Melba Moore Biography

The American singer and actress Melba Moore was born in 1945 in New York City. Melba grew up influenced by the music and talents of her parents; her mother is R&B singer Bonnie Davis and her father is famed saxophone player Teddy Hill. Moore’s parents divorced when she was young, and her stepfather strongly encouraged Melba to learn to play the piano and pursue a career in the field of music.

Initially, Melba Moore set her sights on a career as a music teacher, but her aspirations changed after her first stage performance, in the musical Hair, in 1967. Her next performance, in the role of Lutiebelle in Purlie, earned her a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Music. Following Melba Moore’s auspicious career start as a stage actress and singer, she entered the studio to record her debut album, I Got Love, in 1970.

Since that time, Melba Moore has recorded dozens of albums, including: Look What You’re Doing to the Man (1971), Peach Melba (1975), This is It (1976), Melba ’76 (1976), Melba ’78 (1978), Burn (1979), What a Woman Needs (1981), The Other Side of the Rainbow (1982), Never Say Never (1983), A Lot of Love (1986), and Soul Exposed (1990.) Notable chart-topping R&B hits from Melba Moore include: “This is It,” “Love’s Comin’ At Ya,” “Livin’ for Your Love,” “A Little Bit More,” “Falling,” “Lean on Me,” “Read My Lips,” “It’s Been So Long,” and “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” Moore also appeared on stage in multiple plays, including: Timbuktu! (1978), Les Miserables (1995) and Brooklyn (2006.)

Over the course of her career, Melba Moore has been nominated for two Grammys – first, in 1971 for Best New Artist; in 1975 for her album Peach Melba; in 1976 for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance for her single “Lean on Me”; and in 1986 for her single “Read My Lips.” Melba Moore continues to perform, record, and appear on the stage. She most recently appeared in the play Great God A’Mighty, in 2013.