Melinda Schneider, daughter of legendary yodeller, Mary Schneider, has always been more than just a country singer. A life-long fan of big screen icon, Doris Day, the Sydney-born musician, who began performing live on stage with her mother at the age of three (and recording five years later), is currently busy promoting a stage musical she co-wrote about the life of her idol.
Melinda Schneider: Life Begins at 40
As well as this exciting new project, Melinda Schneider is also marking four decades on this planet by launching an ambitious 40-track double CD compilation, entitled Life Begins at 40, spanning her 32 years as a recording artist and featuring duets with some of the biggest names in Australian music.
This thorough retrospective (her second, following 2008's Hits & Rarities) comes after a memorable run on last year's Dancing with the Stars (where she and dance partner, Serghei Bolgarschii, were the fourth pair to be voted off) and a well-received Doris Day tribute album.
"It’s a collection of 40 songs from over three decades of my recording career," explains the lady herself in her warm, friendly tones, referring to the new CD released on October 21st, "which has been something that’s been really nice for me to be able to put together.
"It ranges from a whole cross-section of material from a lot of country stuff to songs that I’ve had success with during my music career, as well as some of my Doris Day tracks from the album Melinda does Doris, which I released last year.
"There’s a whole load of new tracks that I’ve recorded that I’ve included on the album as well and some really old stuff from when I was eight with my mum - and some duets with Olivia Newton-John, David Campbell and Paul Kelly. It’s a really lovely collection that I’ve put together and hopefully people will like it."
Melinda Schneider: The Story of My Life
Suite101: Which songs on the record particularly stand out for you?
"I think all the personal ones more than anything. The song I wrote about my dad after he died called Sergeant Bean - that one I love singing and a lot of people request it as well. The ones that are more honest and more about family, I think, are the ones that always get requested and I enjoy singing them because it allows me to remember my dad.
"My song, Wish You Were Here, which is also featured in my Doris Day stage show, I’ve sung at a lot of different events. That's one that’s very emotional and people have a strong reaction to it – usually a few tears. I like moving people with music."
Suite101: And your most popular number to sing live is still your 2002 hit, The Story of my Life?
"Yeah, I think so, for my country fans definitely. The Story of my Life is the one that people still want to hear all the time. I love that song because it is my true story. It’s got good feelings with it when I sing it."
Melinda Schneider: In a Happy Place
"I do feel that it is really beginning for me now," replies Melinda, when asked for her opinion on the old adage, 'Life Begins at 40'. "The last couple of years have been fantastic for me in my career because I’ve been able to diversify and do a whole lot of different things, other than just being a country singer/songwriter, with my latest show – it’s called: Doris: So Much More than the Girl Next Door.
"I wrote it earlier this year with David Mitchell, who wrote Dusty: The Original Pop Diva and Shout! and I’ve toured the show all around Australia. We’ve done Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne and the Lyric Theatre in Sydney and just wonderful venues. It’s been something completely different for me to be able to do a show that was fully scripted and the story of Doris Day’s life.
"It’s been a lot of fun and last year with Dancing with the Stars and releasing my album, Melinda does Doris, that was great as well. Lots of different projects are coming my way, or I’m creating these different things that I’ve had a passion for. So I do think in a lot of ways, professionally and also personally, life definitely feels like it is beginning at 40 because I’m in a very happy place in my life."
Melinda Schneider on Doris Day
Suite101: You've recorded an album of songs made famous by Doris Day and have co-written a musical about her life story. What is it about her that you love so much?
"I love her joy really, more than anything – her personality and her joy. Her voice too - she’s got the most amazing voice. She could sing, dance and act; she was a triple threat. There was no one else out there like Doris Day.
"She’s definitely one of a kind and she’s just so full of class and sincerity with her singing and acting and very natural and I think that’s what I love about her as well. I loved her ever since I saw Calamity Jane when I was a kid."
Melinda Schneider: Spreading Her Talent Around
Born on October 7th 1971, Schneider (whose songs have been covered by the likes of John Farnham, Ricky Skaggs, Jimmy Little and the aforementioned Olivia Newton-John) has always refused to allow herself to be pigeon-holed and over the years has experimented with a variety of genres and written and recorded with a number of different artists from around the world.
"The duet with Olivia Newton-John came about because I took part in The Great Walk to Beijing with her in China a few years ago and we got to know each other," reveals the award-winning star, recalling how the inspired pairing with the Grease actress (who also had a bit of a country music career back in the 1970s) originally saw the light of day.
"I played her Courageous and she liked it and wanted to put that song on her album, which went along with that Great Walk to Beijing. Then she allowed me to put it on my album, which was lovely – a big thrill for me to sing with her."
Melinda Schneider: The Next 40 Years
Having found herself at a point in her life and career where she can afford to sit back, relax and reflect on 30-odd years in the spotlight, Melinda Schneider is simply not that way inclined and intends to continue chasing her ambitions and fulfilling her dreams. This lady has not finished yet by a long shot.
"Look, there are so many things I want to do," she concludes. "I want to keep pushing the musical boundaries, I want to keep recording records that surprise people, I think, and keep writing different types of stuff. This Doris Day project has opened up a huge new market for me.
"There are some people who’ve never heard of me before who love musical theatre and so that’s taken me into a different world and I want to keep doing more of that. I’d like to make a real rock album, I’d like to do more jazz - maybe an album with a big orchestra - so there’s a lot of things I want to do and I’ve got another 40 or so years to fit all of those things in!"
Adrian Peel - Adrian is an English freelance writer and journalist currently living in Mexico. Over the past eight years, he has had articles, features ...
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