Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk, aka Melanie, the witty, gentle-voiced folk singer-songwriter, who rose to fame with her performance at Woodstock in 1969 and had two major hit singles, “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)”, died January 23. She was 76.
MSTies will recall that she was mentioned in a host segment in episode 204- CATALINA CAPER.
Thanks to Tim and Gordon for the heads up.




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Melanie (Safka) rose to fame in my days of youth mainly from her top 40 hit “Brand New Key”, but her music went much farther than that. My freshman college roommate was such an enthusiastic fan that he sometimes became the target of small minded ribbing for it. I defended him by producing my own copy of her eight track (yes, 8 track) as my bona fides. Today he is a high dollar domestic law specialist in Florida and I’ll bet he still has a soft spot for her music. RIP Melanie
It’s unfortunate that I had to learn about the depth of Melanie’s discography because of her passing, but she had a marvelous voice. I listened to a folk music program that had a tribute to her.
I’ve got a brand new pair of rollerskates
You’ve got a brand new key
TUSK
One of the first singles I ever owned was Brand New Key. Even as a little kid I knew it wasn’t really about roller skating, but it was kid-friendly enough to appeal to me. She was an amazing talent and will be missed.