ABS Clinic Supports Melba Moore’s New Album Release

“It’s just been so long,” said Melba Moore, a Tony winning, four-time Grammy and Emmy Award nominated singer best known for her hit songs “Lean On Me” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” “We had been looking for a song writer and found one in Dominic McFadden. I’ve worked with McFadden and Whitehead (“You Stepped Into My Life” hit #3 on the charts) but did not know they had someone else (in the family) with talent. I give credit to my manager (Ron Richardson) who was out there looking and found Dominic. I have quit a few songwriters but he is really good.” Melba Moore’s upcoming, much anticipated, new album is titled “Forever Moore,” same name as a cabaret act she starred in (2011). Through the years she has starred in a one-woman show called “Sweet Songs of the Soul,” now called “Still Standing: The Melba Moore Story.” The first single off the album was “Love Is,” and the current single she is promoting is “Just Dance.” The single “Just Dance” has a catchy beat and Melba’s vocals keep up with the tempo expertly. “It’s a fresh start,” the Broadway legend said about her new music when I mentioned her voice seems ageless. “Some people…time goes by and the voice doesn’t hold up…the body makes changes.” Moore said music has to be universal because it’s all about tourist now days. “People come from different countries,” she said when I asked her what she thinks of the music today as compared to 20 years ago. “African-Americans still are the foundation of all music.” Melba said it’s all about the beat, “The beat is contagious…with the beat you become hooked. The beat will catch you. The industry makes you listen when you are young…then as a teen you are use to ‘graveyard’ music (dark lyrics). Music is so powerful and influential to people.” During Melba Moore’s career her music was influential she broke many stereotypes and barriers. She was the first black Broadway singer in “Hair.” She won a Tony Award for her role in Broadway’s “Purlie” in 1970. She sang “Purlie” and “I Got Love” which shot her to stardom, and landed her a record deal with Mercury Records. At Mercury she earned a Grammy Award nomination. She went on to star in her own television show with Clifton Davis. Moore went into acting starring as Harriet Tubman, which garnered her an Emmy Award nomination. She went on as a singer to earn three more Grammy Award nominations, one for her hit “Lean on Me.” “I try to present a positive attitude,” she said when asked about her longevity in the entertainment industry. “I’m open to criticism. People have a right to express themselves. You see people jump on the bandwagon to be like someone else. We can feel each other….but be who you are.”