# Wendy Melvoin
**Wendy Melvoin** is an American guitarist, singer-songwriter, and composer, best known as the guitarist of Prince's backing band [The Revolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-revolution-band) during the *Purple Rain* era and as one half, with keyboardist [Lisa Coleman](https://www.edgepedia.org/lisa-coleman-musician), of the composing duo [Wendy & Lisa](https://www.edgepedia.org/wendy-and-lisa).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578540/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wendy-lisa-mn0000244537) Born in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, she grew up in a musical family, became one of the most prominent guitarists in 1980s pop, and has since built a second career as one of Hollywood's most prolific television composers.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578540/) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-prince-wendy-lisa-revolution-20170622-story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964, Los Angeles, California; birth name Wendy Ann Melvoin[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578540/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578540/bio/) |
| The Revolution years | Guitarist for Prince and The Revolution, permanent fixture and co-writer on *Purple Rain* (1984), *Around the World in a Day* (1985), and *Parade* (1986)[3](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution) |
| Signature guitar work | Transformed the triad-based chords of "Purple Rain" into Bbsus2, Gm11, Fadd9, and Ebadd9; wrote the main hook of "Computer Blue"[6](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/its-like-this-little-country-tune-played-with-triads-on-the-piano-i-thought-how-do-i-make-those-chords-bloom-with-this-very-simple-melody-how-prince-and-the-revolution-turned-the-bare-bones-of-purple-rain-into-a-lighters-in-the-air-epic) • [3](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution) |
| Wendy & Lisa | Duo with Lisa Coleman formed after the Revolution disbanded in 1986; albums include *Wendy & Lisa* (1987), *Fruit at the Bottom* (1989), *Eroica* (1990), and *White Flags of Winter Chimneys* (2008)[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wendy-lisa-mn0000244537) • [7](https://trouserpress.com/reviews/wendy-and-lisa/) |
| Scoring career | Television and film composer since *Dangerous Minds* (1995); credits include *Heroes*, *Nurse Jackie*, *Crossing Jordan*, *Carnivàle*, *Touch*, and *Shades of Blue*[8](https://first-avenue.com/performer/wendy-and-lisa/) • [9](https://afm47.org/overture/online/2023_06_Jun.pdf) |
| Awards | Emmy for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music for *Nurse Jackie*; ASCAP "Top Television Series" award for *Heroes* (2007); inaugural ASCAP Shirley Walker Award (2014)[8](https://first-avenue.com/performer/wendy-and-lisa/) • [10](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/wendy-melvoin) |
| Signature gear | Modified purple Rickenbacker 330s in the *Purple Rain* era; white Gibson ES-335 from 1985, her main guitar since[11](https://www.guitarcloud.org/faq/what-guitars-did-wendy-melvoin-use/) • [3](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution) |
## The Revolution years
Melvoin came to Prince through Lisa Coleman, who had played keyboards in his band since *Dirty Mind* (1979); the two were childhood friends and daughters of Los Angeles session musicians.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wendy-lisa-mn0000244537) Sources give different dates for her formal entry. Melvoin herself has said [Prince](https://www.edgepedia.org/prince-musician) "asked me in '82", when she played "Controversy" with the band at a soundcheck, and other accounts say she started playing with the band in 1983, signing on officially in 1984 for the *Purple Rain* era.[12](https://www.wfyi.org/arts-and-culture/2017-04-30/ladies-and-gentlemen-the-revolution-princes-band-on-reuniting-and-healing) • [3](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wendy-lisa-mn0000244537) She was 19 when Prince first took notice of her playing.[3](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution)
Prince valued her as a rhythm player. "My gift as a musician was being able to play rhythm very, very well," she told NPR, adding that on reunion tours she simply plays his lead parts: "I play his parts. But, you know, he hired me because I could."[12](https://www.wfyi.org/arts-and-culture/2017-04-30/ladies-and-gentlemen-the-revolution-princes-band-on-reuniting-and-healing) She describes the three-way interplay of her rhythm guitar, Prince's lead, and Coleman's keyboards as the core of the band's sound; in a 1986 *Rolling Stone* interview she said, "no one can come close to what the three of us have together when we're playing in the studio."[13](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/prince-and-the-revolution-parade) She later called her years in the band her "Juilliard or Harvard years", the period that taught her the discipline behind her later composing work.[3](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution)
She was also a co-writer. Prince recorded songs co-written by Melvoin and Coleman on *Parade*, including "Sometimes It Snows in April", decorated by Melvoin's acoustic fingerstyle, and "Mountains"; she appeared in the video for "Kiss" playing a Gibson Byrdland.[13](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/prince-and-the-revolution-parade)
## The Purple Rain guitar intro
The opening chords of "Purple Rain" began as a simple progression Prince demonstrated to the band at piano. Melvoin reworked it: "I thought to myself, 'how do I make those chords bloom with this very simple melody?' And I stretched the chords out," turning the Bb, Gm, F, and Eb triads into Bbsus2, Gm11, Fadd9, and Ebadd9, what she calls "more blue notes."[6](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/its-like-this-little-country-tune-played-with-triads-on-the-piano-i-thought-how-do-i-make-those-chords-bloom-with-this-very-simple-melody-how-prince-and-the-revolution-turned-the-bare-bones-of-purple-rain-into-a-lighters-in-the-air-epic) Coleman recalled that the voicing "took it out of that country feeling" and that the band then began playing the song with more weight.[6](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/its-like-this-little-country-tune-played-with-triads-on-the-piano-i-thought-how-do-i-make-those-chords-bloom-with-this-very-simple-melody-how-prince-and-the-revolution-turned-the-bare-bones-of-purple-rain-into-a-lighters-in-the-air-epic) On "Computer Blue" the main hook was hers, worked out at rehearsal and noticed by Prince, who built the song around it; the triplet solo section, by contrast, remains what she calls her "albatross", a pattern that came naturally to his hands but not to hers.[3](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution)
**Her signature instruments** were [Rickenbacker](https://www.edgepedia.org/rickenbacker) 330s, refinished purple and modified with G&L pickups, hardtail bridges, and sealed f-holes to prevent feedback from stadium-level side fills. The pair were stolen from her rehearsal studio about 25 years before a 2017 interview. For the *Parade* tour Gibson gave her a white ES-335, which Prince asked about by phone months before his death and which remains her main guitar.[3](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution) • [11](https://www.guitarcloud.org/faq/what-guitars-did-wendy-melvoin-use/) Her *Purple Rain* recording signal chain ran from a Boss compressor through TC Electronic distortion, an MXR boost, a Cry Baby wah, chorus, and a volume pedal into a Mesa/Boogie Mark II head.[3](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution)
## Wendy & Lisa
After Prince disbanded the Revolution in 1986, Melvoin and Coleman formed their own duo, Wendy & Lisa, recording as singer-songwriters for [Columbia Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-records).[14](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-13-ca-7727-story.html) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wendy-lisa-mn0000244537) Their self-titled debut, released in late 1987, was co-produced with former Revolution drummer Bobby Z, and the pair played almost all the instruments themselves, a pattern critics noted across their catalog.[15](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r21690) • [7](https://trouserpress.com/reviews/wendy-and-lisa/) Their third album, *Eroica* (1990), is frequently cited as a high point, mixing funk, jazz, dance, pop, and rock textures.[7](https://trouserpress.com/reviews/wendy-and-lisa/) They later worked under the name Girl Bros. and released *White Flags of Winter Chimneys* in 2008, having released five original albums as a duo overall.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wendy-lisa-mn0000244537) • [8](https://first-avenue.com/performer/wendy-and-lisa/) The duo's sound is often filed under funk, but they describe themselves as adult-alternative artists.[8](https://first-avenue.com/performer/wendy-and-lisa/)
## Scoring for film and television
Since the 1995 box-office hit *Dangerous Minds*, Melvoin and Coleman have built a sustained career scoring film and television, including *Soul Food*, *Crossing Jordan*, *Carnivàle*, *Nurse Jackie*, *Mercy*, *Touch*, *No Tomorrow*, and *Shades of Blue*.[9](https://afm47.org/overture/online/2023_06_Jun.pdf) • [8](https://first-avenue.com/performer/wendy-and-lisa/) Their Emmy-nominated score for the NBC series *Heroes* earned an ASCAP "Top Television Series" award in 2007, and in 2010 they won the Emmy for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music for the [Showtime](https://www.edgepedia.org/showtime-tv-network) series *Nurse Jackie*; they were also Emmy-nominated for the main title of Fox's *Touch*.[8](https://first-avenue.com/performer/wendy-and-lisa/) • [16](https://www.audeze.com/blogs/audeze-artists/audeze-chats-with-famed-pop-duo-wendy-and-lisa) In 2014 they received the inaugural ASCAP Shirley Walker Award, which honors contributions to the diversity of film and television music.[10](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/wendy-melvoin) Their work methods are hands-on: they write and record to picture in real time, playing most instruments themselves.[16](https://www.audeze.com/blogs/audeze-artists/audeze-chats-with-famed-pop-duo-wendy-and-lisa) In 2024 the duo composed the score for the second season of *Outer Range*, released as a soundtrack album in May, and scored *[The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-second-best-hospital-in-the-galaxy)*.[17](https://princevault.com/index.php?title=Wendy_Melvoin) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578540/)
## Session work and recent projects
Melvoin is a perennially in-demand session guitarist, bassist, and producer. The Los Angeles-born player's credits include [John Legend](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-legend), Seal, Grace Jones, Glen Campbell, Sheryl Crow, and [Joni Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/joni-mitchell).[3](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution) She describes her strength as "morphing" between styles, an ability that has carried her from [Los Lobos](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-lobos) to Madonna to Neil Finn, on whose record she played "every style imaginable on guitar and bass".[3](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution) Her bass playing was described as the "secret weapon" on Sombr's 2025 single "12 to 12".[18](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/shes-one-of-the-worlds-great-musicians-she-was-princes-right-hand-woman-for-years-how-wendy-melvoins-bass-playing-became-the-secret-weapon-on-sombrs-12-to-12-which-began-life-on-a-korg-triton) Guitarist Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem has singled out her opening lick on Sheryl Crow's "Your Favorite Mistake" as "one of the most fundamental licks" every player should know: "It's Wendy Melvoin, and it's perfectly played."[19](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/brian-fallon-not-bad-for-new-jersey)
**Family and background.** Her father, Mike Melvoin, was a pianist with the Wrecking Crew, the Los Angeles session collective behind many 1960s and 1970s hits; her twin sister is singer and composer [Susannah Melvoin](https://www.edgepedia.org/susannah-melvoin), and her brother Jonathan was a touring keyboardist with the Smashing Pumpkins.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578540/bio/) • [16](https://www.audeze.com/blogs/audeze-artists/audeze-chats-with-famed-pop-duo-wendy-and-lisa) She has a son with director Lisa Cholodenko.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578540/bio/)
## Reunion with The Revolution
After Prince's death in April 2016, Melvoin and Coleman reunited with Brown Mark, Matt Fink, and Bobby Z as The Revolution. In a video announcing the decision, Melvoin said that "after spending days together grieving Prince" the band, which had disbanded in 1986, had decided to "do some shows."[20](https://time.com/4309374/princes-band-the-revolution-is-reuniting-for-tribute-shows/) The reunion began with three sold-out shows at First Avenue in [Minneapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/minneapolis) and continued through a 2017 U.S. tour paying tribute to Prince, which the band framed as a way to grieve and to celebrate the music they had made together.[21](https://time.com/4748347/prince-death-anniversary-the-revolution-reunion-paisley-park/) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-prince-wendy-lisa-revolution-20170622-story.html) Melvoin told NPR that at least four records from the Revolution era remain unreleased in Prince's vault at [Paisley Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/paisley-park).[12](https://www.wfyi.org/arts-and-culture/2017-04-30/ladies-and-gentlemen-the-revolution-princes-band-on-reuniting-and-healing)
## References
1. [Wendy Melvoin, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578540/)
2. [Wendy & Lisa Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wendy-lisa-mn0000244537)
3. [Wendy Melvoin: Playing for the Revolution, Premier Guitar (2017)](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution)
4. [How Prince's Revolution reformed, Los Angeles Times (2017)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-prince-wendy-lisa-revolution-20170622-story.html)
5. [Wendy Melvoin Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578540/bio/)
6. [How Prince and The Revolution turned the bare bones of Purple Rain into an epic, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/its-like-this-little-country-tune-played-with-triads-on-the-piano-i-thought-how-do-i-make-those-chords-bloom-with-this-very-simple-melody-how-prince-and-the-revolution-turned-the-bare-bones-of-purple-rain-into-a-lighters-in-the-air-epic)
7. [Wendy and Lisa album reviews, Trouser Press](https://trouserpress.com/reviews/wendy-and-lisa/)
8. [Wendy and Lisa, First Avenue artist page](https://first-avenue.com/performer/wendy-and-lisa/)
9. [Member Spotlight: Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, AFM Overture (2023)](https://afm47.org/overture/online/2023_06_Jun.pdf)
10. [Wendy Melvoin, VALÉORINE reference](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/wendy-melvoin)
11. [What guitars did Wendy Melvoin use?, Guitarcloud Prince Equipment Archive](https://www.guitarcloud.org/faq/what-guitars-did-wendy-melvoin-use/)
12. [Ladies And Gentlemen, The Revolution: Prince's Band On Reuniting And Healing, NPR via WFYI (2017)](https://www.wfyi.org/arts-and-culture/2017-04-30/ladies-and-gentlemen-the-revolution-princes-band-on-reuniting-and-healing)
13. [The story of Prince and the Revolution's Parade, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/prince-and-the-revolution-parade)
14. [Revolution Frees Lisa and Wendy, Los Angeles Times (1987)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-13-ca-7727-story.html)
15. [Wendy & Lisa album review, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r21690)
16. [Audeze chats with famed pop duo Wendy and Lisa (2020)](https://www.audeze.com/blogs/audeze-artists/audeze-chats-with-famed-pop-duo-wendy-and-lisa)
17. [Wendy Melvoin, Prince Vault](https://princevault.com/index.php?title=Wendy_Melvoin)
18. [How Wendy Melvoin's bass playing became the secret weapon on Sombr's 12 to 12, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/shes-one-of-the-worlds-great-musicians-she-was-princes-right-hand-woman-for-years-how-wendy-melvoins-bass-playing-became-the-secret-weapon-on-sombrs-12-to-12-which-began-life-on-a-korg-triton)
19. [Brian Fallon on what makes for guitar greatness, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/brian-fallon-not-bad-for-new-jersey)
20. [Prince's Band The Revolution Is Reuniting for Tribute Shows, TIME (2016)](https://time.com/4309374/princes-band-the-revolution-is-reuniting-for-tribute-shows/)
21. [Prince's Band Reunites on the Anniversary of His Death, TIME (2017)](https://time.com/4748347/prince-death-anniversary-the-revolution-reunion-paisley-park/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Funk, soul, and R&B bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license