A Eureka musician has recently branched out to publish a children’s book, called “Tiny Little Snowflake.”
Melissa Corbett said the book is inspired by a song written by her husband, Tom. The couple began writing songs during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and Melissa has been performing their music since the shelter-in-place order lifted.
The book is Melissa’s first published story, and the song was the first children’s song she recorded. “Tiny Little Snowflake” chronicles the various wintry things a snowflake can be as it shares its dreams with a young boy.
Corbett wrote “Tiny Little Snowflake” with her husband, Tom.
The song and book were inspired by a nursery rhyme Melissa sang to the couple’s youngest grandson, Wesley, during a car ride. She said the nursery rhyme helped Tom break through his writer’s block to pen the song.
“I was sitting in the back seat with my grandson singing ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider,’” she said. “(Tom) said, ‘That’s it, it should be a nursery rhyme.’ And then he finished writing it and I put it to music. Every time I play (“Tiny Little Snowflake”), the little kids just love it.”
The book may be purchased through her website melissacorbettmusic.co or at the Orange Couch Coffee Shop, 98 Legends Parkway Suite 101.
Musical journey
Melissa, 56, said her journey as a musician began in 2020 when she picked up her acoustic guitar for the first time in years with the goal of learning more complicated chords. She described her usual sound as being a little bit of country and a little bit of rock with plenty of heartrending ballads thrown in.
Melissa said her husband writes the lyrics while she creates the melody, like the songwriting duo Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
She performs regularly at The Wolf Cafe in Ballwin, singing a mixture of covers and original music while playing guitar.
Stemming from a passion picked up during the pandemic, Melissa released an album, called “The Cowboy in Me,” in 2022 along with several recorded singles. She recently challenged herself to perform onstage in all 50 states, and so far, she’s crossed off 24. She’ll travel to Georgia at the end of the month to bring her halfway to completing the challenge.
“It’s never too late,” Melissa said. “If you feel like you should be doing it, you should do it. I mean, it’s not easy to step out of your comfort zone. It was not easy to get up on stage for a while, but I think just believing in yourself and believing that you were meant to do what you feel like you should do will guide you.”
Live audiences
After taking guitar lessons and writing music with her husband, Melissa said she wanted to show her skills in a live setting.
Playing in the comfort of her living room was one thing, Melissa said, but performing in front of strangers brought out her nerves. A musician friend encouraged her to come on stage and play a song or two with him one night.
“I literally stood up there and sang with him and held my breath the entire time,” she said. “I had this massive headache when I was done. How do you hold your breath and sing at the same time? I don’t know, but somehow, I managed it.”
After performing covers of popular songs at local open mics for a while, Melissa said she began to grow more comfortable but was still nervous to debut her and her husband’s original music. It was at a random biker bar in Texas that Melissa said she became comfortable in front of a crowd and performing original music.
“I was the only one in the whole place with an acoustic guitar, and I was not dressed like anybody else in the place,” Corbett said. “I got to my second song (in the set), which was one of my songs called ‘Little Flirty,’ a kind of rock and roll song, and I noticed everybody in the bar was starting to pay attention. The people working at the bar, people standing at the bar, sitting, like everybody was paying attention and by my second chorus, they were all singing along.
“At that point, I started just believing in who I was and believing in our songs that I played.”
Steve Perron has held the open mic night at The Wolf Cafe for nearly 12 years and said he’s seen many acts over the years, but few stand out to him like Melissa. The open mic is held 6-9 p.m. on Tuesdays.
He noted that Melissa can adapt to different environments, from playing in bars to coffee shops.
“I often talk about a player being able to command the stage and deliver when performing,” Perron said. “Melissa is able to do that. Melissa is a quick study when it comes to songwriting and is remarkably confident, even fearless when it comes to performing live.”
Rural roots
Born in Neosho, Melissa moved with her family to Eureka at 6 months old before moving to Catawissa while she was in the second grade. She returned to Eureka when she married her husband, and the couple raised two children together.
Melissa said two of her biggest musical influences come from growing up in the rodeo circuit and going to church. Her father was a team roper and calf roper.
“I went everywhere with him, ropings in the middle of winter, practices in our arena at home,” she said. “I thought that the rodeo scene was where I was supposed to be, but I always felt like something was missing. People were nice and all, but I just didn’t feel ‘complete,’ like I was always searching for something bigger and better, but when I found music and started traveling and meeting folks, the music just fills me. I feel like I found that missing link.”
Listening to fellow congregants during church service helped Melissa learn how to harmonize and form melodies.
“I feel like I learned so much just by following those ladies (at church), following their lead when we would sing hymns,” she said. “I think that that’s a big part of how I can come up with melodies.”
Melissa’s daughter, Kaysie Phenix, is an educator in Steelville. She said her mom’s music career “inspires others every day.”
“She inspired me every day to be like her,” Phenix said. “Her story is so inspirational to folks who think they are too old to live out their dreams.”
Melissa’s music is available on all audio streaming services, and videos from her live sets can be found on her Facebook page, Facebook.com/melissa.corbett.180.
Melissa said her biggest tip for those looking to pick up a new passion is to believe in yourself and have confidence in your abilities.
“I think being able to say, ‘Heck with it. I’m just going to do it because it makes me feel good, it makes me happy,’ is really important,” she said. “It’s really hard to say, ‘I don’t care what other people think.’ If I get up in front of an audience, they can tell if I’m waiting for their approval. They can feel it, and it’s not nearly as much fun. But if I go up there with confidence, everybody has a good time.”