by Steve Leggett
The daughter of country songwriter and producer Buddy Cannon, Melonie Cannon is one of Nashville's own, growing up in the immense shadow of the Grand Ole Opry. She was singing on song demos by the time she was a teenager, and following a stint in the Army, she returned to Nashville, quickly falling under the spell of bluegrass artists like Alison Krauss. Cannon found work singing background vocals, including Nashville sessions with artists like John Michael Montgomery and Kenny Chesney, but possessing a wonderful alto lead voice, it was only matter of time before she got a chance to run her own sessions. Her self-titled debut album, produced by Ronnie Bowman and featuring a bluegrass and pop-country acoustic approach, appeared in 2004 from Skaggs Family Records.