Melba sings gospel

Jet, Sept 13, 2004

MELBA SINGS GOSPEL: Famed singer-actress Melba Moore believes in praising the Lord and sings her admiration on her new gospel CD, Nobody But Jesus. The project, which she executive-produced, was recorded on the Believe Music Works label, distributed by WEA. Lauded for her historic work on Broadway, Moore won a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical in 1970 for her role as Lutibelle in the musical Purlie.

The win made Moore the first Black to receive the award. Her recent theatrical work includes Sweet Songs of the Soul, her autobiographical two-act, one-woman play, which touches upon her failed marriage, financial downfall and stalled career and how she pulled herself together. The soul singer won fame in the '80s and '90s with such hit songs as Lean On Me, Falling', You Stepped Into My Life, Love's Comin' At Ya, Livin' For Your Love and This Is It. Moore's soul-stirring 1990 recording of Lift Every Voice and Sing was instrumental in having the song entered into the Congressional Record as the official Black National Anthem.