Melba Moore was destined to be a star! Hailing from a musical family, Ms. Moore graduated from the famed Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey. At the encouragement of her parents, she went on to pursue music education at Montclair State University, but her inner voice told her she had to see if she could make it as a performer. Ms. Moore’s stepfather, pianist Clement Moorman, introduced her to several agents which eventually landed her a role in the cult classic musical HAIR. It was in HAIR that Ms. Moore became the first African-American woman to replace a white actress, who happened to be the acclaimed Diane Keaton, in a lead role on Broadway. A year and a half later, she starred in PURLIE, which earned her a TONY Award for her portrayal as “Lutiebelle.” Ms. Moore later appeared alongside the iconic Eartha Kitt as “Marsinah” in the musical TIMBUKTU!
Although Ms. Moore enjoyed working on Broadway, she didn’t want to forget about her first love…music. Deciding to focus more on her recording career, she made her recording debut on Mercury Records with I Am Love, followed by Look What You’re Doing To The Man. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for ‘Best New Artist.’ During this time, television shows (including her own variety show for CBS), numerous Grammy nominations and recordings followed. Ms. Moore was a regular on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson as well as The Flip Wilson Show. She scored a string of Billboard Charted hits with songs like “This Is It” and “You Stepped Into My Life”. Ms. Moore was the first female pop artist to do a non operatic solo concert at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House.
Ms. Moore continued to enjoy great success musically with such chart topping songs as “Love’s Comin’ At Ya,” “Keepin’ My Lover Satisfied,” “Living For Your Love,” “Read My Lips,” which she received a Grammy nomination for ‘ Best Female Rock Vocal’. She had two Billboard #1 hit singles for “Falling” and “A Little Bit More,” a duet with Freddie Jackson.
Ms. Moore later released Soul Exposed which featured a stellar version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” otherwise known as the Negro National Anthem. It featured such artists as Freddie Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Jeffrey Osborne, Lou Gossett Jr., Bobby Brown, Anita Baker, and Stephanie Mills. During this period Ms. Moore worked hard on her philanthropy. One of her major accomplishments was being instrumental in having “Lift Every Voice and Sing” inducted in the United States Library of Congress as the official Negro National Anthem. She worked strongly with Dr. Dorothy I. Height and the National Council of Negro Women as their national membership chairwoman. She also worked with Dr. C. Delores Tucker and the National Congress of Black Women. Ms. Moore also had a deep passion for children, especially those who were abandoned, abused, and born with AIDS and addicted to crack. She gave her time working with Hale House and also founded her own organization, The Melba Moore Foundation for Children.
Ms. Moore later returned to Broadway in the lead role of ‘Fantine’ in the musical Les Miserables. She became the first Black actress to step into that role in the acclaimed musical. More recently, she starred with Beyonce and Cuba Gooding Jr. in the motion picture “The Fighting Temptations”.
Currently, Ms. Moore is working on an autobiography with professor and former New York Times writer Mel Watkins detailing all of her achievements over the span of her career. She is also in the studio working on a new album which will be released on her new label A'Moore Entertainment, which she shares with her daughter Charli Huggins . The album is being produced by Rahni Song and Dominic McFadden, son of the late Gene McFadden of McFadden and Whitehead . It is scheduled to be released in early 2011.
 | Shout glory production Presents 'Melba Moore' The fighting temptations also starring (as they appear in the photo) Beyonce Knowles as Lilly, Mike Epps as Lucius, Melba Moore as Bessie...Paramount PIC/MTV spring release in theatre near you. "The fighting temptations" A PARAMOUNT/MTV FILM Starring Oscar winner, Cuba Gooding jr., as a wall st. whiz wanna-be from a teenie weenie southern backwoods town called Montecarlo Georgia. His mother was a single parent who brought him to New York City as child and pretty much left him to raise himself as she tried to become a professional singer. He's not doing well as all on wall st. He gets a telegram telling him that his aunt has passed away and willed him the church by, the church choir, and some stocks, if he will enter the choir nto the Gospel explosion contest and win! |
A long the way he meets the beautiful songbird "Lilly", played by the beautiful songbird from Destiny's child, Beyonce "Knowles, Lou Meyers, Wendell Pierce, Latanya Richardson, Montell Jordan, Lil Kane, Mike Epps, Angie Stone, Rue McClanahan, Melba Moore, Mickey Jones, The O'jays, Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, The Five Blind Boys, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Ann Nesby, Faith Evans, Steve Harvey, Las Shun& June Pace,.... Just to name a few.. in a hilarious, PG rated (clean) gospel musical comedy with an incredible gospel and R&B sound track by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and directed By Jonathan Lynn; a comic genius director; as is exemplified in his brilliant direction of "my cousin Vinnie".
Discography
Albums
| Label | Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B | |||
| Mercury Records | 1970 | I Got Love | — | — |
| 1971 | Look What You're Doing to The Man | 157 | 43 | |
| 1972 | Melba Moore Live! | — | — | |
| Buddah Records | 1975 | Peach Melba | 176 | 49 |
| 1976 | This is It | 145 | 32 | |
| 1976 | Melba | 177 | 30 | |
| 1977 | A Portrait of Melba | — | — | |
| Epic Records | 1978 | Melba | 114 | 35 |
| 1979 | Burn | — | 71 | |
| 1980 | Closer | — | — | |
| EMI America Records | 1981 | What a Woman Needs | 201 | 46 |
| Capitol Records | 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 | |
| "—" denotes release did not chart or was not released | ||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B | U.S. Dance | UK [4] | ||
| 1970 | "Look What You're Doing To The Man" | — | — | — | — |
| 1975 | "I Am His Lady" | — | 82 | — | — |
| 1976 | "This Is It" | 91 | 18 | 2 | 9 |
| "Lean On Me" | — | 14 | — | — | |
| "Free" | — | — | 14 | — | |
| "Make Me Believe In You" | — | — | 6 | — | |
| "Play Boy Scout" | — | — | 14 | — | |
| 1977 | "Good Love Makes Everything Alright (Greatest Feeling)" | — | — | 36 | — |
| "The Long and Winding Road" | — | 94 | — | — | |
| "The Way You Make Me Feel" | — | 62 | — | — | |
| 1978 | "You Stepped Into My Life" | 47 | 12 | 5 | — |
| "Standing Right Here" | — | 62 | 53 | — | |
| 1979 | "Miss Thing" | — | 90 | 41 | — |
| "Pick Me Up, I'll Dance" | — | 85 | 22 | 48 | |
| 1981 | "Let's Stand Together" 1 | — | 44 | 12 | — |
| "Take My Love" 1 | — | 15 | — | ||
| 1982 | "Love's Comin' At Ya" | — | 5 | 2 | 15 |
| 1983 | "Keepin' My Lover Satisfied" | — | 14 | 57 | — |
| "Mind Up Tonight" | — | 25 | 17 | 22 | |
| "Underlove" | — | 35 | 42 | 60 | |
| 1984 | "Livin' for Your Love" | — | 6 | — | — |
| 1985 | "I Can't Believe (It's Over)" | — | 29 | — | — |
| "Read My Lips" | — | 12 | — | — | |
| "When You Love Me Like This" | — | 14 | — | — | |
| 1986 | "A Little Bit More" (with Freddie Jackson) | — | 1 | — | 96 |
| "Love the One I'm With (A Lot of Love)" | — | 5 | — | — | |
| "Falling" | — | 1 | — | — | |
| 1987 | "I'm Not Gonna Let You Go" | — | 26 | — | — |
| "It's Been So Long" | — | 6 | — | — | |
| 1988 | "I Can't Complain" | — | 12 | — | — |
| "I'm in Love" | — | 13 | — | — | |
| "Love & Kisses" | — | 68 | — | — | |
| 1990 | "Do You Really (Want My Love?)" | — | 10 | 39 | 93 |
| "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" | — | 9 | — | — | |
