Melanie Doane
Another childhood radio frequent listen. I remember hearing the hit songs Adam's Rib, Goliath and Still Desire You
In interviews Melanie says she always planned on becoming a music teacher. But as life happens, she ended up doing theater first in Halifax then in Toronto. It was through this experience that was the inspiration for her debut album.
Shakespearean Fish was released in 1996 and only in Canada. A folksy album offered the singles Tell You Stories and My Sister Sings. The former featuring a collaboration with one of the singers of the Barenaked Ladies. She was also associated with Blue Rodeo and Dayna Manning in backing vocal recordings and or backing live vocals.
Her next album, Adam's Rib was released in Canada and the US a few years later in 1998. It was a commercial breakthrough for her and has the singles Adam's Rib, Waiting for the Tide, Goliath, and Happy Homemaker.
It is cool to hear the fiddle in the song Adam's Rib and feeling for the Celtic east coast influence sprinkled through the album as a whole. The instrumental Mels Rock Pile is a lovely display of that.
Another song off the record was Can't Take My Eyes Off You that was featured in four different TV show series including Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What sounds like a captivating slow burn turns out to be a love letter to a TV.
She released her third album You Are What You Love in 2003. More polished even still yet experiments with some different sounds. The turntables surprised me. The standout single is Still Desire You. I have a hard time sinking my teeth into the album otherwise unfortunately.
Melanie Doane independently releases A Thousand Nights in 2008 featuring cover songs inspired by her newfound motherhood. The single Songbird from the album features long time musical friend Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo.
Melanie did begin teaching music via the ukulele around 2009 through a program she started.
In 2011 she independently released her final album Emerald City. Which seems like a theatrical nod to her first album's name. The album feels like a small coming of age which reflects in her children's aging and a personal divorce.
Throughout her career, her brother Creighton Doane has collaborated via drums, guitars, and songwriting.
Where is Melanie Doane these days? Mostly likely still teaching music via the ukulele for the TDSB.














