Melanie Pierce shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Melanie, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Lately our recent shows that we have been putting on have made me feel so proud. I am having so much fun that you can find me laughing more and more. Its just fun.
We perform these shows at Lafayettes Music Room and Neil’s Music Room in Memphis, TN mostly and we do a ton of tributes in character. It’s fun, the crowd is inspiring and the musicians and singers are fun to be around.
This has been a long time coming and I’m grateful. I am so proud of how far our band has come and the opportunities we have had lately.
We recently performed for the celebration of the Tina Turner statue and it was a wonderful time and an event we will never forget.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Melanie Pierce out of Memphis, TN. I perform in the band Elevation Memphis and we have so many different styles of music we offer.
We have a Tina Turner tribute band, we have a fun cover band that can do any genre of music, original music band and we have an acoustic band, plus I started an Aaliyah/Maxwell 90s R&B tribute band and just so many other things that’s keeping the schedule busy. It’s been wonderful.
We perform all over the city of Memphis and surrounding areas.
I also sing from time to time backup for a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band and they are rocking. The band is called “Play Some Skynyrd” so I am keeping myself pretty busy.
What makes Elevation Memphis unique is that we do it all. There isn’t anything we can’t do. What makes our Tina Turner local show unique is the different tributes we add to the show. You never know what will get added. Charmaine Joy, we call him “Cowboy Joy”, and he adds so much creativity to our production with the many characters he impersonates along with me on stage. We also have LaShon Robinson which is one of the band owners and managers and she also sings tributes of many different icons along with Angela Burton. The singers are such powerhouses and as a group the harmonies are just wonderful to hear.
We perform a lot with several musicians such as Robert Allen Parker, he’s a guitarist for us and several local bands and has been in our band for over a year. Such a polished, experienced player and so fun to watch on stage. He brings the energy and when you watch him you say to yourself, it’s only one Robert Allen Parker. He is one of the best in the city of Memphis, TN. We also perform a lot with Lance Binder on bass. Have you seen him? How many bass players has his energy on stage? It’s rare to see and he is definitely unique and a rare find. We enjoy him thumping on the bass and bringing such high energy. Derrin Lee has a smooth sound and handles the arrangements for our bands. He has been in the band since almost day one and he is one to listen to. Has wonderful ideas and is very creative. Ken Ariston is a newer drummer for us and he is such a player. He also has the best personality to be around and can play any genre of music. Since he has joined us, he hasn’t missed a beat. It feels like he’s been with us such a long time. We love his sound and what he brings. Hes “Simply The Best”.
We also have a cover band, it’s also fun, we perform acoustic, and full band. We have original music on all streaming platforms.
I am a co-owner of an online thrift store called Groovy babes Thrift Shop. LaShon Robinson and I started that band to find ways to raise band money. It’s been a success thus far.
We started our cover band in 2019 and then we started our Tina Turner tribute in 2023. It’s been a busy year for us.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My mother was always one that supported me in all that I wanted to do. I played basketball for many years and now I’m performing on stage singing. She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and my mother has always known that I would do something that no one saw coming.
LaShon Robinson is my best friend and a person I have grown to call my sister. She found me at work and I started singing in bands because of her. After one audition life changed and we started our band together Elevation Memphis which was successful locally and now we have an even bigger band called Elevation Memphis: A Tina Turner Tribute Experience.
LaShon believed in me and pushed me to work on my voice. I will never forget that she got me started and she has just been such a supportive friend in my life. She said something in me and knew I could do it. I do the same for her. I appreciate her more than ever.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There has been plenty of times I wanted to give up. So many music and life challenges that can be hard to handle.
There are a lot of things can really stress you and make you feel like you want to give up. In those moments you have to think positive and understand that if you start a business it comes with stress. It’s been on and off rocky, but the big and small wins always remind me that the stress was worth it.
Charmaine Joy lets me know daily how amazing our band is, how hard we work, how are are on top of the world, and me and LaShon always motivate each other on the positive things that are happening.
Sometimes when you get in certain positions you have to make decisions that are best for your business. Sometimes it’s difficult and makes things stressful and want to give up but every show just lets me know we are doing something right.
My friends, and close family won’t let me give up. It’s so many wonderful things happening and I am just overall feeling proud every day.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say the band, my family and friends matter to me. Mostly everything matters to me and anything I am apart of definitely matters to me. I like for things to be done right, and most time a certain way. I have a team of people that make final decisions in certain departments that takes a lot of stress off of me. My closest friends would say I put a lot of time in effort in the brands/bands I am apart of and I am one in a million. There isn’t another Melanie Pierce.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I give my best in everything I do. Praises are a bonus, but I can take it or leave it. I appreciate people who appreciate me, you can always tell when someone appreciates you even when they don’t say it. What I love most are the people at our shows. They show us a lot of love when we don’t ask for it and they see the hard work put in. As long as I can see they are having a great time that is what makes me happy.
My goal is to continue to work hard and assist in keeping things as best as possible. As long as things are running successful, I don’t need a praise for it. I smile when I think of the awesome things I have helped accomplish and I am always motivated from that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.MemphisTinaTurnerTribute.com
- Instagram: MemphisTinaTurnerTributeBand
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17GVXmxuYb/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@elevationmemphistinaturnertrib?si=ujhkBQZQwQ8cf9tt
Image Credits
Frank Chin
Danny Day
