Della Reese

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Della Reese, 2009

Della Reese (* 6. July 1931 as Deloreese Patricia Early in Detroit , Michigan ; † 19th November  2017 in Encino , California ) was an American jazz - and blues - singer and actress .

Life

As a child, Della Reese sang in the Detroit Baptist Church Children's Choir . Mahalia Jackson , who was traveling through , accepted her into her choir, to which she was a member until 1949. That year she began studying psychology at Wayne State University and founded the women's gospel group Meditation Singers. After her mother's death and her father's serious illness, she had to give up her studies in order to earn a living, among other things as a taxi and truck driver, hairdresser and receptionist. In 1951 she won first prize in a singing competition, which brought her to the Detroit Flame Showbar.

In 1953 she moved to New York City and became a singer with the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra. She got a contract with Jubilee Records and brought out several very successful records (including In the Still of the Night and And that Reminds Me ) and was named best singer for the Grammy for Don't You Know , an adaptation of Puccini's La Bohème nominated. This song was also her most successful single on the US charts. A number two in the pop and number one in the R&B charts.

Other successful albums were made in the 1960s, Della Reese also appeared frequently in television shows and in 1969 was the first African-American presenter to receive her own talk show . In the following years she worked as an actress in numerous series and films; The high point of her film career was the film Harlem Nights (1989), in which she played with Eddie Murphy . In addition, she continued to perform as a singer. In 1980 she collapsed with a brain hemorrhage during rehearsals for the Tonight Show , but she made a full recovery. She later founded the Understanding Principles for Better Living Church in Los Angeles and was ordained a pastor in 1987 . She continued to appear in television series such as the sitcom The Royal Family and later in Touched By an Angel . For the role as angel she was nominated once for a Golden Globe Award and twice for an Emmy . In 1994 she was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame . In 1998 she was nominated again for a Grammy for the gospel album My Soul Feels Better Right Now .

She was married to Vermont Adolphus Bond Taliaferro from 1951 to 1953. She later married Leroy Basil Gray; Mercer Ellington in 1961 and Franklin Thomas Lett, Jr. in January 1983. She died on November 19, 2017 at the age of 86 at her California home.

Discography

  • Melancholy Baby , 1957
  • What Do You Know About Love , 1959
  • The Story Of The Blues , 1959
  • Date With Della Reese , 1959
  • And That Reminds Me , 1959
  • Amen , 1959
  • Della Della Cha Cha Cha , 1960
  • Della By Starlight , 1960
  • Della , 1960
  • Special Delivery , 1961
  • Della on Stage , 1962
  • The Classic Della , 1962
  • Waltz with Me , 1963
  • Della Reese at Basin Street East , 1964
  • C'mon and Hear , 1964
  • I Like It Like Dat , 1965
  • Della Reese Live , 1965
  • On Strings Of Blue , 1967
  • One More Time , 1967
  • And Brilliance , 1990
  • Voice Of An Angel , 1996
  • Angel Sings , 1997
  • My Soul Feels Better Right Now , 1998
  • All Of Me , 2000

Filmography

Movies

  • 1971: A City of the King (TV movie)
  • 1973: Voyage of the Yes (TV movie)
  • 1973: Daddy's Girl (TV movie)
  • 1974: Twice in a Lifetime (TV movie)
  • 1975: Cop on the Beat (TV movie)
  • 1975: Psychic Killer
  • 1976: Flo's Place (TV movie)
  • 1976: Nightmare in Badham County (TV movie)
  • 1989: Harlem Nights
  • 1990: The Kid Who Loved Christmas (Movie made for TV)
  • 1992: The Distinguished Gentleman (The Distinguished Gentleman)
  • 1992: You Must Remember This (TV movie)
  • 1996: Mr. Bombastic (A Thin Line Between Love and Hate)
  • 1997: A Match Made in Heaven (TV movie)
  • 1997: Wounds of the Past ( Miracle in the Woods , Movie made for TV)
  • 1998: Emma's Wish (TV movie)
  • 1998: Mama Flora's Family (TV movie)
  • 1999: The Secret Path (TV movie)
  • 1999: Vinegar and Molasses - Black America Awakens ( Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years , Movie made for TV)
  • 1999: An Unusual Friendship ( Anya's Bell , TV movie)
  • 2000: Dinosaurs (Dinosaur)
  • 2000: The Moving of Sophia Myles (TV movie)
  • 2005: Beauty Shop
  • 2007: If I Had Known I Was a Genius
  • 2010: Expecting Mary
  • 2011: Hallelujah (TV movie)
  • 2012: Christmas Angel (TV movie)
  • 2012: Meant to Be
  • 2012: Me Again
  • 2013: Dear Secret Santa (TV movie)
  • 2013: Miracle at Gate 213 (TV movie)

TV Shows

Awards

  • 1997 : Nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama for A Touch of Heaven
  • 1998 : Nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama for A Touch of Heaven
  • 1998 : Nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series for A Touch of Heaven
  • 1996 : Received the Image Award for best series leading actress for A Touch of Heaven
  • 1997 : Received the Image Award for best series leading actress for A Touch of Heaven
  • 1998: Received the Image Award for best series leading actress for A Touch of Heaven
  • 1999: Received the Image Award for best series leading actress for A Touch of Heaven
  • 2000: Received the Image Award for best series leading actress for A Touch of Heaven
  • 2001: Received the Image Award for best series leading actress for A Touch of Heaven
  • 2002: Received the Image Award for best series leading actress for A Touch of Heaven

Books

  • Angels Along the Way , autobiography
  • The God Inside of Me , children's book

Web links

Commons : Della Reese  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Joel Whitburn: Top R&B Singles 1942-1995, page 369, ISBN 0-89820-115-2
  2. ↑ Entry at filmreference.com
  3. ↑ Anita Gates: Della Reese, Singer and 'Touched by an Angel' Star, Dies at 86. The New York Times , November 20, 2017, accessed November 20, 2017 .
personal data
SURNAME Reese, Della
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Early, Deloreese Patricia (maiden name); Delareese; Dellareese; Delloreese
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer and actress
DATE OF BIRTH July 6, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Detroit , Michigan , United States
DATE OF DEATH 19th November 2017
Place of death Encino , California