By the time Melba Moore landed on Broadway in 1968 as “Dionne” in the
legendary rock musical Hair, the petite lady with the powerhouse vocal
chords was already riding on a wealth of musical talent and history.
Her mother had scored a #1 hit in the early days of the R&B charts, and
Melba herself had attended Newark Arts High School. Her appreciation of
music education even led her to become a teacher for a brief time.
With the release of her first R&B album since 1999’s overlooked
Solitary Journey, Melba is now coming full circle with her “eclectic”
brand of soul. Driven by her spiritual foundation, Melba joins forces
with fellow vocal dynamo Phil Perry to cover an array of R&B and gospel
favorites on The Gift of Love -- among them songs that were part of her
childhood, like The Spinners’ “Sadie” and the inspirational staple “I
Believe.0 There’s also a number of R&B radio strongholds that fans of
the singer’s 70’s and 80’s run of hits will approve of -- Marvin Gaye
and Tammi Terrell’s “You’re All I Need to Get By,” The Sounds of
Blackness’ “Optimistic.”
Melba talked with Soulmusic.com recently about her new album (which was
executive-produced by our own David Nathan), as well as her rich,
multi-dimensional history in theater, TV, recording, and then some. She
also opened up about her personal struggles after being embezzled, and
even blacklisted in the industry. Justin Kantor: Hi Melba, this is Justin Kantor from Soulmusic.com.
JK: Are you getting excited about the release of Gift of Love?
MM: Yeah, boy! (laughs)
JK: I’m sure. Tell me how it all came about. What were the beginnings of this project?
MM: Okay, let me go back a second. It came through David. He came to me and my partner, Ron Richardson first with the project that we did for Time Life (Songs 4 Worship Soul), which is part of a series of inspirational songs, or actually gospel songs that had been done by great gospel artists like Donnie McClurkin, Andrae Crouch, and many others, but by R&B artists. I did ‘Days of Elijah, which was beautifully done by Donnie McClurkin, I think. Then, I re-united with my former protégé, Freddie Jackson to do ‘My Tribute’, which is a beautiful hymn, written by Andrae Crouch. We did it as a duet. That’s how it started, and then David suggested that, maybe he might shop the idea to a label, and he went to Shanachie, and Freddie declined, he didn’t want to do anything more, but then David and his production partner Preston Glass and their partner Glenda Gracia, the former manager of Phyllis Hyman. I guess they talked with Daniel Weiss and Randall Glass from Shanachie to see if they were interested in the project, and some other possibilities, and they all came up with Phil Perry and presented it to me, and I screamed “Yes!”
JK: He’s awesome. I think it’s such a cool combination between the two of you, because you both have such dynamic vocal ranges, which makes it a really powerful combination.
MM: Right. Right.
JK: How did you go about selecting the songs for this album, because you have an eclectic selection of songs on here?
MM: We are some eclectic people (laughs), and that’s how we went about it. Well, Daniel Weiss brought a bunch of songs to Phil, and Chris ‘Big Dog’ Davis, who produced several of the songs, and David and Preston Glass, who produced some of the songs too, brought some songs to the project. Then, Phil and myself brought songs separately to the project, so everybody brought songs, kind of dumped them in the pot, and we chewed them around to see which ones we wanted. That’s how we came up with all of the songs.
JK: So it was a family affair?
MM: Yes.
JK: Take me back a little bit, or maybe more than a little bit, depending how you look at it. I know you come from a musical family, and your mom was a singer who had success of her own on the R&B charts back in the day, and your dad was a famous band leader, Teddy Hill, so tell me about growing up in that kind of musical environment.
MM: Okay, but you left out the most important person in this family affair, but of course you’re not expected to know all that, it’s my family. My mother and my natural father were never married, so I have it in my blood, but my mother married a wonderful man by the name of Clement Moormon, who also was a musician, and he had a daughter and a son, and so I had a family all of a sudden. I was an only child before, but he also made music the centre of our lives. Because he was a piano player, he made us all take piano lessons. He made us take piano lessons. I wanted to take dance, but my older brother, Dennis loved piano, was really, really good at it. He became like a little prodigy, you know? I loved it, so I just played it. We used to fight over who was going to practice on the piano. My sister, she could draw and paint well, so she kind of dropped out of the piano, but the point is, it became a centerpiece of our lives, because our parents were performers, so they rehearsed in the home, and all of my stepfather’s sisters and brothers were musical; they all played instruments. Then, after my mother married my stepfather, music was always in my life. Before she married my stepfather, there was no music in my life. I probably never would have found that I could sing.
JK: Was that because she was still touring around a lot, doing performances?
MM: That’s right, and my grandmother had had a stroke, and she wasn’t able to speak, so there was really no one to tell me about my history. I’m told that she was a great singer too, but she didn’t sing, so it was kind of cut off. The family was really splintered and broken at that point, until my mother married.
JK: Wow, so it became quite a change when she remarried? MM: Eclectic. (Laughs)
JK: Had you heard your mom’s recordings early on, like that song ‘Don’t Stop Now’, that was a Number 1 hit for her in the ‘40s?
MM: I have them, and I've heard them, yes. I heard them later on, actually. I didn’t hear them when I was little.
JK: Was your grandmother raising you during that time, when your mom was performing?
MM: No, we had a nanny. We called her Mama Lou. My grandmother was sick.
JK: So you were taking care of her.
MM: Yes, because she was invalid, kind of half-paralyzed.
JK: The love of music obviously stayed with you, and you ended up going to a performing arts high school, right? Newark Arts High School?
MM: That’s right.
JK: Tell me about that experience. What did you get out of that, and what kinds of classes went on there?
MM: Well, music was the centerpiece, and the head of our curriculum. Of course, academics were extremely important. It really felt like you were in a preppie, private school. (laughs)
JK: Was that a change of environment from what you had been in before?
MM: Well, I had been in both. My mother started me out, thank God, in St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School, and St. Thomas is like one of the doctors of the Catholic Church. He was like a genius at intellect and that kind of thing. So, that kind of educational discipline, you know when the nuns would crack you over, you know. I was baptized at birth, and had a very strong spiritual experience already, but at home it was quite a bit different. You’re talking about school now, well after my mother married, I went into public schools in Newark, and that very different. I had good elementary schools, but there was never the kind of discipline and high standard that there was at St Thomas Aquinas. Then, I went to junior high school, and all hell broke loose! I know it’s a very difficult time in teenagers’ lives, because they’re all crazy, but nobody was in charge, so the kids just wreaked havoc in junior high school. I felt like I lost a lot during those times, because you sat there because you were accustomed to being obedient, and you were ready to learn, because that was a habit, but many times there was nothing to learn, because the teacher just sat there while the kids tore the class up.
JK: So, it’s almost like you wanted to speak up about it, but you didn’t know how?
MM: Well, yeah! You really did want to learn. I never knew anything except learning, and enjoying that, and growing, and then there was all of this mayhem, plus you had to watch out how you left school, because somebody was always setting a time to beat you down...you know, see you after school!
JK: So it was a violent atmosphere?
MM: It was very violent, yeah.
JK: Was this in Montclair?
MM: No, this was in Newark. Then, it came time to go to high school, and I discovered by then that I really, really loved and adored music, so I found out about Arts High, and auditioned and took the tests and everything to get into there.
JK: I know that ‘Hair’ was the first big Broadway production for you, but was that your first actual professional theatre peformance?
MM: Well, it was the first theatre performance, period.
JK: Okay, so you really hit gold the first time out. MM: Yes. Yes.
JK: Was it a direct path for you to Broadway, or was it an accident?
MM: It was an eclectic accident!
JK: That’s our key word today, eclectic.
MM: I got a degree in music education, and I taught school for about a year and a half, but I felt an urge to try to get into show business, and really do that directly, and in an effort to do that, I started doing work regularly as a studio singer. One of the recording sessions turned out to be for Galt MacDermot, and assisting him were the people who wrote the book and the lyrics for the Broadway show, ‘Hair’. They invited all the background singers, or backup singers, I don't know what you call them, because there was no lead singing.
JK: It was the chorus, right?
MM: No, because I’m talking about the studio. We were the backups, but instead of like a lead singer, Galt was the keyboard. The keyboard was the star. So, none of the other people said yes. I said yes.
JK: So you were the only one that agreed to do it?
MM: I think Valerie, who was on the same day went down and sang for them, and they wanted her, but she declined.
JK: You mean to do the actual auditions for the show?
MM: She went down and sang for them, but said, “No thank you. Y’all don’t pay no money.” Valerie was always a smart business lady.
JK: Now, you started as an understudy, right?
MM: No.
JK: I read that you were an understudy for the role of Sheila.
MM: No, I was never the understudy. I came in as part of the chorus, but the chorus was not a normal chorus. It, too, was eclectic. Everybody really was the chorus, but then everybody had featured parts, and the way we thought of it, even with the lead roles of Berger and Hud and the female lead, they were kind of feature roles, I mean in terms of the way we looked at it.
JK: It was more equal.
MM: The way that we described it was ‘the tribe’, so that everybody really was the chorus, or the choir, and then we had featured roles, but in actuality, Sheila was the female lead. The first person to do that role was Lynn Kellog, who of course nobody probably knows who that is now.
JK: I recognize the name, but I can’t place what she did with the name.
MM: Exactly, because she didn’t go on to be really famous like Diane Keaton did. Diane Keaton was her understudy.
JK: Was the role of Dionne something that you played before, or after Sheila?
MM: Dionne was my role, and it was one of the featured characters too.
JK: And then when Diane Keaton left, you took over for her.
MM: That’s right.
JK: What was the whole experience like? Did you feel a lot of pressure? I know you were the first black actress to replace a white one on Broadway. Did that have any impact on how you felt when you were doing the show?
MM: Absolutely. I could probably be more conscious of it now that I’m looking back on it, because I guess doing the lead, not having done any theatre before, there were a lot of things that were putting pressure on me. Maybe I didn’t think about the fact that I was the first black. I wasn’t so conscious of that, because there was always pressure on you because you were black, so I was kind of used to that. The thing that seemed outrageous was like, “Oh my God, what did I do?” out here by myself. Now I can see that it’s a lead role, and I have to do that now. I can’t just be Melba or Dionne.
JK: You mean the scope of the role, at the time seemed smaller?
MM: Not at the time. Any time, you understand, when you’re up singing and acting that role, that’s a character, and you have to be that person. You can’t be yourself. I was conscious of that.
JK: So, trying to step out of yourself.
MM: Yes. Not so much about being black, I mean you’re always conscious of that, and so used to handling that, but we were also in a very loving environment, so that seemed to be so much of an issue, that I had to adjust to. As a matter of fact, now that I think of it, that wasn’t an issue at all, and it seemed like it should have been.
JK: I guess that was good though, because that might have sent you over the edge if you had even more pressure.
MM: The only reason that you would have had more pressure is that for some reason it didn’t work, and the scary part is, you don’t know what’s going to work and what’s not, until you do it.
JK: So, it was maybe to some degree, the fact that it was all so new to you that you could only think about so much I guess.
MM: Yes.
JK: Did you go straight from doing ‘Hair’ to doing ‘Purlie’?
MM: Yes.
JK: What drew you to that production?
MM: One of the girls in the tribe told me that there were auditions for a show, and she said, “Don’t worry about getting it, but you need to learn how to audition now. You’re on Broadway. The door is open for you. Start going around learning about the environment that you’re in.” She gave me the information and told me about the role, and told me what I should do, for instance what they call typecasting. She said that means you try to look like what the role is when you go there. I did that. I looked very country.
JK: So you were prepared.
MM: Yes.
JK: Tell me about the whole experience of winning the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. What was your reaction, was there a build-up to it, or was it just out of nowhere?
MM: It wasn’t really out of nowhere. I kind of made it out of nowhere, because I was in such shock once again, that I got the role, but now I had to focus to try to learn how to be an actress for real, because Sheila was kind of in and out of the tribe and the character. Now you had to be in the character from the beginning to the end. I had a southern accent, and I had to keep it and not drop it. I had to sustain the character, and it was very scary because I didn’t know how to think like that or do that. Once again, the lack of experience kicks in. When they started talking about a Tony Award and all that, I really just decided not to think about it, and just try to focus on staying in the character and learning how to do that, and sustaining that. When the time for it came, I didn’t even have anything to wear, but at the time, the young man who has become a great director and choreographer was in the dance chorus, his name is George Faison, well he was making clothes on the side to make a few extra dollars.
JK: I didn’t realize that he had started as a dancer in that.
MM: Yes. Well, he said, “Melba, you have so have something to wear. This is the Tony Awards!” He made my dress for me. He explained to me that I couldn’t just go, that I had to dress up.
JK: You had a lot of people supporting you and helping you out.
MM: They came to my aid, and I never will forget. We really became a family, with Novella Nelson, who played the role of Aunt Missy, and Cleavon Little who played the lead, and Sherman Hemsley who played Gitlow, and they really supported me, and made me laugh, and helped me focus, and just encouraged me, and did as much as they could to take away my frights and nervousness, and of course Novella, I don’t know whether to blame her or to thank her, introduced me to Clifton Davis, so I had a little romance to distract me. (laughs) I’m just trying to paint a picture of all the stuff that was going on. JK: Also around this time, you started your recording career. You signed with Mercury Records.
MM: That’s right. At the same time.
JK: Were you approached by them, or were you shopping for a deal?
MM: I was approached. I was trying to shop for deals before, but nothing had really come about, but once Purlie happened, then some offers started to come to me, one of which was Mercury.
JK: Was it difficult to transition from the world of theatre to the music business?
MM: Yeah, they are really quite different. What may have made it a little more possible, was that Purlie was making an attempt at having fairly contemporary music. One of the interesting things is that when I auditioned for it, I never sang for the director, Phil Rose, who was also one of the producers and writers. During previews, I had one song, the title song, and we kept stopping the show with it. They created ‘I Got Love’ to work around my range and my style, which again was kind of a coming together of r&b music, or recorded music, or contemporary music, and theatre. There was maybe a time, or a cusp of coming together, because the chorus of ‘Hair’ was actually the first one to put rock music into a play. They were starting to come together, but then you were talking about the Tony Awards. I guess the thing of it is, I remember at the Tony Awards, we did a performance of 'Purlie,' and I remember being in such great shock., because I was accustomed to the theatre being dark, and now it was light, and you could actually see people. I saw these stars out there, and it was absolutely frightening. I mean, you could say it was exciting, but it bordered on really frightening. JK: You just didn’t know how to react.
MM: Exactly. I do remember that they called someone else’s first name and my last name, and I didn’t understand the categories. I was trying to get out of the way and move out of the theater, and I heard the audience yelling, “Melba Moore! Melba Moore!” So, I stayed a minute to listen to what they were saying, and I was the one getting the Tony Award! To be honest with you, I don’t remember the rest.
JK: Didn’t the guy say your name as Melissa Moore?
MM: Was it Melissa? I know it was somebody else’s first name.
JK: I think he said Melissa Moore, so I didn’t know if that was why you didn’t hear your name.
MM: All I’m saying is that it was all just scary. I guess I was excited, and of course I know what show business is what it is, and so I can say I was sure I was delighted, but to be honest, I don’t remember most of it because it was too exciting. Really, the afterparty was great.
JK: That’s a good thing to remember! But when the album came out, you did really well yourself, because it even got nominated for a Grammy with the first album for Best New Artist. You did a few albums at Mercury, and then you did move into the world of TV as you mentioned, with your variety series with Clifton Davis. Was that another transition for you, as far as working in the realm of TV?
MM: Absolutely. That was a very, very different one because of the lights and the camera, and the different way that you had to act and move. It’s very, very different from theatre, and I wasn’t even used to theatre yet (laughs).
JK: You got a triple dose of everything.
MM: Yeah. I would say it was exciting and I can look back now and see I enjoyed it, and I love challenges. You know the adrenaline flows, and the intelligence comes, and you meet the challenge, so I can say that I love it, but I can say that it was very, very difficult.
JK: I guess no matter how much preparation, some of it has to come in the moment, as far as learning and how you respond.
MM: You can rehearse, and rehearse, and rehearse, and then once you’re up actually doing it, something else kicks in.
JK: After the series that you did with Clifton Davis, there was a period of time for a few years where you weren’t as active in the business. What happened during that period, between the time that you had ended your series, and the time that you signed with Buddah Records?
MM: Well, Clifton and I broke up, I really didn’t have any management, and the agents and representatives I had bled me dry, robbed me blind, and left town, and the agents didn’t even know where to reach me to get me work or anything, because everything had gone through my attorneys and accountants. Essentially, they really shut me down, so I had to start over.
JK: How did they manage to pull that kind of stunt? MM: Well, they had power of attorney. You don’t know not to do that, and so you have all your bills and your inquiries going through your attorney, and they’re representing you, but I didn’t know then, like I know now, that you shouldn’t ever have your communications go through an attorney. I don’t want to mention any names, because it’s not like it’s illegal, but it’s really bad business. “I’ll be your business manager” usually means everything goes to them; all your bills, your rent, and everything. They’ll take care of it. It doesn’t work, because you’re out of the loop. You say, “How can they do it”, well, that’s how they do it. You don’t have possession of anything that belongs to you. They do.
JK: So, you need to be able to have a look at everything, at least briefly, as opposed to having a third party take care of it.
MM: How can you council them and tell them what you want them to do if it doesn’t even come to you? But I’m saying to you, the buzz word is 'business manager,' and people hear that all the time and never think anything about it, but that’s what it means. He actually takes over your business life, and that should never, ever happen. JK: So, it’s something of a hoax, maybe.
MM: It's a scam.
Click here to read Pt. 2 of Justin's in depth interview with Melba Moore
Transcription by Nathan Stafford - You can e-mail Nathan here for transcription service info
Click here to hear clips and to order Melba Moore & Phil Perry's CD "The Gift Of Love" 
