Melody Dunn
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Melody Dunn

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The best kept secret in music

Press


"Yuma singer finds success down under"

Published on: October 31, 2005 Singer Melody Dunn almost traded songs for sandwiches last year.That may come as quite a surprise for most fans of Dunn, easily Yuma’s most well-known darling of the country stage. But even after some great successes around the country with some big names in showbiz, Dunn said she simply hadn’t made it yet and was considering hanging up her mike."I was thinking ’Maybe I should be done with this.’ I really was," she said. "I’m a certified personal chef and I thought about opening up a gourmet sandwich shop, kind of settling down, getting into that and living my life and being happy with it all."Well, thank goodness for fans, that’s not how it worked out at all. And thank goodness for Dunn, too.That’s because her career isn’t just continuing, it’s about to break through the roof. Not only does she have a new album and video that has audiences going wild, but she’s also about to perform her sweet sound to a whole new crowd — in a foreign nation.Dunn had given a few CDs to a friend, then didn’t think much of it again, until she got a call from the largest radio station in western Australia. "They said ‘We love your stuff. We’re playing everything on high rotation,’ ” she said. "She had given them my CDs! I almost fell over."That woman is now Dunn’s manager and Dunn is now headed for a six-week trip across Australia, where country music is booming now.This is big stuff that carries a huge potential for launching her into stardom, and Dunn says she’s delighted that she didn’t go for the the turkey-on-rye option after all."This is so surreal. It really is!" she said. "My career is really going now and it’s starting to flow. I just hope to keep this momentum going."The plan is for her Australian tour to make a big enough splash that a few waves will hit the States. She would like to land a record deal back here and hopefully shoot right up the charts.Dunn added that she’s also glad that this quantum leap in her career didn’t come back when she was in her 20s, back when she may have had fewer years, but lots fewer experiences, too."I’m a true believer in everything happening for a reason, that everything comes in its own time," she said, still beaming. "When I was 21, I wasn’t ready for this to happen. I think I have a lot more to offer as an artist now, being a little older."Then Dunn, who playfully dodges questions about her age, laughs."Of course now I’ll have to compete with the Britney Spearses and LeAnn Rimeses of the world!"Judging from Yuma’s love for Dunn, she’ll have no problem.The singer released her new album, "A Single Red Rose," and a new video before an adoring crowd at a CD release party held recently at Lutes Casino."It was so awesome. There were probably 200 people there that night and I was just so pleased," Dunn said. "Everyone seemed to love the stuff on the album and the video went over great."And to be sure, it’s not just international adoration Dunn wants. It’s local loving that goes straight to her heart."That makes me feel very loved by my hometown," she said, adding that the enthusiastic response also told her a lot. "It told me that they had been waiting. They wanted to know what’s going on. I think a lot of people have seen me for so many years, doing so many things, that they wanted to know what I’m doing now. Again, that just feels great!"But if "A Single Red Rose" creates emotion, that’s simply because it’s made of emotion. That’s because Dunn, a storyteller through song, has always written songs woven with threads of tragedy and triumph from her own life. Doing so is how she conveys emotion behind the mike and how her music earns laughter and tears from the crowd as well."There’s a lot that’s happened in my life, and that’s what I write about. This album especially has a lot of my life in it."For Dunn, music isn’t just a fulfilling passion, it’s also good therapy."I work through a lot of things through my music. I worked through being a single mother, for example."Then take the song "I Almost Don’t Cry." It’s a ballad inspired by the death of a dear friend, a passing that actually inspired her to say “yes” when that call from Australia came."It’s just a very powerful song. I’ve just learned that life is too short for you not to go after what you want."Then there is Dunn’s version of the ’70s hit "Seasons in the Sun," a song audiences love but have no clue about the story behind it all."My brother used to listen to that song over and over. It is an awesome song, but it’s a song about death," Dunn said, her voice suddenly soft. "My brother had muscular dystrophy. He knew he was going to die."Kirk died at 14 when Dunn was six."He always called me Michelle and I would just laugh and say ’No, silly. My name is Melody,’ ” she said. "It wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I realized that he called me that because of the song. The last verse is ’Goodbye Michelle, my little one. You gave me joy and helped me find the find the sun.’ ”But Dunn isn’t crying now, at l - YumaSun Rants & Raves


Discography

Melody Dunn & The Dessert Sky - Album 2003
Single Red Rose - Album 2005

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Melody Dunn
born and raised in Yuma, AZ
Melody started performing
At age 11, playing clarinet,
Singing and acting.

While studying classical voice at the University of Arizona,
Melody realized that country music was more her style.
“I didn't grow up in a musical family and
never learned much about country music,
but I had this natural ‘twang’ to my voice.
I bought my first country album,
Reba McIntire, and I was hooked.”

Putting her music on hold to make a living,
she was still attracted to the spotlight,
majoring in broadcast journalism.
After graduation she put her journalism to use
and anchored the local news in Yuma, AZ for over 4 years.

Shortly after, Melody formed a group consisting of five members:
Steve Cano on lead guitar, Chris Clayton on drums,
Lori Stofft on fiddle and mandolin,
Ben Thorpe on bass and or course Melody handling the vocals.
The group recorded an album "Melody Dunn & Desert Sky"
and played together for five years.
They travelled across the US Performing at
State and county fairs and in every country bar they could find
from El Centro, CA to Minot, ND.
During this time Melody made a trip to Nashville
to record a demo and loved it!!!
She began spending more and more time in Nashville
and played several venues on Broadway in downtown Nashville,
including Tootsies and The Stage.
She also began writing songs for her second album, a solo project.
During her time in Nashville, Melody met Rachel Mann, an industry manager from Australia.
Rachel took to Melody’s first album and with Rachel's promotion, Melody's music has been a staple of country radio Down Under for the past year.
Today Melody is a full time musician, splitting her time between Nashville and Yuma, AZ.
Melody is currently touring Australia where she has made her mark on the Country scene after performing some 18 shows at the famous Tamworth Country Music Festival.

For more information please visit www.melodydunn.com

Or contact Rachel Mann – info@rage8.com.au
+61 421 315 102