Della Reese
Della Reese was an American singer, actress, television personality, author and ordained minister. As a singer, she recorded blues, gospel, jazz and pop. Several of her singles made the US Hot 100, including the number two charting song, "Don't You Know?". As a television personality and actress, she was the first black woman to host her own talk show and appeared on the highly-rated CBS television series Touched by an Angel.
Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Reese sang in her church's choir and was discovered by gospel entertainer, Mahalia Jackson, who took Reese on tour for several years. Reese then joined a gospel group called The Meditation Singers before turning her attention towards secular music. She won a local talent competition, which led to a multiple-week appearance at The Flame nightclub in New York City. The appearance helped Reese secure her first recording contract with Jubilee Records in 1954 where she recorded a series of albums. Her only commercial success at the label was the 1957 single, "And That Reminds Me", which sold a million copies. Signing a contract with the larger RCA Victor label, she had her greatest success as a singer with the songs "Don't You Know" and "Not One Minute More". Several more LP's were issued by RCA Victor including the top 40-charting album, Della.
Reese began appearing on nationally-broadcast US television programs by the early 1960s, notably The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Her appearances led to the creation of her own talk show called Della, which ran for nearly 200 episodes between 1969 and 1970. She continued recording through the 1970s with albums issued by ABC–Paramount, Avco Embassy and LMI. During the 1970s, Reese started an acting career in films such as Psychic Killer and shows such as Chico and the Man. She returned to gospel music after forming the group, Brilliance, which released an album in 1985 and was later nominated by the Grammy Awards. Reese then appeared in Eddie Murphy's 1989 film Harlem Nights and the short-lived 1991 TV series co-starring Redd Foxx called The Royal Family.
Reese became an ordained minister during the 1980s decade and began regularly leading sermons. Reese then went on to star, in the lead role of Tess, in the CBS TV series, Touched by an Angel, co-starring Roma Downey. Airing in 1994, the show became one of the top-rated and highest-watched shows for the CBS network for several years and Reese remained on the show until 2003. During the 1990s, Reese continued recording as well, releasing the Grammy-nominated gospel album, My Soul Feels Better Right Now. She also released her autobiography in 1997 titled, Angels Along the Way. Four more books followed by Reese through 2012. She also starred in several CBS television films during the 2000s and appeared in the 2005 film Beauty Shop. Reese continued acting until her retirement in 2014.
Early years
Della Reese was born Delloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931, in the Black Bottom neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan to Richard Thaddeus Early and Nellie Mitchelle. Her mother was alleged to have Cherokee ancestry. She also had five older sisters and one brother. From a young age, Reese and her mother would attend cinemas to watch popular films of the era. She often returned from the films acting out scenes at home. Reese also enjoyed singing from an early age, often singing at a high volume into the skylight of their home's bathroom. According to Reese, her singing became so loud that her parents boarded up the skylight so she could not sing anymore.Reese joined her local church choir at age six. At age 13, she was heard by gospel performer, Mahalia Jackson, who was impressed by her singing and chose her to replace another female vocalist in her road show. Reese toured with Jackson throughout the United States for three summers during her adolescent years. In her late teenage years, Reese joined a Detroit-based gospel group called the Meditation Singers. During this time she also attended Detroit's Cass Technical High School where she graduated at age 15, and then majored in psychology at Wayne State University in 1949.
Reese ultimately dropped out of college after her mother died of a cerebral hemorrhage. She then had a falling-out with her father, which caused her to move out of the family home and support herself by working odd jobs. This included working as a truck driver and taxi cab driver. At the same time, she continued touring and performing with the Meditation Singers. However, Reese left the group after becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of money she was earning as a gospel performer. It was during this period that she changed her professional name to Della Reese.
She then turned her attention towards secular music, eventually finding employment at Detroit's Oriel Bowling Alley, one of the first bowling alleys in the region to offer live entertainment. While working there, she entered a local talent show and won the program. As first-place-winner, Reese was given the opportunity to perform a one-week engagement at The Flame, a New York City nightclub known for elevating aspiring black performers. The one-week stint turned into an 18-week engagement that was heard by agent, Lee Magid. With Magid's help, Reese joined the Erskine Hawkins orchestra in 1953.
Music career
1954–1958: Early recordings and commercial success
The first recordings Reese made were issued on the Great Lakes label, resulting in one 1954 single release: "Yes Indeed". Magid then helped Reese sign her first official recording contract with an independent label named Jubilee Records. Her debut-label single was 1955's "In the Still of the Night", which sold 500,000 copies according to biographer Jessie Carney Smith. Additional mid-1950s releases included a cover of "Time After Time", "Years from Now" and "My Melancholy Baby". The latter served as the title tune to Reese's 1956 debut Jubilee LP of the same name. Reese then recorded "And That Reminds Me", an English adaptation of the Italian "Autumn Concerto" instrumental. It was her first charting single, reaching number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 15 in Australia and number five in Canada. It was also Reese's first song to sell over one million copies.Reese's music career was further elevated by Ed Sullivan who featured her on his television show multiple times and exposed her to a national audience. She remained with the Jubilee label through 1959, recording a total of 15 singles and six albums. Her second studio LP was 1958's Amen! a collection of gospel songs that included The Meditation Singers and was cut in her hometown. The label also issued her first live album titled A Date with Della Reese at Mr. Kelly's in Chicago. It was followed by a collection of blues standards titled The Story of the Blues, which consisted of both songs and spoken word narration by Reese describing genre's history. A studio album of ballads was then released in 1959 titled What Do You Know About Love? along with a compilation of her Jubilee singles, which was also called And That Reminds Me. Music publications of the era praised Reese's distinctive vocal enunciation and "emotional" delivery on her LP's.
1959–1970: "Don't You Know?" and peak commercial years
Reese was signed in August 1959 to a long-term recording contract with the RCA Victor label and was paired with production team, Hugo & Luigi. Her first RCA release was the 1959 single "Don't You Know?", which was adapted from "Musetta's Waltz" in La bohème. "Don't You Know?" became Reese's most commercially-successful single, reaching number two on the US Hot 100 and number one on the US R&B sides chart. Selling over one million copies, it became Reese's second disc to receive a gold certification. Her second RCA single, "Not One Minute More", rose to number 16 on the US Hot 100, number 12 on the US R&B chart and number 14 in Australia. Both singles led to the release of her first RCA studio LP titled Della, which featured cover tunes performed in both swing and pop styles. It featured arrangements made first by Reese then augmented by Neal Hefti but only Hefti was credited as arranger. Della also became her first LP to make the US Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 35.Reese reached her peak commercial success during this period leading to a variety of opportunities, including singing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the 1960 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The performance made Reese the first black music artist to perform at an All-Star game. RCA Victor continued issuing studio albums by Reese during the early 1960s, including another swing-inspired LP titled Special Delivery, which rose to number 113 on the Billboard 200 in 1961. The latter featured arrangements made by Mercer Ellington, whom Reese briefly married. Her 1962 studio LP, The Classic Della, was her third to make the Billboard 200, rising to number 94. Consisting of vocal adaptations of classical pieces, it also included "Don't You Know?". It was then followed by a similarly-themed LP titled Waltz with Me, Della. The label also issued Reese's second and third live LP's: Della on Stage and Della Reese at Basin Street East. Both albums featured a variety of songs ranging from blues to gospel. RCA also continued issuing singles by Reese, none of which made the top 40 of the US charts. Her highest-peaking single of this period was her cover of "Someday ", which made the Hot 100 top 60 in 1960.
In 1965, Reese signed a new recording contract with ABC–Paramount, which strove to market her further in a pop direction. Her first label single was 1965's "After Loving You", which rose to number 95 on the US Hot 100 and number 21 on the US adult contemporary chart. Reese's only other single to chart was a 1966 cover of "It Was a Very Good Year", which peaked at number 99 on the Hot 100. The label also issued several studio LP's that featured of variety of musical genres including pop, jazz and the blues: C'mon and Hear Della Reese!, "i like it like dat!", Della on Strings of Blue and I Gotta Be Me...This Trip Out.
During this period, Reese routinely toured nightclubs and theaters across the US. She also became a mainstay performer in Las Vegas, but often faced racial discrimination working there as a black entertainer. "I could sing there but I could not eat there," she recalled in 2004. Nonetheless, Reese worked the Las Vegas strip for nine years. She also continued her recording career, signing a new contract in 1969 with Avco Embassy Records, a label that was presided over by Reese's former RCA producers, Hugo & Luigi. Her first Avco Embassy single was a cover of "Games People Play". Both songs were Reese's final to make the US charts, both reaching the Bubbling Under Hot 100 in 1970. They appeared on her first-label studio LP titled Black Is Beautiful, which was her only one to make the US R&B albums chart. The label issued a second studio album in 1970 titled Right Now.