"I enjoy singing the blues because it has a great feel to it"

Dorothy Moore: Blues Heart, Southern Soul

Multi-Grammy award nominee, Dorothy Moore played New York’s Madison Square Garden and London’s Palladium when she burst on the scene with the classic Misty Blue in 1976. Recent recognitions for Dorothy Moore were a Blues Trail Marker placed at the Alamo Theater in Jackson MS, 2008, and the Monterey Lifetime Achievement award given for the first ever from the Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 2006. 

Moore’s professional career started in the 1960s as the lead singer of a trio called the Poppies. I Believe You, released in 1977, earned Dorothy Moore one of Record World’s Top Female Vocalists of the year. I Believe You made the number one single R&B and the top ten single in the US, and went to number one single in the UK. Dorothy Moore debuted her first produced work in September 2002, Please Come Home for Christmas on her own label, Farish Street Records of Mississippi.

She also released a single, Dorothy Moore Sings the National Anthem. Moore has used Jim Hill High School choir and Voice of Calvary Children in her holiday work. In 2005, she released I’m Doing Alright and with Gittin’ Down Live! in 2003 on her label, Farish Street Records of Mississippi. 

Legend singer Dorothy Moore was honored with a sidewalk marker of her likeness in 2001 at the Alamo Theater on Farish Street, Jackson, where she started her professional career. Local honors have included the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 1996, Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame in 2001 and numerous Jackson Music Awards. Moore serves on the board of the Blues Foundation and BB King Museum Advisory Board. 

Interview by Michael Limnios

What do you learn about yourself from the Rhythm & blues circuits and what does the blues mean to you?

I enjoy singing the blues because it has a great feel to it. I sung blues at the age 12 at the talent shows at the Alamo Theater because I knew the grownups liked the blues. I did not understand what they meant tho.

How do you describe Dorothy Moore sound and progress, what characterize your music philosophy?

I describe myself as an R&B singer with a blues heart and that's why I named my last CD, Blues Heart.

Which was the best moment of your career and which was the worst?

My best career moment is every time I step on stage to sing for my fans and I don't remember any worst moment.

"I enjoy singing the blues because it has a great feel to it. I sung blues at the age 12 at the talent shows at the Alamo Theater because I knew the grownups liked the blues."

What do you miss nowadays from the past? How has the music changed over the years since you first started in?

Technology has change a lot but I still like recording with live musicians.

What are your hopes and fears for the future of music? What is your music DREAM?

I have my own label, I produce myself and I enjoy performing live...today I believe I'm living my musical dream.

Are there any memories from Farish Street and The Alamo Theater, which you’d like to share with us?

I started performing at the Alamo Theater on Farish Street in Jackson Mississippi at the age of twelve. I'd ask the emcee if he would let the mic down. I was singing talent shows singing against tall adults. I heard lately that one of the singers said they would say "here comes the pip squeak." I always won when I sang. I call the Alamo Theater the classroom for what I do today.

Which memories from Lou Rawls, Eddie Floyd, Ben E King, ZZ Hill, Little Milton, and Ruth Brown, makes you smile?

I have great memories of Lou Rawls, Eddie Floyd, Ben E. King, ZZ Hill, Little Milton and Ruth Brown because I performed with all of them and yes, it makes me smile 'cause these legends are and were my friends. I was also blessed to perform on the same stage as the great James Brown many times.

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