Legendary Melba Moore to Receive Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

One of our favorites, legend Melba Moore will be honored with the 2,760th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Taking place next Thursday, August 10th at 2:30 pm ET. The star will be unveiled at 1645 Vine Street near the historic corner of Hollywood & Vine. Ms. Moore will be awarded her star in the category of Live Theatre/Live Performance.

Guest speakers include Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph, our boy, comedian Katt Williams and veteran R&B hit maker Freda Payne.

“We are very proud to honor Melba Moore who has lent her beautiful 5-octave voice to various genres of music. Not only is she an entertainer, she is an activist, a trailblazer and so much more,” states Walk of Fame Producer, Ana Martinez. “We know that many of her long-time fans will be lining up the day of her ceremony to see this musical gem as she is honored with her well- deserved Walk of Fame star.”

Born in Harlem and raised in Newark NJ, The Marvelous Melba Moore is an American prolific 5-octave singer, Tony Award-winning actress, and a four-time Grammy-nominated artist. She has conquered the genres of Broadway, Contemporary Soul/R&B, Pop, Rock, Jazz, Gospel, and Classical music.

Destined to be a star, Ms. Moore started her Broadway career in the original cast of HAIR, where she replaced Diane Keaton, becoming the first African American woman to replace a white actress in a lead role. She would later solidify her place in America’s heart with her Tony Award-winning performance as Luttie Belle Gussie Mae Jenkins in PURLIE. Her other Broadway works include TIMBUKTU! (alongside Eartha Kitt and directed by Geoffrey Holder), INACENT BLACK, AIN’T MISBEHAVIN, BKLYN, CHICAGO, and LES MISERABLES – the latter setting another first when she became the first Black woman to play the lead role of Fantine.

Ms. Moore’s success only continued to expand with her recording career. Her remake of her friend Aretha Franklin’s classic “Lean On Me” earned her a Grammy nomination and has become just one of her signature songs. The hit “Read My Lips” made Ms. Moore one of three African American women nominated for a Grammy in the Rock category (the others being Tina Turner and Donna Summer).

Melba Moore was the first solo artist to perform a non-operatic concert at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House, and she has also performed at the L’Olympia Hall in Paris, France. She has received the prestigious Drama Desk Award, The Ellis Island Award, The Artist Guild Award, The Trumpet Award of Excellence, a Historymakers tribute, invitations to the White House under Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan as well as perform for the United Nations General Assembly.

An entertainer who also happens to be a civil and equal rights activist, Ms. Moore has served as an outspoken advocate for minorities’, children’s, and women’s rights. She marched arm in arm with Mrs. Coretta Scott King and Rev. Jesse Jackson, and worked closely with Dr. Betty Shabazz, Dr. Dorothy I. Height (National Council of Negro Women), and Dr. C. Delores Tucker (National Political Congress of Black Women).

Ms. Moore’s 1990 version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” recorded with Bebe and Cece Winans, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Anita Baker, Bobby Brown, Gerald Albright, Freddie Jackson, Howard Hewitt, Jeffrey Osborne, The Clark Sisters, Terri Lyne Carrington, Stephanie Mills, Take 6; video directed by Debbie Allen and featuring Jasmine Guy, as well as narration by Rev. Jesse Jackson and Lou Gossett Jr. This rendition was entered into the Congressional Record as the official Black National Anthem. In 2017, the song was added to the United States National Recording Registry and preserved by the Library of Congress as an “American Aural Treasure” alongside Barbara Streisand’s “People” and David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust”.

The Marvelous Melba Moore’s latest work is the album, “Imagine,” contains a remake of the Ashford & Simpson R&B classic, “It Seems To Hang On.” Melba Moore continues to delight fans with performances at home and abroad.

Check Out UB’s Melba Moore Black Music Month Spotlight and UB Interview!

UB Black Music Month Spotlight: The Extraordinary Melba Moore