Singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester burst onto the music scene in the 1970s with the albums Home to Myself, Bright Eyes and Melissa, with its hit single Midnight Blue. Manchester's success as a writer and recording artist was preceded by thorough preparation. She published her first poems at 15, studied acting at New York's High School of the Performing Arts and songwriting at New York University, in a class taught by Paul Simon. She honed her craft playing piano and signing in the nightclubs of Greenwich Village and gained national exposure as a member of Bette Midler's back-up vocal group, the Harlettes. In addition to her association with Midler she formed a close working relationship with Midler's music director, Barry Manilow. In addition to her own recordings, she co-wrote "Whenever I Call You Friend," a major hit for Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks. Her songs have been recorded by Barbra Streisand, Alison Krauss and many others. An outstanding interpreter of songs by other writers, as well as her own, she enjoyed international hits with "Don’t Cry Out Loud" and "Through the Eyes of Love." The latter song and "I'll Never Say Goodbye" were both sung by Manchester in feature films released in 1978. Both were nominated for the year's Best Song Oscar (a unique achievement for a singer) and she performed both songs on the year's Oscar telecast. Her biggest hit to date, "You Should Hear How She Talks About You," released in 1982, brought her the Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Performance. In 1997, she received the Governor’s Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for her contributions to the music and recording arts. Manchester has also enjoyed a career as an actress, as a regular on the television series Blosssom, in the feature film For the Boys, and onstage in the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd. She contributed the scores for the stage musicals I Sent a Letter to My Love and HATS! as well as the animated films The Great Mouse Detective and Lady and the Tramp II. Her 16th album, When I Look Down the Road, was released in 2004. This podcast was recorded during her 2011 performance at the Academy of Achievement in Washington, DC. It is interspersed with excerpts from the Academy's exclusive interview with Melissa Manchester.