Melanie Andrews, the First BLACK Gerber Baby in a National Ad Campaign, Pays Tribute to Ann Turner Cook.

Although Melanie Andrews is a multi-platinum songwriter, producer, and singer (who has won many accolades for her music that includes the BMI "Song of the Year" award for co-writing 'Let's Wait Awhile' with Janet Jackson on the 'Control' LP, and more). Long before those accolades, Melanie was the first African-American Gerber baby in a National Ad Campaign in 1968, and this week she pays tribute to Ann Turner Cook, the original baby face on Gerber products.

Gerber, the Michigan-founded company announced Cook’s death on Friday, June 3, 2022 and was is remembered for her work over her 95 years as a teacher. A year after Gerber started canning baby food, a contest was held to find a baby to represent product. Artist Dorothy Hope Smith submitted a charcoal sketch of a bright-eyed baby girl in 1928. Judges “fell in love” with the face that went on to launch the Gerber brand across the globe. Gerber then adopted the iconic sketch as its official trademark in 1931, but the identity of the original Gerber baby remained a secret for 40 years.

As for Melanie Andrews, she became a Gerber baby as one of the first African American babies to be selected. Melanie's mother, Judy Young (seen with Melanie in her Gerber ads) was a very popular commercial model in the 1960's. Judy modeled for Top brands such as Coke, Pepsi, and graced covers of many magazines including JET Magazine, Gerber Baby Foods, and many many more top brands. After the audition process, Judy's modeling agent informed her that she booked the Gerber ad campaign, but this was their first time doing a National Ad Campaign with an African American mother and baby, and they were having a hard time choosing the right Black Gerber baby to match her (THIS WAS A GROUND-BREAKING TIME IN RACIAL HISTORY). Judy asked her agent to ask the Gerber people if she could bring her new 6 month old baby, Melanie in for a test shoot to see if they liked her. Once the Gerber people met Melanie, they said, "YES SHE IS OUR BABY!" Although Melanie was too young to actually remember the Gerber shoots, she enjoys seeing all the ads she did for Gerber and does have memories of her and her brother Tony Andrews as little kids modeling together for Sears Catalogs and others in their hometown of Manhattan New York :)

It was while attending high school in greater Los Angeles at the Valley Professional School (aka The Sherman School) that Melanie would build a best-friend relationship with Janet Jackson. An aspiring songwriter and singer herself, Melanie hails from a music family where she took much inspiration from her grandfather, the late legendary jazz trumpeter, Snooky Young. Melanie went with Janet to Minneapolis for Janet to record her first ground-breaking solo album, "Control", with the now iconic music producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and she went mostly as Janet's friend and support.
As fate would have it Jimmy and Terry had Melanie singing background vocals on a lot of the album and there was still a ballad that needed to be created to complete the album that Jimmy Jam & Terry lewis were composing music for, so Melanie told Jimmy Jam about a lyric she had been working on called, "Let's Wait Awhile" about her boyfriend. Jam said I love it, now you and Janet go finish it and we'll record it tomorrow. 'Let's Wait Awhile' was the gem ballad they were looking for. That fateful "Control" album would not only launch Janet Jackson as a Pop music sensation, but would change the trajectory of Melanie's life musically. After "Control", Melanie went on to co-write for some of the hottest singers and producers, (including her favorite ICONIC BAND, "EARTH WIND & FIRE") to span a thirty-year career.

2021 was particularly special as the 'Control' LP enjoyed a surge in popularity climbing the charts once again to #1 on iTunes on the Top 40 Album charts after being discovered by a whole new generation of fans. Melanie also stepped in front of the mic in 2021 to begin the creation of her 1st Solo Album. Melanie is currently directing a popular Recording /Artist Development Studio which helps new aspiring artists develop their craft in music (Legacy2studios.com)  In Irvine, California and is preparing for her 2022 release of her first solo album - "Soulmate". Soulmate is a collaborative Jazz and R&B mix with some of the great musicians/writers/producers from those genres contributing to the songs that Melanie wrote, such as Take 6, Paul Jackson, Jr., Chuckii Booker, Herman Jackson, Del Atkins, Joey de Leon, Brandon Fields, Wes and Chris Lowery, Gentry Daniels, Howard Westbrook, Michael Angelo Salisbury, Dwayne Omar, Andre Roberson, Diaz Mussalinov, with engineering and mixing by Paul Arnold ( a Co-Producer on the album) and Don Julio. Executive Produced by: Melanie and Charlie Perez, Andre Roberson, and Gentry Daniels.

Melanie sends her deepest condolences to Ann Turner Cook's family and friends!!!