Grammy award winner, singer, musician and songwriter, Melissa Etheridge, was born in Leavenworth on May 29, 1961 and attended David Brewer Grade School which is still located at 17th and Osage Streets. She graduated in 1979 from Leavenworth High School (LHS), 10th Avenue and Halderman and was a member of the first "Power and Life" musical/dance group at LHS which is still active today.

Melissa's father, John, was a teacher, counselor and athletic director at LHS and in 1992 Melissa established a performing arts scholarship at LHS in honor of him. Melissa has said that her father used to spend his weekends driving her to Kansas City so she could play in bands at the nightclubs. She has said that she was underage and would not have been able to have done this without him.

In a visit to Leavenworth in November 1994, she performed a benefit concert in the auditorium of her alma mater, Leavenworth High School. During this time she also donated money to help refurbish the Performing Arts Center in Leavenworth at 500 Delaware. This theater was the former Hollywood movie theater where Melissa used to go to the movies. The preserved 1938 Art Deco theater now hosts live performances by Leavenworth's local theater group, the River City Community Players.