Soul songstress Melba Moore, the chart-topping Tony Award–winning star, whose road to fame began in the 1960s, exudes a timeless beauty that is graceful and vibrant.
Now 80, Moore felt the time was right to tell her story. And so she did.
Her new memoir, “This Is It Marvelous… & Getting Better,” due out on Amazon Books on Nov. 18, highlights her musical and theatrical careers while offering insight into her personal journey of trials and triumphs.
“I’m a communicator,” said Moore, who grew up in Newark. “I want to convey my feelings, my observations, and a little bit about who I am.”
While revealing, her book doesn’t dwell on the challenges she faced in the mid-1990s after a failed marriage, which led to eviction, homelessness and bankruptcy.
“I was actually physically put out, and I went to court to try to stay there, but I wasn’t able to do that,” she recalled. “A friend helped me get welfare to try to pay my rent, but they did not want welfare recipients on Central Park South.”
Salvation came in the form of a gospel theater tour in 1994 with “Momma, I’m Sorry,” which offered both work and emotional support.
“They stayed with me. They prayed with me. The presence of God was there,” Moore said of the cast and crew.
The road to success
Reflecting on her roots, Moore credits New Jersey with shaping her success and influencing her family life and education. Encouraged by her parents, Moore learned music early. She attended Newark’s Arts High School and Montclair State Teachers College, later teaching music in Newark public schools.
Her vocal talent and ability to read music opened doors to commercials and backup singing, and helped her connect with other artists, including Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson.
“It was very hard to get into that area of the business,” Simpson said, referring to work on commercials. “Melba had a quality they needed. She could sing any kind of way and bring color and warmth to a commercial. She had a natural ability that just shone through.”
Moore provided vocals for commercials, including for Contac cold medicine and Ford Motor Company, which led to opportunities on Broadway.
“When they came scouting for ‘Hair,’ they heard us sing and asked us to audition,” Simpson said. “I didn’t see myself as an actress, but Melba said yes and got the part, in a cast that included the late Diane Keaton. That was the start of her other career.”
The role of Dionne in “Hair” was a turning point for Moore, she added.
Moore went on to star in other productions, including “Purlie,” an updated version of “Purlie Victorious” by Ossie Davis, which ran for 688 performances from 1970 to 1971. She played Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, a role she deeply understood.
“I enjoyed being her and would lapse into Southern dialects, sometimes leaving my director puzzled,” she said. “The lady who raised me while my mother was away told me stories about picking cotton and slopping hogs. I lived, talked, and felt like she did. That’s who Lutiebelle was, and that got me the Tony Award.”
Moore’s theatre success led to opportunities in the recording industry. For one of her traveling tours in the mid-70s, she auditioned backup musicians, selecting 16-year-old Ray Chew from LaGuardia High School in Manhattan.
“I left high school to go right on the road with her,” said Chew, now the musical director for Dancing with the Stars. “That job started my musical journey.”
In the 1980s, Moore’s hits included “Love’s Comin’ at Ya” (1982), “Falling” (1986), and “A Little Bit More” (1986), all reaching the top 10 on various R&B and dance charts, cementing her status as a leading R&B artist.
In her book, Moore also reflects on her civil rights work alongside activists Dorothy Height, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and artist Stevie Wonder, as they advocated for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday to be recognized as a national holiday.
She also recounts her recognition as an honoree at Oprah’s 2005 Legends Ball, which celebrated 25 women in the arts, entertainment and civil rights.
Moore’s friend Simpson noted how difficult it is to stay in the music business.
“There are so many who started out with us, and I don’t know what happened to them,” she said.
“Melba’s work has longevity; it has strength and staying power. It isn’t temporary. It carries real weight and meaning,” Simpson added. “You can’t last in this business unless what you do comes from the heart, and Melba always put her heart into her work. You could feel it in every note.”
When asked about retirement, Moore insists she’s not slowing down. She’s still performing and will bring her one-woman musical play to theaters and arts centers, including the South Orange Performing Arts Center on Feb. 1, 2026.
Her latest single, “No Filter,” a pulsing house track, captures her spirit perfectly:
“You get one life, fulfill your dreams, fly like an eagle, spread your wings. You can make a difference, let your voice be heard.”
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