Melanie Taylor was born in New Orleans on New Year's Day to a classical pianist mother and a family of artists. Melanie Taylor's rich, eclectic musical heritage has helped guide and define her own artistry ever since.

She is deeply inspired by such diverse and unique artists as Joni Mitchell, Billie Holiday, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, Donny Hathaway, and the poetry and writing of E.E. Cummings, Pablo Neruda, Stephen King and Toni Morrison.

As one of Bette Midler's infamous and legendary Harlettes for nearly a decade, Melanie has been seen twirling and singing on the Emmy Award-Winning HBO Special "Diva Las Vegas," as well as a 6-week sold-out engagement at Radio City Music Hall, and in a millennium photo essay in Rolling Stone magazine.

Her notable television credits as a vocalist and/or actor include: MTV, American Idol, VH1, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Oprah, American Bandstand, Bette, Ally McBeal, The Guardian, Boston Public, Jag, and HBO’s Taxicab Confessions.

She has been a featured vocalist on tours, TV, and shared the stage with such artists as Bette Midler, Barbara Streisand, Ray Charles, Elton John, Billy Joel, Sheryl Crow, Michael McDonald, Jackson Browne, Sarah McLachlan, Tears for Fears, David Foster, Donna Summer, Michael Bolton, Patti LaBelle, Ronnie Spector, Jeffrey Osborne, Brian Wilson, Jim Belushi, Sheena Easton, Paula Abdul, Carole Bayer Sager and Willie Nelson.

First photo of the girls together the   day they were hired to be Harlettes.

As a recording artist for Capitol Records, with the duo act Bardeux, she landed a Top Five single on the Billboard Dance charts. Recently released is Melanie’s Holiday CD "This Christmas," which weaves an artfully unique tapestry of her favorite Christmas songs. Melanie also sings jingles (Mattel’s Flava Dolls, Bratz Dolls Videogames, Lion King II: Simba’s Pride DVD, Toyota and Sir Speedy national commercials) and does voice-overs and cartoon voices (Nickelodeon’s Around the World in 80 Days, Sesame Street Live) for a number of music houses. Film/soundtrack credits include Francis Ford Coppola’s One From the Heart, Antitrust (starring Tim Robbins), Get Bruce, and featured vocals in Labor Pains (starring Kyra Sedgwick) and ABC's When Billie Beat Bobby (starring Holly Hunter.)

Favorite stage roles include Nickie in Sweet Charity, and featured roles in Godspell, West Side Story, and Finian's Rainbow (for Reprise!). As a songwriter, Melanie recently co-wrote (with guitarist Allen Hinds) and placed the song “What Can I Say” on Patti Austin’s CD “On the Way To Love”. Melanie looks forward to completing her second CD of original pop/jazz/spoken word compositions to be released later this year.