Cashavelly Morrison
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beckley, West Virginia, U.S.
Cashavelly Morrison | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Melissa Diane Meredith Bickey |
| Born | March 26, 1981 Beckley, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | Americana, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, autoharp |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Website | cashavellymorrison |
Melissa MacLeod, known professionally as Cashavelly Morrison, is an American singer and songwriter.
Cashavelly Morrison was born Melissa Diane Meredith Bickey in the coal mining town of Beckley, West Virginia. She began dancing from the age of 3, leaving home when she turned 15 to study ballet at the UNC School of the Arts. She turned dancing into a professional career, which she had to quit after a severe spinal injury at the age of 20.[1] She went on to get her undergraduate and master's degrees in English and Creative Writing at Salem College and later at Hollins University and turned her creative energy towards writing prose and later her own songs.[2]
While in college, she met and married Ryan Michael White MacLeod, who was completing his degree in classical guitar. They played together guitar and autoharp, perfecting their musical style.
They recorded sparse versions of their songs at Echo Mountain studio in Asheville, NC, moving on to develop the songs with further instrumentation at the suggestion of their sound engineer.[1][2] Melissa began to perform with Ryan under the stage name chosen by herself, "Cashavelly" being her paternal grandmother's maiden name and "Morrison" her mother's maiden name.