Melanie composed her first song when she was four years old and also taught herself to play the guitar at five.

Her appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 brought her alot of international recognition.

Her song, “Lay Down (Candles  in the rain)” became a peace and love anthem

Apart from music, she was also a very professional painter and sculptor.

She was particularly well-known in France, where she received  the prestigious Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur Award in 2014.

She composed a great number of children’s rights songs such as “Peace on Earth.

She even took a break from music in the 1980’s to devote a time working with abused children.