Melissa Etheridge sings for inmates at Ohio women’s prison

Melissa Etheridge performs for inmates at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio, on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. Etheridge says a video of female inmates singing one of her songs led to her performing with them. AP

MARYSVILLE, Ohio — A video of female inmates singing one of her songs led to Melissa Etheridge performing with the group at an Ohio prison.

The singer performed solo Wednesday for about 2,300 inmates at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, The Columbus Dispatch (https://bit.ly/1RvqCCm) reported. They sat on a recreation field at the Marysville facility as Etheridge sang a few songs and offered encouragement from a small stage.

She said she’d been moved by a video of inmates in an addiction-recovery group singing “A Little Bit of Me.” She closed with the song and invited members of the group to come up and sing with her.

The Harmony Project, a Columbus community choir, has been singing with the group every week for the last several years.

Etheridge later visited their dormitory, where she left her autographed handprints in paint on the wall and encouraged inmates to contact her when they’re released.

“It was amazing; she really touched my heart and she really gave me a lot of hope,” said Georgia Peterman of Portsmouth, who has six months remaining on a three-year sentence for manufacturing methamphetamine. “I’m really glad I got to be a part of this.”

Etheridge told the inmates after the show that she thinks she might have to write her next song about them. TVJ