Michelle Meldrum
| Michelle Meldrum | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Michelle Foisy Hubbard |
| Born |
September 28, 1968 Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Died |
May 21, 2008 (aged 39) Burbank, California, United States |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1987–2008 |
| Labels | Shrapnel Records, Roadrunner, Geffen, Locomotive Music, Frontiers Records |
| Associated acts |
Phantom Blue, Meldrum, The Iron Maidens Childrens= Jake Thomas Norum Married= John Norum |
| Website | http://www.meldrum.nu/ |
| Notable instruments | |
| Gibson Les Paul | |
Michelle Meldrum-Norum (September 28, 1968 – May 21, 2008) was an American hard rock guitarist known for being a member of the bands Phantom Blue and Meldrum.
Biography
Meldrum was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a family of musicians and actors (grandfather Thomas Hubbard and Great Uncle Elbert Hubbard). The family moved to Los Angeles, California when she was 13. She started playing guitar at age 14. Ulrich Roth and Michael Schenker were her main influences after listening to albums such as the Scorpions' 1976 album Virgin Killer.[1] Her first move was forming thrash metal band Wargod with later Dark Angel, Death and Strapping Young Lad drummer Gene Hoglan, then moving on to become both co-founder and lead guitarist in Phantom Blue, an all-female heavy metal band. Phantom Blue released their self-titled debut album on Shrapnel Records in the US (Roadrunner Records in Europe and Japan, and on to a major label deal with Geffen Records). The band toured internationally with much success.
Meldrum married Europe guitarist John Norum in 1995[2] and they moved to Sweden where she went on to form Meldrum, a multi-national hard rock band. In 2005, Meldrum toured for three months with Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society, appearing in sold out venues across the US and Europe. In the fall of 2005, Meldrum joined Motörhead as special guests on their 30th anniversary tour throughout Europe. Meldrum has also toured with Sepultura, Danzig and Nashville Pussy, among others. In addition, she performed with her former Phantom Blue band mate Linda McDonald and The Iron Maidens on a handful of gigs in late 2006.[3]
Death
Michelle fell into a coma on May 18, 2008 and later died on May 21 due to complications of a cystic growth on her brain that had restricted the oxygen and blood flow, rendering her brain-dead. She was 39 years old. She is survived by her parents, her husband John Norum and their son, Jake Thomas.[4]
Meldrum had just completed writing and recording a new album at the time, which the surviving band members released in 2009 in tribute to her.[4] The band, along with the surviving members of Phantom Blue, participated in a benefit concert at Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood, California, on May 26, 2009 in memory of Michelle.[5][6]
Discography
Wargod
- 1985 demo
- 1986 demo
- Thrash Metal Attack compilation
- Speed Metal Hell Vol. 2 compilation
- Metal Massacre 8 compilation
Post Mortem
- Post Mortem (EP)
Phantom Blue
- Phantom Blue (1989)
- Built to Perform (1993)
- "My Misery" (4-track CD-single)
- Prime Cuts & Glazed Donuts (1995)
Meldrum
- Loaded Mental Cannon (2002)
- Blowin' Up the Machine (2007)
- Lifer (2009)
References
- ↑ Michelle Meldrum - A Tribute on YouTube
- ↑ Michelle Meldrum tribute – Lastingtribute.co.uk Archived May 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ The Iron Maidens - "Die With Your Boots On" (Live with Michelle Meldrum) on YouTube
- 1 2 "MELDRUM : OFFICIAL SITE". http://www.meldrum.nu/. Retrieved 2008-05-22. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "Bravewords.com > News > MELDRUM Drummer And Guitarist Featured On KNAC.com Tomorrow". http://www.bravewords.com/. Retrieved 2009-04-25. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ The Iron Maidens Forums - Phantom Blue Reunion Show on May 26, 2009.
External links
- Meldrum website (inactive and parked as of 2010-10-22)
- Meldrum rocks MySpace
- Michelle Meldrum MySpace