute to Doris Day and Frank Sinatra, ‘Young at Heart’ with Tom Burlinson in 2017.

In April 2018, Melinda released a new single, ‘My Voice’. Inspired by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movement, the song is truly an anthem of our time and a cathartic, healing experience for people who have long felt isolated or silenced. Profits from MY VOICE downloads helped fund safe workplace programs. 

In August 2018, Melinda embarked on a new phase of her versatile career, adding keynote speaker to her resume. Melinda sang and spoke, delivering her message of authenticity during the talk she calls ‘Be Yourself’, at An Inspirational Night with Emma Issacs (Business Chicks) and the Women in Media Conference on the Gold Coast, to a standing ovation. 

December 2018 brought with it two more sold out concert hall shows at Sydney Opera House with Hear Me Roar, a celebration of women whose music changed the world.

After being spotted at one of these shows by a sponsor of the renowned event G’DAY USA LA, Melinda was invited to fly to L.A to pay tribute to Helen Reddy on Australia Day in January 2019. Melinda performed ‘I Am Australian’, ‘Delta Dawn and ‘I Am Woman’ to a star studded audience in Hollywood to rave reviews.

In 2020, Melinda became an advocate for mental health and came on board as an Ambassador for Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP). After her own lived experience with depression and anxiety Melinda released an EP called ‘Be Gentle on Yourself’, which includes several songs about self-acceptance and self-care. 

In 2022, Melinda toured her ‘Love Songs’ show nationally, married her long-time partner and Choirboys frontman, Mark Gable, releasing a duet called ‘Together We Belong’ and starred in a sold out tribute to Joni Mitchell at the Sydney Opera House called, Both Sides Now. Melinda continued her keynote speaking career, appearing at several high profile Women’s empowerment events, and toured regional areas across Australia, rolling out a series of free wellbeing keynotes and performances in selected rural communities in conjunction with RAMHP.