The HistoryMakers video oral history with Melba Moore.

Chicago, Illinois : The HistoryMakers, [2016]

1 online resource (8 video files (3 hr., 49 min., 56 sec.)) : sound, color.

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Singer and stage actress Melba Moore was born Beatrice Melba Smith on October 29, 1945 in New York City. After graduating from the High School of Performing Arts in Newark, New Jersey, she went on to earn her B.A. degree in music education from Montclair State Teachers College. Moore returned to Newark Public Schools as a teacher where she began performing with other teachers forming a cultural performance group called Black Voices. In 1968, Moore began working at various studios in Manhattan where she provided background vocals for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Aretha Franklin. In 1969, Moore succeeded actress Diane Keaton for the lead role in the Broadway theatrical production of Hair. Moore went on to play recurring roles in several hit Broadway productions including Purlie, Inacent Black, Timbuktu and Les Misérables. In 2003, Moore's talents earned her the role of "Bessie Cooley" in the film, The Fighting Temptations.

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English

February 04, 2021

Larry Crowe, interviewer.