Melissa Dougherty

Notes

Melissa Dougherty was Grace’s go-to guitarist and backing-vocalist, from the Mohawk Valley Community College concert on 21. April 2018 until the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020.

Melissa got hired to work with Grace through the musician's network site “Jammcard”: Young superstar (and Jammcard member) Grace Vanderwaal went to the Jammcard app when it was time to book her new band for the Imagine Dragons Tour. Guitarist, Melissa Dougherty and keyboardist Dylan Meek got hired for the gig. They’ll be joining Jammcard member Ben Masters on the gig, who’s been there since October 2017. Melissa told Jammcard about the hiring process in a profile on Jammcard: “Sometimes around March, Melissa received a message saying that there was an artist in need of a guitarist for their summer tour. Melissa was given the dates and a rate but wasn’t told who the artist was. Once she heard back that she was a favorite of those being considered, she was asked to record a video of herself playing three songs. “I sent the video, and then two days later, I got a call from her manager, and that’s when I found out who the artist was,” said Melissa. She was informed that she was the top choice for the gig and was asked to fly back east to rehearse with the band, and play a couple of trial shows” (Jammcard Dec. 4, 2018)

Melissa told the story of her own way into music to “Voyage LA” (Interview is abbreviated here): I’m originally from Brooklyn, NY, but grew up in Las Vegas and San Francisco. I began playing piano and guitar when I was seven years old and continued playing music with my friends in Las Vegas while I was in high school. I later went on to study guitar at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and eventually graduated from Whittier College with a double major in English and Religious Studies and a minor in Art History. I’ve played and toured with many artists in the States and internationally [Apart from Grace: The Killers, Jack White, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tokimonsta, MILCK, Neon Trees, Eastern Conference Champions] I also teach guitar at the Silverlake Conservatory of Music in LA when I’m not on the road.

Being a professional musician definitely has its struggles and challenges, but overall, for me, it has been a worthwhile and wonderful career choice. As a woman of color, you definitely encounter racism and sexism, which is obviously very unfortunate. However, I believe that knowing your own value, worth and what you bring to the table are the keys to overcoming such negative forces. It also helps to surround yourself with positive people who dream big and aim for the stars. For me, I feel as though I have made a lot of sacrifices personally to get to where I am today. I’m pretty much always playing music, learning new tunes, going on the road for months at a time. I suppose that every career comes with sacrifices but I’ve been able to move forward and excel while doing what I love so that’s been a great reward for me personally. Plus I love to travel and see new places and I really love the touring aspect of my job.

I work with a lot of professional musicians and also with a lot of people who just want to play guitar with their kids when they go camping. I don’t hold one above the other and truly believe that music enhances everyone’s lives. I am definitely a cheerleader and encourager to everyone whom I work with. I want everyone that I come in contact with to walk away inspired and joyful so I try to bring that to each and every work situation that I find myself in. It’s a pleasure to share the joy of music with the world.
(VoyageLa.com July 30, 2019)

Melissa’s own records:

- Volume 1 2010 Spottify
- Volume 2 2010 Spottify
- Tunes From A Room 2004 (not available online)
- Melissa Dougherty 2000: Amazon

Profile on VoyageLA

As a rule, we only have bios on artists that Grace has worked with or who have had a part in the creation or production of her music. The amount of information on each of these artists varies greatly, dependent on how much has been readily available. We have tried to identify the artists correctly, but sometimes it has been difficult to determine who exactly is behind the name. Unless otherwise stated, the bios are based on data retrieved at the start of 2021.