Passionate and inspired veteran of the music business Melissa Vardey combines both the practical experience of being in bands and working as a solo musician to managing, arranging, producing artists and scoring for motion picture and television.

Her career began in The Royal Academy of Music London England where she became first female pianist in The National Youth Jazz Orchestra under the directorship of Bill Ashton. Working in the Soho clubs of London’s West End including the world-famous Ronnie Scott’s jazz club who put Melissa on a retainer for one year to develop her skills and attend the club whenever she liked to hear: all the jazz greats from Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, Ella Fitzgerald, Flora Purim and Tubby Hayes. The Roof Garden Kensington, and private functions for The Guinness Family, Cathay Pacific Airlines, writing jingles for Doyle Dane & Bernbach and JWT advertising agency and becoming assistant to the then Creative Director of United Artists Records, Pierre Tubbs - helping promote artists Shirley Bassey, Don Maclean, War & Gato Barbieri (Last Tango in Paris).

Performing all over the world Bermuda, Europe, Scandinavia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, Asia, Greece and The Middle East, entertaining all walks of life at the piano and studying indigenous people, cultural mores, tribal rhythms and primordial sound. She wrote and performs a one-woman show about her experiences and amusing adventures in “Spinning The Globe” DVD.

She held the position as Resident “Entertainer To The Stars” at The American Embassy London for 8 yrs performing for The Royal Family, Presidents, dignitaries and international celebrities. Her claim to fame was bringing Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbechev together around the piano singing and playing shakers together. This was the beginning of a friendship between ‘Ronnie & Gorbie’ a moment that was instrumental in helping put an end to The Cold War.

When George Bush Snr took office the Ambassor Charles Price II encouraged Melissa to go to Hollywood as the budget for her services were cut in favor of brandy and cigars! She met and married legendary composer/arranger Jeremy Lubbock. Her songwriting talent was recognized by Warner Chappell who gave her a publishing deal where she began working closely in the studio with Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Teddy Riley, Natalie Cole and Rod Stewart (for whom she helped choose songs for his American Songbook that earned him his first Grammy). She produced Barry Manilow’s ‘The Best of Me’ vocal and collaborated and produced seven songs with Chaka Khan.

Platinum record #1 song with Michael Crawford & Patti Labelle, “WIth Your Hand Upon My Heart” produced by Arif Mardin

         

Original compositions, cues and songs licensed internationally through EMI. Up-coming album “Jazz Honey - Cultured & Wild”  features artists Tom Scott, Dave Koz, Lee Ritenour, Luis Conte, Ricky Lawson and Chaka Khan.

Melissa teaches and produces all facets and genres of music helping develop talent through her mentorship program. 

As a board-certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Melissa uses hypnotherapy as an adjunct to music lessons to help relieve pain and stress with her Integrative Vibrational Healing Program to create balance, self-empowerment through the subsoncsious accessing higher consciousness, the state of creativity and joy.