} Page AlO-The Chronicle, Thursday. February 23, Spotlight ? Melha lVlnnrp1 ^ x v A v v % to your daydrea Melba Moore was in the midst of teaching schr>ol? when she decided to put het shyness aside and embark on a career in entertainment. Little did the world, or Melba for that matter, know what a string of successes awaited her. Having been bom to musical parents w ho enrolled her in piano and dance lessons at the impressionable age of nine, Melba went on to attend Art and Music High School. After teaching music in public school for a year, she left to pursue a singing career b> appearing in nightclubs and piano bais. This soon led to recording work singing background vocals. According to Melba, "1 think it's very important that people decide what makes them happy and take a step to proceed in that direction, regardless of what ?other peopie's^jpirriuTTs may berSomeitmes y ou just have to follow your own instincts." *' That determined philosophy has given Melba the "I'm not a workaholic, but I do like to ? throw myself into my wdrk and I //A*? ///? people I'm working with to do the same.... " ? Melba Moore confidence to expand her talents in myriad directions. Beginning with a minor part in the controversial Broadway musical''Hair," Melba remained with the show a year-and-a-half, eventually landing the female lead, a coup that merited an announcement on the front page of The Sew York Tunes. Melba smiles, "I was the first black girl to take over a lead role from a white girl. I guess it could have only hap pened in 'Hair * This auspicious beginning proved to be a good omen as Melba went on to win a Tony Award, New York Drama Critics Award, Theatre World Award and Drama Desk Award for her starring role in the Braodway musical smash hit, "Purlie." From there, Melba began a long and successfulxecording career, committing her four-octave vocals to such classic vinvl 5*^ "Pparh Mplha " ""TV-?ic lc It" ^ aIIU IdM >Cdl > I J 't W y . I 11 fll .? Keep On Trekkin' Most of them will reunite at least one moretjnie_tl in "Star Trek III: In Search of Spock, who, for tf Ask Yolonda Wife 's willing to By YOLONDA GAYLES Syndicated Columnist TV?a. r>i u_i_ ? .. luiuiimi. ricd>c ncip me wiin inis situation. I've been married for seven years, and five of those years have been the most brutal of my life. My problem is my husband and his drinking. When he's sober, I'm married to the kindest, sweetest man in the world. N But when he's been drinking, he's a completely different person. He wants to fight me for no reason at all. One time he even beat me with a belt, and the time, I was pregnant with my second son. I've tried everything from fighting him back to calling the police. The police, of course, treat our situation as if it's a lovci's quai icl. The oik lime that \ 1984 Wee\ ft Pay attention ms, music lovers "The Other Side Of The Rainbow."'Tm not a workaholic," Melba says, her demure frame blying the energy and stamina within, "but I do like to throw myself into m> work and 1 like the people I'm working with to do the same. So 1 have really like the project I'm working on since 1 know I'm going to make a full-time commitment." Judging from her accomplishments to date, Melba's decisions have obviously been wise ones made from the heart. In 1972, she expanded her achievements once again,, undertaking a series of successful dramatic roles in both television and feature films, including appearances on the popular TV series "Love Boat" (in which Melba recently sang and danced in ajvvohour special), the NBC Movie-of-the-week "Flamingo Road," an ABC special "The American Woman: Portraits of Courage." and "Cotton Comes To Harlem." Melba's recording career continued to escalate as well with the Top 20 dance chart hit, "You Stepped Into My Life," the Top 10 UK hit, "Pick Me Up, I'll Dance," and the Top 1$ R&B single "Take M> Love." In 1981, she signed with LMl-Ameriea and released "What A Woman Needs," co-writing main of the tunes. "The Other Side Of The Rainbow," which features Melba sustaining a single, climaxing not for 43.seconds on the title track, was released on Capitol last year. Of the lyrics to that song, which Melba cowrote, she says: "When 1 sing that song, I'm pouring out my inner feelings. That's the real me. I'm always encouraging people to pay attention to theii daydreams." Melba?continues?ro?realize her own precious daydreams with her second and most current Capitol LP, "Never Say Never." Once again, Melba reveals her inner self, displaying her omnipresent vitality and positive spirit. Prefaced by the release of a 12-inch version of the R&B tune "Keepin' My Lovei Satisfied," "Never Say Never," also showcased the Van McCoy-penned classic "Lean On Me" and Paul I Lawrence Jones Ill's "Love Me Right." ? ? i M. HBDjl \JB k*.v. lis summer who've been vacationing on the pi; lose of you died in "Star Trek II." forgive* but h?L hi t/ " ^ ' ' they took him in he was Wp. back home the next as was wrong to him back in my home again, but can't finan- v jal cially support my family without his help. I Sfc know his problem is emotional, but I can't get him to see a psychi? atrist. He thinks he's all Yolonda right. I know my husband's problem has something to do with the wav he was broucht un. In his sober s kend I > ? Mmm Mm % Melba Moore: A little lady with a big voice and a 4 *? * \?.\ ? ' H Broadway Is ^^ sUB Tc lVlir JLL7 ? JL4V By JOEY SASSO Syndicated Columnist Observations in covering t Superstar Michael J everything money can buy magnificent mock tudor California and a menagerie t boa constrictor called Mu recorded with ex-Beatle Pat and has duets lined up with 1 I sand and Kreddi Mercury o And to cap it all, he has *-> ! ? ? * - I 4. VJ I dl 11111 \ IKWIllliai IUI1> IU1 best seller, "Thriller." He Ross his closest friend an( and if she's not available t I Brooke Shields and Jane I back on. But in spite of all the si and adulation that have sui I since he was a tiny tot of e I seems perilously close to point. His mother and h ^^rrorted affcr~35 > fjTi I he's feuding with his father, as well as businessmen Ron Freddy Demann. Michael is a devout Jeho who studies the Bible e\ met Vulcan, apparently refuses to eat meat, drinK touch drugs. He rejects evi salt to flour and will eat i i is band's brutality moments, I learned that his father used to beat his mother. I tried to talk to his mother about it, but all I get from her is that I must be doing something to instigate his violence. I need help, but where do 1 begin? I'm afraid that one day someone will get killed. Aileen, In Portsmouth Dear Aileen: Clearly, if you think your husband learned his violent actions from his parents' relationship, perhaps you need to think of what your marriage teaches your children. Over the years, I've visited several shelter homes for women ir> your situation. The message I heat counselors sharp is fhaf-vnn'vp ont tr? h*r?r?w?? roi f .. .... . .* /-. V, . . n '': * W ?* " ^4 ' Tv ^ * > . ' If * ;j '..: ^ r*?: * >. . ^'. ' ..V'7' ' . >* . V ^: - Si " ; ? " , ? ,. x V. ..? rjSHfeH.;. ' Jr ^1 <JU pp jr W \ ^ i big heart to match. -> My Beat hael near edge? food restaurants in Los Angeles. He attends religious services three times a week and fasts on Sundays - when he allows he night beat: himself the special treat of a frenzied ackson has dance session that drives his slender frame , including a to exhaustion. mansion in He sees himself as Peter Pan. "I totalis hat includes a identify with him" he says. "There are seles. he has pictures of him all over my room. And j| McCartney I've read everything the author, J.M. Barftarbara Strei- rie, ever wrote." Michael may even play f Queen. Peter Pan if Steven Spielberg -- who won a record made "ET" -- gets his way. "ET" is r his runaway Michael's favorite movie. He's seen it six > calls Diana times. Micheal lives in glorious isolated 1 confidante, splendor in the family mansion in Caiiforhere's always nia, surrounded by the burly bodyguards ;onda to fall be calls "my people." He is painfully shy. Even his mother Kathleen says: "He's quieter off stage then he's ever been. He jccess, uxur> toj^ me sornetjmes feejs |j^e a cagecj rrounded him anjma| ,. l' ac son Singer-songwriter Lionel Richie has e tea ing agreed - a year advance -- to serve again tan? Awards" ABC-TV special. Last month, oe ac son, Rjchie became the first sole host of the eisnet an 11-year-old special. The result was the most-watched musical-awards show in TV vah's Witness history with 55 million viewers, according ery day and to ABC. Immediately after the broadcast c alchohol or ? and presumably after the ratings came crything from in - Dick Clark, the show's executive pro n onl> health ducer, asked Richie to repeat in 1985.... ii persists | V \u sile for your own health and safety. I suggest that you call your local police department again, but this time ask for the names of either a shelter home or a famil> I? counseling center in your area. A counselor there can ? help you realize your alternatives. $ V i She Wants Free Ride ? * Dear Yolonda: A co-worker and I have been J fiiends for many years. We work the same shift, and ? N because I have car, I've been trying to be a good bud- i dy, and give this peison a ride home once a week f after our usual Wednesday night meetings (free of ? charge, I might add). ? The last month I've been leaving early, so my co- 3 Dlaaoo coo mno AH

Page Text

This is the computer-generated OCR text representation of this newspaper page. It may be empty, if no text could be automatically recognized. This data is also available in Plain Text and XML formats.

Return to page view