'M   E   L   A   N   I   E'

S  A  F  K  A

SONGWRITER-MUSICIAN

AND

​THE VOICE OF A GENERATION

Melanie Safka (Melanie) was once hailed as the female Bob Dylan. Her awe-inspiring lyrical connotations were accompanied by her majestic voice and an acoustic guitar. She was a lone entity onstage but radiated a powerful force that became the voice and spirit to one of the most important generations the world will ever know.

When I asked Melanie how she developed her unique and sensational singing style she said … “I went out to imitate Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf and got it wrong.”

Melanie was born in Queens, New York to a Russian-Ukrainian Father and an Italian Mother. Her musical career began in Greenwich Village and eventfully landed her first recording contract with Columbia Records. She released several singles on the label but retained greater success after signing with Buddah Records.



Her debut album Born to Be (1968) was acclaimed for her independent music styles. It became clear that there was an exciting new singer on the block. In 1969, the single “Bobo’s Party” a track from her debut album reached #1 in France. Her second studio release Affectionately Melanie (1969) spawned the single “Beautiful People,” the song became a Top 10 hit in the Netherlands.



Melanie’s songs began gaining momentum but she was still, for the most part, considered an unknown to the U.S. music scene until August 15th 1969. Melanie was invited to perform at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair held on a dairy farm in Brethel, New York. Her mother drove her to the event. She had been clueless to the size and significance of the concert until she witnessed Sly Stone walking around and Janis Joplin sipping Southern Comfort while being interviewed by reporters. After arriving at the hotel she was separated from her mother and rushed onto a helicopter. While descending towards the stage area, she was in total disbelief over the mass of people attending the three-day event. Melanie shared a tent with folk musician and composer Tim Hardin while she awaited her turn to perform at the most famous concert event in music history.

  

Several hours later, she was called upon to perform after Ravi Shankar’s set. Melanie was terrified … a lone woman performer with a guitar in front of a half a million people. Without a setlist to guide her, she opened with “Close to It All” followed by “Momma Momma,” “Beautiful People,” “Animal Crackers,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Tuning My Guitar,” and concluded with “Birthday of the Sun,” a song she chose simply because it was raining.

Before and during her performance, concert organizers had distributed candles throughout the crowd. The lit candles during her performance while it rained inspired her profound composition, “(Lay Down) Candles in The Rain” (1970 #6 Billboard Hot 100 singles chart). She also inspired the etiquette of raising candles and cigarette lighters at concerts while portraying an audience of fireflies. 

  

After Woodstock, Melanie became the concert festival queen, performing at such outdoor events as The Isle of Wight, Strawberry fields Festival and Glastonbury Festival. She was also asked to perform on numerous Television programs including Dick Cavett, Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson.



“(Lay Dow) Candles in The Rain” was followed by “Peace Will Come (According to Plan)” (#32 Hit),” and her Rolling Stones cover, “Ruby Tuesday” (#52 Hit). 



Melanie and husband/ producer Peter Schekeryk formed their own record label called Neighborhood Records in 1971.

Also in 1971, Melanie landed her biggest commercial hit entitled, “Brand New Key” (#1 Billboard Hot 100 singles chart). A song inspired after a stop at a McDonalds fast food restaurant.



Melanie also released “What Have They Done to My Song Ma’” which was also covered by The New Seekers and Ray Charles. The New Seekers also covered “Beautiful People” and “Nickel Song” composed by Melanie.



Melanie set a record for the first female performer to land three simultaneous Top 40 hits … “Brand New Key,” “Ring the Living Bell” and “Nickel Song.”



Melanie was awarded Billboard’s #1 Top Female Vocalist for 1972. She also became a UNISEF Ambassador that same year.



In 1973, Melanie spawned the hit “Bitter Bad” (#36 Billboard Hot 100 singles hit).



In 1989, she won an Emmy Award for writing the lyrics to “The First Time I Loved Forever” the theme song for the TV series 'Beauty and The Beast.'



Melanie’s songs have been covered by countless musicians over the years.



She has sold more than 80- million records to date.

Former Washington, D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt was born on January 30, 1944 in Washington, D.C. Pratt is the daughter of Mildred Petticord and Carlisle Edward Pratt. Pratt graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1961 and earned her B.S. degree in political science in 1965 from Howard University. Pratt attended Howard University Law School where she earned her J.D. degree in 1968.

Pratt served as in-house counsel for the Joint Center for Political Studies from 1970 to 1971. From 1971 to 1976, she worked as an associate for the law firm Pratt & Queen PC. In 1972, Pratt became a law professor at the Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C., and worked there until 1976 when she became the Associate General Counsel for the Potomac Electric Power Company, known as PEPCO. In 1982, Pratt directed the failed mayoral campaign for Patricia Robert Harris. That same year, Pratt married Arrington Dixon, a Democratic Washington, D.C. City Councilman. Pratt was promoted to the Director of Consumer Affairs for the Potomac Electric Power Company in 1979 and then later to Vice President of Consumer Affairs in 1983. In 1988, Pratt announced that she would challenge Mayor Marion Barry in the 1990 mayoral election in Washington, D.C. Pratt was elected Mayor of Washington D.C., the first African American female to hold this position. In 1994, she lost her bid for re-election as mayor to Marion Barry. From 1997 to 2001, Pratt served as the President of @ The Center, a start-up electrical marketplace for Africa. In 2002, Pratt began Pratt Consulting, working with companies and governments developing Homeland Security/Emergency Management Plans. She is also the Executive Vice President for BI Solutions.

Pratt’s past and present board memberships include: the Center For Creative Leadership, the Democratic National Convention, Society for PSP, Emmitsburg St. Mary’s College Board, Opportunity Funding Corporation and a trustee at Howard University. Pratt is also the recipient of the Presidential Award from the NAACP, Glamour magazine’s Woman of the Year Award, the Congressional Black Caucus’ Mary McCleod Bethune-W.E. Dubois Award and the Clean Cities Award.

The Executive Office of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the University of the District of Columbia are launching an Institute of Politics Policy and History. The Founding Director of IPPH will be former D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt. MISSION Rediscovering District of Columbia history – and its consequential role in determining contemporary politics and policy.VISION IPPH, housed at the University of the District of Columbia, will encourage constructive, spirited dialogue about tough issues of the day; illuminating these conversations with insights from our city and our nation’s history. The Institute of Politics Policy and History, housed at the University of the District of Columbia, one of the country's oldest HBCUs, will encourage constructive, spirited dialogue around the issues of the day – illuminating these conversations with insights from our city and nation’s history. http://ipph.org/

Pratt is divorced, has two children, Aimee A. Dixon and Drew Willliams, and is also a grandmother.

Pratt was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on July 26, 2007.

William F. Bengston is a professor of statistics and research methods, and the President of the Society for Scientific Exploration, an international group of scientists and researchers who study anomalies.  Dr. Bengston has been researching anomalous healing for over thirty five years, and has numerous publications in scientific journals.  He has also lectured widely in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

His memoir, The Energy Cure, is published by Sounds True.  Bill’s research has produced the first successful full cures of transplanted mammary cancer and methylcholanthrene induced sarcomas in mice by energy healing techniques that he helped to develop.  He has also investigated assorted correlates to healing such as EEG and fMRI entrainment, and geomagnetic micropulsation anomalies in healing space.  His current research focuses on the attempt to record and store healing in both biological and physical systems, and to be able to reproduce the healing effect without the healer.

Batista Gremaud is the co-founder of the International Institute of Body Design, helping busy women over 40, look and feel 15 years younger, by eliminating aches and pains  with Dr Fitness USA's proprietary  system, guaranteed.

Certified also in personal training, Batista's expertise in strength training includes structural realignment of the spine and injury prevention.

Batista is a No1 Best Selling author and co-creator of the Feminine Body Design prescription strength training system.

Featured guest as an expert authority speaker on the International Pain Foundation, she has appeared as a celebrity guest speaker on numerous radio shows; Batista regularly writes for addiction recovery magazines and online health platforms.

A former international performer in ballet and Spanish dance Batista Gremaud is a visionary, also certified in hands on healing, intuitive readings and energy clearing, Batista Gremaud ‘s long time passions in dance, quantum physique and metaphysical science inspires her to help busy women over forty to achieve greater integration of body, mind and spirit through the practice of strengthening the body and the mind with the Body Design Formula prescription strength training coaching system.

Barbara Hand Clow is an internationally acclaimed ceremonial teacher, astrologer, cosmologist, author, and Mayan Calendar researcher.  Her numerous books include The Pleiadian Agenda, Alchemy of Nine Dimensions, Awakening the Planetary Mind and The Mayan Code.  Her recent two books are part of a trilogy:  Revelations of the Ruby Crystal, and its sequel, Revelations of the Aquarian Age,  

Revelations of the Aquarian Age is the second of three works of fiction in the "contemporary spiritual and erotic thriller genre" by this bestselling author.  The quasi-fictional narratives reveal church revelations and esoteric teachings on Jesus and Mary Magdalene, holy relics, sacred sexuality and art. This is a very well-researched book which received early praise from Nicki Scully, Tricia McCannon, Graham Philips, Andrew Collins and others. 

“Barbara Hand Clow opens the door to understanding the importance of the Divine Feminine to heal our world and why the wisdom once taught by Jesus and Mary Magdalene, which was repressed by the Church for over 2000 years, is so crucial to the time we are living in now.” Tricia McCannon, author of Return of the Divine Sophia.

Barbara has taught at sacred sites throughout the world

Behcet Kaya is a Turkish-American author and a Hollywood film and television actor known by the stage name Ben Kaya.

As a published author, Behcet Kaya has written four literary fiction novels, 'Voice of Conscience', 'Murder on the Naval Base', 'Road to Siran: Erin's Story and Treacherous Estate'.  Kaya is currently completing his fifth novel, 'Body in the Woods'.

Born in Evren-Siran, Turkey, Kaya enjoyed a traditional Turkish upbringing in a small village, where he read Turkish translations of books by Mike Hammer, Dale Carnegie and Yashar Kemal while dreaming of a western life in Europe and America.

Behcet Kaya left home at age 14 for Istanbul, Turkey and continued to London, England, where the young student earned scholarships from the Inner London Education Authority.  While in the UK studying the literary works of Dickens, D.H. Laurence and the Russian masters, Kaya was cast in a play and performed as a thespian for the first time on a London stage to rave press reviews, which opened a new avenue for the ambitious young Turk.

Behcet Kaya made his first visit to the United States as an exchange student with the British Universities North American Club while completing his Mechanical Engineering degree.  He permanently relocated to America in the 1970s, becoming a U.S. citizen in the 1980s.

While living in Atlanta, Georgia, actor Ben Kaya attended the Alliance Theatre School and the Screen Actors Guild Conservatory of Georgia. Upon earning his SAG-AFTRA card, Kaya moved with his wife to Los Angeles, California for an engineering career and to expand his acting opportunities.

Ben Kaya has appeared in numerous stage productions, television commercials and TV programs including "In the Heat of the Night," "Kids Like These," "Mayflower Madam" and "The Practice.” In September 2018 will be starring in TV series Council Cell

As a Hollywood movie actor, Ben Kaya has enjoyed acting roles in films such as David, Magician and the Crook, He Bop, The Chase, Fast Food and Being American, a 2014 film in which Kaya played the Turkish Minister of Defense alongside film star Lorenzo Lamas.

Known in entertainment circles as "The Hollywood Turk," actor and author Behcet "Ben" Kaya is currently completing his latest novel while studying International Relations and Political Science -- and, of course, acting throughout Southern California.

An award-winning novelist, Behcet Kaya made his four published books available for Hollywood film adaptation in 2015.  He can be contacted in Los Angeles by EMAIL.

In May of 2017 Kaya graduated from California state university channel island majoring in Political science.

Lori Ann Spagna is a Best Selling Author, Spiritual Teacher, Ascension Guide,

Multi-Dimensional Channel, Intuitive, Healer, Animal Communicator, Visionary,

Lightworker, and Starseed, who radically transformed her life after a series of near

death experiences while living in Maui.

Lori has over 20 years of experience serving humans and animals around the world

and is an internationally recognized speaker, best selling author and teacher who

provides seminars and workshops for awakening Lightworkers and spiritually minded

animal lovers about how we can improve our lives by learning from animals.

Lori also provides Sacred Energy Activations, Sacred Key Code and DNA

Activations, Healing Transmissions, Sacred Key Code Activations and Dormant DNA

Upgrades for people and animals.

Dr. Ganz Ferrance is a Speaker, Author and Registered Psychologist.



For over twenty-five years, Dr. Ganz has been helping individuals, couples, families, and corporations reduce their stress, improve their relationships, and enjoy more success.



Dr. Ganz presents his information in a straightforward, down-to- earth, no-nonsense way and does not present anything that he has not personally put his blood, sweat, and tears into. This approach has made him sought-after in media and as a public speaker. He has been interviewed on Good Morning Canada, and in Psychology Today, Ebony magazines as well as many other radio, TV shows and publications.