Ep 125- Tony WInner Vocal Superstar Melba Moore Comes Back To NY For A Special Event!

Melba Moore, who has starred on Broadway, in film and on television, found ways to entertain herself while being entertained by the new activities and innovations that developed during the pandemic. But few were as innovative as DJ D-Nice’s “Club Quarantine,” a livestream of his skills on the turntables that draw millions of viewers, earned him The NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year in 2021 and helped many of us endure the monotony of being sheltered in place. The virtual dance party not only drew the likes of President and Mrs. Obama but Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry, President Joe Biden and almost every actor, activist and artist known to mankind, breaking Instagram’s LIVE feed and forcing the platform to modify its capacity. And at that Club Quarantine Party, D-Nice played hits and shouted out notables as they entered the party. But when he dropped the needle on Ms. Moore’s 1978 dance classic You Stepped Into My Life, the room erupted with excitement and those in attendance were quick to bring his attention that “MELBA MOORE IS IN HERE!” D-Nice called out her name and celebrated her presence and introduced a new generation to an icon. Melba Moore has done it all, twice. At the tender age of 10, Melba notes that it was then that she was introduced to music and that “I didn’t have any music in my life before my mother married my stepfather. He introduced music into our home and into my life.” From that moment forward, Melba began to develop her 5-octave, note-holding soprano that would soon bring audiences to their feet. The Newark, NJ Arts High School graduate started doing recording sessions after a chance meeting with singer/songwriter/composer Valerie Simpson (of Ashford & Simpson). That opportunity in the studio led Melba in the company of the Broadway musical “HAIR!” First in the ensemble of the show, Melba’s name was tossed into the conversation when actress Diane Keaton left the show and Melba took the female lead and broke all the rules, being the first Black woman to replace a white actress in a featured role on Broadway. Melba Moore, the Tony Award-winning, Grammy Award nominated siren, has commanded stages around the world and who has conquered Broadway in memorable roles in HAIR (1967), PURLIE (1970) and became the first Black woman to inhabit the role of Fantine in LES MISERABLES (1995), also used the pandemic period of reflection to work on new music with her sweetest collaborator and greatest creation, her daughter Charli Huggins, who also happens to the head of The Gallery Entertainment, her own independent label. The label is set to release IMAGINE, Melba Moore’s 2022 project featuring new music and a return to her R&B roots. She is the epitome of an entertainer and a consummate performer. Honored with the likes of Diana Ross, Patti Labelle and Nancy Wilson, Melba Moore was among those who were celebrated at Oprah’s now historic Legends Ball. See her at 54 Below this March! Grab tickets at www.54Below.org! _______________________________________________ Check out “The Roundtable with Robert Bannon” everyday right here on The Broadway Podcast Network! www.RobertBannon.com Follow on IG @RobertMBannon or @theroundtablewithrobertbannon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices