Melinda Schneider (born Melinda-Jane Bean; 7 October 1971) is an Australian country music singer. She has been performing since she was three and sang with her mother, yodelling country artist Mary Schneider, on the album The Magic of Yodelling at the age of eight.
Schneider is a multi-Golden Guitar winner at the Country Music Awards of Australia winning her sixth with Paul Kelly for 'Vocal Collaboration of the Year' for their duet "Still Here" in 2009.
Career Schneider studied dance as a child and made her acting debut on the popular Australian drama A Country Practice when aged thirteen. She also sang the theme music for the ABC TV series Something in the Air.
In 1994, Schneider featuring on Audio Murphy Inc.'s dance track "Tighten Up Your Pants" which peaked at number 39 on the ARIA Chart. The song mixed electronic beats and yodelling. The success of "Tighten Up Your Pants" earned her a three-album deal with Festival Records. Unsure of what kind of singer she wanted to be, Schneider foundered, eventually quitting Festival without making an album.
In 1999, Schneider performed the duet "Love Away the Night" with Adam Brand. In January 2000, the song won Schneider her first CMAA Award for Vocal Collaboration of the Year.
In 2000, Schneider released her debut studio album, My Oxygen. The album was recorded with the Nashville-based Australian producer Mark Moffatt.
In July 2002, Schneider released her second studio album, Happy Tears, which peaked at number 94 on the ARIA charts and was certified gold. Happy Tears was produced by her husband of five years, Graham Thompson, and released on his Compass Bros label.
In 2003, Schneider won her the first solo Golden Guitar for Female Vocal of the Year.
In May 2004, Schneider released Family Tree, which peaked at number 64 on the ARIA charts and was certified gold. The album earner Schneider her first ARIA Music Award nomination.
In 2006, Schneider was invited by Deborah Conway to take part in the Broad Festival project with three other Australian female artists. They performed their own and each other's songs. With Schneider and Conway were Mia Dyson, Kate Miller-Heidke and Ella Hooper.
In 2010, Schneider was a participant on the ABC Television program Bush Slam and a celebrity contestant on the Channel 7 show Dancing with the Stars partnered by Serghei Bolgarschii in Season 10.
In 2011, Schneider starred in the theatre show Doris: So Much More Than the Girl Next Door, written by Schneider and David Mitchell. The show told the story of Doris Day's life and was first performed at the Twelfth Night Theatre in Brisbane in May 2011.
In November 2014, Schneider released Great Women of Country, a collaboration with Beccy Cole. The album became her first to peak inside the ARIA top ten.
In 2022, Schneider performed a two-hour show titled Love Songs, celebrating the love she has found with her long-time partner, Mark Gable. In May 2022, Schneider released a compilation album of the same name.
In August 2026, Schneider will release the album The Way We Were: Melinda Schneider Sings the Songs of Barbra Streisand and support it with an Australian tour.
Personal life Schneider is the daughter of singer-songwriter and yodeller Mary Schneider. She attended St Joseph's Kogarah (now known as Bethany College) for her high school years. Schneider is married to Mark Gable, the lead singer of the Choirboys. They were married in September 2022 on Killcare Beach, New South Wales, after 14 years together.
Radio Schneider was the host of her own radio progrsam, Love Songs with Melinda Schneider, on Star 104.5 FM. The program aired every weeknight in 2015 from 8 pm. As the title indicates, the program was focused on songs of a romantic nature. This was Schneider's first radio program as host.
Discography
Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications(sales thresholds)AUS Tender: All ARIA peaks to March 2026: N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. The Way We Were: My OxygenReleased: July 2000 Label: Festival Records (D24178) Compass Brothers (2001 re-release) (002CDCB) 129Happy TearsReleased: July 2002 Label: Compass Brothers / Festival Records (009CDCB) 94 ARIA: GoldFamily TreeReleased: May 2004 Label: Compass Brothers / Sony (016CDCB) 64 ARIA: GoldStrongerReleased: August 2006 Label: Compass Brothers / Sony (026CDCB) 74Be YourselfReleased: July 2008 Label: Be Music (CDR1119) 83Melinda Does DorisReleased: 30 July 2010 Label: Universal Music (2747553) 24 ARIA: GoldGreat Women of Country (with Beccy Cole)Released: 7 November 2014 Label: Universal Music (4703930) 9 Melinda Does Doris...Again – The Movie SongsReleased: October 2016 Label: Be Music / ABC Music (BEMUSIC005) 97 TenderReleased: 6 February 2026 Label: Melinda Schneider (MPOWER013) 97 The Way We Were:Melinda Schneider Sings the Songs of Barbra StreisandReleased: 7 August 2026 Label: Melinda Schneider (MPOWER014) 93
Live albums Title Album detailsLive at TamworthReleased: July 2010 Label: Be Music (BEMUSIC001/BEMUSIC002)
Compilation albums Title Album details Peak chart positionsAUSHits & RaritiesReleased: 25 March 2008 Label: Compass Brothers / Universal Music (044CDCB) 171Life Begins At 40: The Ultimate Melinda Schneider CollectionReleased: 21 October 2011 Label: Be Music (BEMUSIC004) 148A Farewell to DorisReleased: September 2019 Label: Be Music (BEMUSIC006) 58Love SongsReleased: 8 May 2022 Label: MPower Records (MPOWER002) -
Extended plays Title EP detailsMelinda Does EltonReleased: 4 September 2020 Label: Melinda SchneiderBe Gentle On YourselfReleased: 7 October 2020 Label: Melinda Schneider
Charting singles +List of singles within the ARIA top 100, with selected chart positions Title Year Peak chart positions AUS "Tighten Up Your Pants" 1994 39
Awards and nominations ARIA Music Awards The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Schneider has been nominated for two awards.
| 2004 | Family Tree | Best Country Album
| 2008 | Be Yourself | Best Country Album
Country Music Awards (CMAA) The Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival and celebrates recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. Schneider has won six awards.
(wins only) |- | 2000 || "Love Away the Night" with Adam Brand || Vocal Collaboration of the Year || |- | 2003 || "The Story of My Life" || Female Vocalist of the Year || |- | 2005 || Family Tree || Album of the Year || |- | 2005 || "Real People" || Song of the Year || |- | 2008 || Stronger || Top Selling Album of the Year || |- | 2009 || "Still Here" with Paul Kelly || Vocal Collaboration of the Year ||
Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Melinda Schneider won eleven awards in that time. (wins only) |- | 1994 | Melinda Schneider | Johnny O'Keefe Encouragement Award
| 2000 | Melinda Schneider | Female Country Entertainer of the Year
| 2002 | Melinda Schneider | Female Country Entertainer of the Year
| 2003 | Melinda Schneider | Female Country Entertainer of the Year
| 2004 | Melinda Schneider | Female Country Entertainer of the Year
| 2006 | Melinda Schneider | Slim Dusty Country Performer of the Year
| 2007 | Melinda Schneider | Female Vocal Performer of the Year
| 2008 | Melinda Schneider | Female Vocal Performer of the Year
|rowspan="2"| 2011 | Melinda Schneider | Slim Dusty Country Act of the Year
| Melinda Schneider | Female Vocal Performer of the Year
| 2014 | Melinda Schneider | Slim Dusty Country Act of the Year
References
External links Official website