Melba Moore To Receive Her Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
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Melba Moore is the latest prolific entertainer selected to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
“As I look back over my life in Harlem / Newark [New Jersey] , I am proud. Receiving a Hollywood Star made me reflect on the goodness of God. It took me a lifetime to get here. I am a late bloomer. I am still trying to find the words,” said the 77-year-old on Instagram of the coveted feat.
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Katt Williams, and Freda Payne will share intimate anecdotes about Moore during the upcoming ceremony, which will be held on Aug. 10 at 11:30 a.m. PT at 1645 Vine Street, near Hollywood and Vine. Moore is being awarded in the category of Live Theatre/Live Performance.
“We are very proud to honor Melba Moore who has lent her beautiful five-octave voice to various genres of music. Not only is she an entertainer, she is an activist, a trailblazer, and so much more” said Walk of Fame Producer, Ana Martinez, in a statement. “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.”
Moore is a Tony Award winning actress and four-time Grammy nominee with a five-octave vocal range. Her career began on Broadway when she — a then untrained actress — replaced Diane Keaton in the cast of HAIR, and became the first Black woman to replace a white actress in a lead role. She later scored her first Tony as LuttieBelle GussieMae Jenkins in Purlie.
She later starred in Timbuktu alongside Eartha Kitt and became the first Black woman to play the lead role of Fantine in Les Miserables.
Her cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Lean On Me” garnered her first Grammy nomination, but it was her hit, “Read My Lips,” that made Moore the first Black woman to be nominated for a Grammy in a rock category. She also was the first solo artist to perform a non-operatic concert at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House, and received a slew of prestigious awards for her work over her five-decade career.
For those unable to attend in-person, the event will live streamed exclusively.
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