Melanie Safka performed at Woodstock in 1969, had her song “Brand New Key” (referred to as the “Roller Skate” song) banned from some radio stations in 1972, won numerous awards and sold millions of records. “She was the best-selling artist in the world in 1970 and 1971. Billboard named her the best-selling artist in 1972,” said Ivory West, 15, of Pierceton. When Ivory performs Saturday at the Cornucopia Coffee Company in Valparaiso, she will be the 8 p.m. opening act for Safka. It’s a dream come true for the Warsaw Community High School sophomore. Safka, 64, known by her fans simply as Melanie, is still touring with her music. Other well-known songs of Safka’s include “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” and “What Have They Done to My Song, Ma”. Only 140 tickets are being sold for Saturday’s show, and Ivory said there are still some available through the coffee shop. When Ivory first heard Safka’s “Brand New Key”, she was listening to an oldies radio station while driving. When she got home, Ivory looked the song up and learned to play it. She now performs “Brand New Key” at all of her own shows. How Ivory got to be the opening act for Safka started with an open mic night. Cornucopia has open mic nights every Thursday. Last week, Ivory played at open mic, and she ended up talking to the business’s owner. Safka’s event is for adults 21 years and older, so Ivory wouldn’t be able to go see the show – unless she was a performer. The owner told Ivory that the worse-case scenario was that Ivory would have to watch the show from outside. She and her father, Rod, jokingly asked if they would still have to pay for a ticket. The owner decided to call Safka’s agent. Rod talked with Safka’s booking agent, who then checked out Ivory’s website and YouTube videos. The agent showed them to Safka, who greenlighted Ivory as her opening act. “She said she really liked me, which was awesome,” said Ivory. “It was pretty crazy. I think it’s cool.” Ivory said Safka wants her to do all original material, so she plans to perform songs she hasn’t put out on CD yet and a few from her two CDs. Her two CDs are “Mixed Emotions” and “Watching Trains”. Ivory is working on her third CD, and still working on her set list for Saturday. “It’s still not real yet,” she said. “I guess when I’ll see her, I’ll freak out.” Besides Saturday’s gig, Ivory also will perform at the Indiana State Fair Aug. 15 on the free stage. Her show times are 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Each set is 30 minutes.Ivory is the daughter of Rod and Geneva West, Pierceton. For more information on the Cornucopia Coffee Company, visit its website http://cornucopiacoffee.net/livemusic.html For more information on Melanie Safka, visit her website at http://melaniesafka.com/home.cfm For more on Ivory West, visit her website at www.ivorywest.com
