Moore! Moore! Moore!
Inside Melba Moore's book-launch party for her memoir 'This Is It: Marvelous... and Getting Better'
November 11, 2025
I had the pleasure of attending the book-launch party for Melba Moore’s This Is It: Marvelous... and Getting Better, her long-awaited memoir written with Kevin E. Taylor.
The event was held at Ashford & Simpson’s Sugar Bar in NYC, guests were seated for passed hors d’oeuvres and dinner, dining and basking in the presence of the sweet diva.
Moore, who turned 80 last month, looks fantastic and could not have been more gracious, signing special cards in advance of the release of physical copies of her book, which will be available in hardcover and paperback.
I met her a few years ago at a Saks event, at which Dionne Warwick performed Christmas tunes. She was very warm and open then, too. She strikes me as someone who never has a bad day, as they say of stars who leave negative impressions, or at least someone who doesn’t allow her bad days to become your bad days.
A true survivor, Moore is probably just that kind of a pro.
She began her career nearly 60 years ago, in 1967, appearing in Hair — she replaced the late Diane Keaton as Sheila in that storied production. An immediate live-performance sensation, she then took home the Tony for her work in Purlie (1970), did highly regarded variety specials in the ‘70s and launched a recording career with her looooong note on “Spanish Harlem” (1971).
She made her credited debut in the film The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker (1970), and was also in Milos Forman’s movie version of Hair (1979) and in The Fighting Temptations (2003).
She is, of course, a stage star. When I mentioned to her that I had the above photo of her with Eartha Kitt, her eyes widened. I would kill for the stories!
Among her many indelible songs, “I Got Love” (1970), “The Way You Make Me Feel” (1977), “You Stepped Into My Life” (1978), “Love’s Comin’ at Ya” (1982) and on and on, but especially ... “This Is It” (1976).
(For the young’uns out there, Dannii Minogue covered “This Is It” in 1993, and made a classic pop video with the late Julian McMahon as her love interest.)
Lovely evening and lady! Can’t wait to read this memoir. ⚡️