Melba Moore
Beatrice Melba Hill[1] or Beatrice Melba Smith[2] (sources differ) (born October 29, 1945),[3][7][8] known by her stage name Melba Moore, is an American singer, actress, voice actress, and entertainer.[4]
Melba Moore | |
|---|---|
 Moore in 1999. | |
| Born | October 29, 1945[3] New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Spouse(s) | Charles Huggins
(m. 1974; div. 1991) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | Official website |
Biography
Early life and education
Moore was born Beatrice Melba Hill or Beatrice Melba Smith[2] (sources differ) in New York City to Gertrude Melba Smith (1920–1976), who was a singer professionally known as Bonnie Davis and Teddy Hill (1909–1978), a big band leader.[9] Moore grew up in the Harlem section of New York until age 9 when her mother remarried jazz pianist Clement Leroy Moorman and the family relocated to Newark, New Jersey. For high school, Moore attended Newark Arts High School ,[10][11] graduating in 1958.[12][2]
Early career
Moore began her recording career in 1967, cutting the track "Magic Touch" which was left unreleased until 1986. In later years it became an enormous track on the Northern Soul Scene, eventually leading to Moore performing it live in 2009 at the Baltic Soul Weekender 3 in Germany north of Hamburg. In 1967 she began her performing career as Dionne in the original cast of the musical Hair along with Ronnie Dyson and Diane Keaton. Moore replaced Keaton in the role of Sheila. In 1970, she won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Lutiebelle in Purlie. She would not return to Broadway until 1978 when she appeared (as Marsinah) with Eartha Kitt in Timbuktu! but left the show after a few weeks and was replaced by Vanessa Shaw.
Following the success of Purlie, Moore landed two big-screen film roles, released two successful albums, 1970's I Got Love and Look What You're Doing to the Man, and co-starred with actor Clifton Davis in the then-couple's own successful variety television series in 1972. Both Moore and Davis revealed that the show was canceled after its brief run when their relationship ended. When Moore's managers and accountants left her in 1973, she returned to Newark and began singing in benefit concerts. Her career picked up after she met record manager and business promoter Charles Huggins after a performance at the Apollo Theater in 1974.
Music career
In 1975 Moore signed with Buddah Records and released the critically successful R&B album, Peach Melba, which included the minor hit, "I Am His Lady". The following year she scored her first significant hit with the Van McCoy-penned "This Is It", which reached the Billboard Hot 100, the top-20 position on the R&B chart, and top-10 in the UK, becoming her biggest success in that country. 'This is It' also became the number 1 disco track in the UK for that year. It would be 18 years later that Australian singer Dannii Minogue will cover this song and make it to number 10 on the ARIA charts.
In 1976 she scored her third Grammy nomination with the R&B ballad "Lean on Me", which had been recorded originally by Vivian Reed and later by Moore's idol Aretha Franklin who recorded the song as a B-side to her 1971 hit "Spanish Harlem". The song is most notable for Moore's extended long note at the end. In 1983 she re-recorded the song as a tribute to McCoy, who had died four years earlier. Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Moore struggled to match the success of "This Is It" with minor R&B/dance hits. However, her hit 'Pick me up I'll dance' released in May 1979 produced by McFadden & Whitehead and released on Epic Records did have considerable UK disco success, reaching UK chart position 48, along with a further hit that same year, also produced by McFadden & Whitehead with a cover version of the Bee Gees' hit "You Stepped Into My Life", which reached the top 20 on the R&B charts and 47 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1982 Moore signed with Capitol Records and reached the top 5 on the R&B charts with the dance-pop/funk single "Love's Comin' At Ya", which also hit the top 20 in the UK (on EMI America EA 146) and became a sizable hit in some European countries for its post-disco sound and followed by "Mind Up Tonight", which was another top 40 hit in the UK reaching position number 22. A string of R&B hits followed, including 1983's "Keepin' My Lover Satisfied" and "Love Me Right", 1984's "Livin' For Your Love", 1985's "Read My Lips"—which later won Moore a fourth Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, making her just the third black artist after Donna Summer and Michael Jackson to be nominated in the rock category—and 1985's "When You Love Me Like This".
In 1986, she scored two number 1 R&B hits, including the duet "A Little Bit More" with Freddie Jackson and "Falling". She scored other popular R&B hits including "Love the One I'm With (A Lot of Love)" and "It's Been So Long". In 1986, Moore also headlined the CBS television sitcom Melba; its debut aired the same night as the Challenger explosion and the show was abruptly cancelled, though five episodes aired that summer. Her success began to wane as the decade closed, although she managed two further Top 10 R&B hits, "Do You Really (Want My Love)" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing". Moore had a starring role in the 1990 horror film Def by Temptation.
Later career
Moore returned to Broadway in 1995 landing a part in Les Misérables. A year later, she started her long-running one-woman show, Sweet Songs of the Soul, later renamed I'm Still Standing. In 2003, Moore was featured in the film, The Fighting Temptations, which starred Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Beyoncé Knowles. In 2007, she landed a role in a production of Ain't Misbehavin'. In 2009 independent label Breaking Records released the EP Book of Dreams, in which Moore was featured. That same year Moore told her life story on TV-One's Unsung and later that year released her first R&B album in nearly 20 years, a duet with Phil Perry called The Gift of Love. Her song "Love Is" debuted on the R&B charts in 2011 at number 87. In 2016, Moore released the album Forever Moore. Moore has continued to tour and perform since then releasing her album The Day I Turned To You on December 13, 2019 – an album of RnB-inflected gospel music.
Personal life
Moore has been married once and has a daughter.[13] Moore was engaged in a four-year relationship with television star Clifton Davis during the early 1970s.[14] Davis later admitted that the relationship failed due to his drug abuse and mistreatment of Moore.[15] In September 1974, Moore married record manager and business promoter Charles Huggins. Moore and Huggins divorced after 16 years of marriage in 1991.[16] In 1999, Huggins filed suit against Moore claiming that she had publicly defamed him by stating that he abused her economically.[17][18]
Awards
In addition to her Tony Award, Moore's music career brought additional accolades. She was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1971 for 'Best New Artist'. In 1976, she earned another Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female for the song "Lean on Me",.[19] Moore was also nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1986 for "Read My Lips". Moore is also the 2012 Recipient of the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival Theatre Legend Award. Moore was inducted into the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame on October 4, 2015, in Detroit.
Moore received the prestigious 2015 Sandy Hosey Lifetime Achievement Award during the Artists Music Guild's 2015 AMG Heritage Awards broadcast held on November 14, 2015, in North Carolina.[20] Ms. Moore stars in the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe's production of "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill" to great acclaim in the sold-out run.
Stage work
- Hair (1967)
- Purlie (1970)
- Timbuktu! (1978)
- Inacent Black (1981)
- Broadway at the Bowl (1988)
- From the Mississippi Delta (1993, est)
- Les Misérables (1995)
- Brooklyn (2006)
- Straight 2the Head (2013)
- Great God A'Mighty (2013)
- After Midnight (2018)
Filmography
- Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) – Singer at the Apollo Theater (uncredited)
- The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker (1970) – Model at Party
- Lost in the Stars (1974) - Irina
- Christmas with Flicka (1987) - Herself
- All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) – Whippet Angel (voice)
- The Fighting Temptations (2003) – Bessie Cooley
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | |||
| 1970 | I Got Love
|
— | — | |
| 1971 | Look What You're Doing to the Man
|
157 | 43 | |
| 1972 | Melba Moore Live!
|
— | — | |
| 1975 | Peach Melba
|
176 | 49 | |
| 1976 | This Is It
|
145 | 32 | |
| 1976 | Melba '76
|
177 | 30 | |
| 1977 | A Portrait of Melba
|
— | — | |
| 1978 | Melba '78
|
114 | 35 | |
| 1979 | Burn
|
— | 71 | |
| 1980 | Closer
|
— | — | |
| 1981 | What a Woman Needs
|
201 | 46 | |
| 1982 | The Other Side of the Rainbow
|
152 | 18 | |
| 1983 | Never Say Never
|
147 | 9 | |
| 1985 | Read My Lips
|
130 | 30 | |
| 1986 | A Lot of Love
|
91 | 7 | |
| 1988 | I'm in Love
|
— | 45 | |
| 1990 | Soul Exposed
|
— | 52 | |
| 1996 | Happy Together (with The Lafayette Harris, Jr. Trio)
|
— | — | |
| 1999 | Solitary Journey
|
— | — | |
| 2001 | A Very Special Christmas Gift
|
— | — | |
| 2002 | A Night in St. Lucia
|
— | — | |
| 2003 | I'm Still Here
|
— | — | |
| 2004 | Nobody But Jesus
|
— | — | |
| 2007 | Live In Concert
|
— | — | |
| 2009 | The Gift Of Love (with Phil Perry)
|
— | — | |
| 2016 | Forever Moore
|
— | — | |
| 2019 | The Day I Turned To You
|
— | — | |
| "—" denotes release did not chart or was not released | ||||
Compilation
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | |||
| 1979 | Dancin' With Melba
|
— | — | |
| 1995 | This Is It: The Best of Melba Moore
|
— | — | |
| 1997 | The Magic of Melba Moore (A Little Bit Moore)
|
— | — | |
| "—" denotes release did not chart or was not released | ||||
Singles
| Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Dance | UK [21] | |||
| 1966 | "Don't Cry Sing Along with the Music" b/w "Does Love Believe in Me" |
— | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1969 | "I Messed Up a Good Thing" b/w "I'll Do It All Over Again" (Non-album track) |
— | — | — | — | Living to Give |
| "We're Living to Give (To Give to Each Other)" b/w "The Flesh Failures (Let the Sun Shine In)" |
— | — | — | — | ||
| 1970 | "Black Enough" b/w "My Salvation" |
— | — | — | — | Cotton Comes to Harlem various artists soundtrack |
| "Time and Love" b/w "Facade" |
— | — | — | — | Living to Give | |
| "I Got Love" b/w "I Love Making Love to You" (from Living to Give) |
111 | — | — | — | I Got Love | |
| "We're Living to Give (To Give to Each Other)" b/w "Purlie" (from I Got Love) |
— | — | — | — | Living to Give | |
| "Look What You're Doing to the Man" b/w "Patience Is Rewarded" |
— | — | — | — | Look What You're Doing to the Man | |
| 1971 | "Loving You Comes So Easy" b/w "If I Had a Million" |
— | — | — | — | |
| "Take Up a Course in Happiness" b/w "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (from Look What You're Doing to the Man) |
— | — | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| 1972 | "I Ain't Got to Love Nobody Else" b/w "Love Letters" |
— | — | — | — | |
| 1975 | "I Am His Lady" b/w "If I Lose" |
— | 82 | — | — | Peach Melba |
| "Must Be Dues" b/w "Natural Part of Everything" |
— | — | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "This Is It" b/w "Stay Awhile" |
91 | 18 | 2 | 9 | This Is It |
| "Lean on Me" b/w "One Less Morning" |
— | 17 | — | — | ||
| "Free" | — | — | 14 | — | Dancin' with Melba | |
| "Make Me Believe in You" | — | — | 6 | — | ||
| "Play Boy Scout" | — | — | 14 | — | ||
| 1977 | "Good Love Makes Everything Alright" | — | — | 36 | — | Melba (Buddah) |
| "The Long and Winding Road" b/w "Ain't No Love Lost" |
— | 94 | — | — | ||
| "The Way You Make Me Feel" b/w "So Many Mountains" |
108 | 62 | — | — | ||
| "The Greatest Feeling" b/w "The Long and Winding Road" UK release only |
— | — | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "Standing Right Here" b/w "Living Free" |
— | 69 | 53 | — | A Portrait of Melba |
| "I Don't Know No One Else to Turn To" b/w "Just Another Link" |
— | — | — | — | ||
| "You Stepped Into My Life" b/w "There's No Other Like You" |
47 | 17 | 5 | — | Melba (Epic) | |
| 1979 | "Pick Me Up, I'll Dance" b/w "Where Did You Ever Go" |
103 | 85 | 22 | 48 | |
| "Miss Thing" b/w "Need Love" |
— | 90 | 41 | — | Burn | |
| "Night People" b/w "Hot and Tasty" |
— | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "Everything So Good About You" b/w "Next to You" |
— | 47 | — | — | Closer |
| 1981 | "Take My Love" 1 b/w "Just You, Just Me" (Non-album track) |
— | 15 | 12 | — | What A Woman Needs |
| "Let's Stand Together" 1 b/w "What a Woman Needs" |
— | 44 | — | |||
| 1982 | "Love's Comin' at Ya" b/w Instrumental version of A-side (Non-album track) |
104 | 5 | 2 | 15 | The Other Side Of The Rainbow |
| 1983 | "Mind Up Tonight" b/w Instrumental version of A-side (Non-album track) |
— | 25 | 17 | 22 | |
| "Underlove" b/w "Underlove"(M&M mix, non-album track) |
— | 35 | 42 | 60 | ||
| "Keepin' My Lover Satisfied" b/w Instrumental version of A-side (Non-album track) |
— | 14 | 57 | — | Never Say Never | |
| 1984 | "Livin' for Your Love" b/w "Got to Have Your Love" (Instrumental version, non-album track) |
108 | 6 | — | — | |
| "Love Me Right" b/w "Never Say Never" |
— | 15 | — | — | ||
| 1985 | "I Can't Believe (It's Over)" b/w "King of My Heart" |
— | 29 | — | — | Read My Lips |
| "Read My Lips" b/w "Got to Have Your Love" (from Never Say Never) |
104 | 12 | — | — | ||
| "When You Love Me Like This" b/w "Winner" (Editied instrumental, non-album track) |
106 | 14 | — | — | ||
| 1986 | "Love the One I'm With (A Lot of Love)" (with Kashif) b/w "Don't Go Away" |
— | 5 | — | — | A Lot Of Love |
| "A Little Bit More" (with Freddie Jackson) b/w "When We Touch (It's Like Fire)" |
— | 1 | — | 96 | ||
| "Falling" b/w "Got to Have Your Love" (from Never Say Never) |
— | 1 | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "I'm Not Gonna Let You Go" b/w "Dreams" |
— | 26 | — | — | |
| "It's Been So Long" b/w "Don't Go Away" |
— | 6 | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "I Can't Complain" (with Freddie Jackson) b/w "There I Go Falling In Love Again" (from A Lot of Love) |
— | 12 | — | — | I'm In Love |
| "I'm in Love" (with Kashif) b/w "Stay" (from A Lot of Love) |
— | 13 | — | — | ||
| "Love & Kisses" b/w "I'm in Love" (Summertime Shorts version, with Kashif—non-album track) |
— | 68 | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "Do You Really (Want My Love?)" 12" single with four different mixes Only the original version appears on the album |
— | 10 | 39 | 93 | Soul Exposed |
| "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" b/w Same song with narration by Rev. Jesse Jackson (Non-album track) |
— | 9 | — | — | ||
| 1998 | "Everybody" CD single with five different mixes |
— | — | — | — | Solitary Journey (Featuring three of the five mixes) |
| 2005 | "My Heart Belongs to You" 12" single with three different mixes |
— | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 2011 | "Love Is" | — | 87 | — | — | |
| "—" denotes release did not chart or was not released | ||||||
- ^1 "Let's Stand Together" and "Take My Love" charted together on the US Billboard Dance chart, but charted separately elsewhere.
See also
References
- "The HistoryMakers". Thehistorymakers.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
- Classmates, Arts High School 1958 Yearbook (Newark, New Jersey). Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- "United States Public Records, 1970-2009", Beatrice M Moore, 2004. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- McCann, Bob (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television, p. 237. The University of California; ISBN 9780786437900.
- White, Adam, and Fred Bronson (1993). The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits. Billboard Books, 1993; ISBN 9780823082858.
- "Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits". Jet. 107: 36. May 16, 2005.
- Windsor, Carl D., "Today In History", On This Day: Daily Inspiration for the History Buff, the Trivia Lover, and the Innately Curious, Simon and Schuster, 2006. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- Berry, S. Torriano, and Venise T. Berry, "Moore, Melba (1945–)", Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema, Rowman & Littlefield, 2015, p. 306. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- "Happy Birthday Melba Moore". DJAlexGutierrez.com. October 29, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- Fair-Brown, Norma, "Principal's Message", Archived April 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- Corbett, Nic. "'70s singer Melba Moore returns to Newark Arts High School for first time since graduating decades earlier", The Star-Ledger, September 23, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- The Ultimate New Jersey High School Year Book. 1998.
- "Melba Moore: Nurturing a Career and a Baby Girl on the Road". The New York Times. February 13, 1978.
- "Melba Moore is back!". The Show Biz Wizard. April 27, 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- Hall, Jane (December 15, 1986). "A New Hit on TV, Ex-Addict Clifton Davis Can Say Amen to His Past". People Magazine. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- Moore, Melba. "Huggins divorces Moore". MTV. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- Huggins, Charles (December 20, 1999). "Huggins files suit against Moore for Defamation". Cornell. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- Martin, Michel (September 21, 2009). "Songstress Melba Moore Is Back From Hiatus, Tells Of Hardship". NPR.org. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
- "The Envelope - Awards and Industry Insiderlatimes.com". Theenvelope.latimes.com. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- 2015 AMG Heritage Awards. "Melba Moore takes home honors at the 2015 AMG Heritage Awards". Artists Music Guild. Artists Music Guild. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London, UK: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 377. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
Further reading
- Als, Hilton (8 February 2010). "Critic's Notebook: Let the Sunshine In". The New Yorker. 85 (48): 13. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
External links
- Melba Moore's Official Myspace page
- Melba Moore at the Internet Broadway Database
- Melba Moore at IMDb
- SoulTracks.com profile of Melba Moore
- Melba Moore @ soulandfunkmusic.com
- Melba Moore 2012 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com
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| Live albums | |
| Singles | |
| Related articles | |
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