Melinda is a wonderful woman whom I had the good fortune to meet, and then
meet again after circumstances had taken us in different directions. I
didn't get to know her too well during our initial brief acquaintance, and
we barely scratched the surface when we had our second chance, but in the
time we spent together, it was clear we were creatively kindred spirits. At
some point before her birthday that year, I realized that wherever she went,
everyone fell a little in love with her, including me.
This one thought, this one line sparked the song that bears her name and
tries to capture a bit of her essence. Honestly, the lyric came so
naturally, the song practically wrote itself. Within a year of its writing,
she moved on to Boston, and a year after that, to Austin.
Of course, I keep playing her song, often backed by special guests (who've
included Hal Benoit, Cece Borjeson, Kate Callahan, Stephen Kellogg, Lisa
Martin, Eric Paradine, Jerree Small & others). On several occasions, I've
even been backed by willing audiences (like the night we recorded it live at
Boston's legendary Club Passim earlier this year). Listeners always ask if
"Melinda" is a real person, and I tell them the truth: indeed she is, one of
the most dynamic, genuine and unforgettable women I've ever met.
~ Guy-Michael Grande,
Newington, CT
19 November, 2001
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