|
Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZREESE, Della(b Delloreese Patricia Early, 6 July 1931, Detroit; d 19 November 2017, Encino CA) Pop/soul singer and actress, with a big beautiful voice. From a working class family, it was clear from chilhood that she had talent bursting out of her. She sang on the radio, then at 13 with the Mahalia Jackson troupe. She began recording for Jubilee '53, had a no. 12 hit 'And That Reminds Me' '57, further Hot 100 entry with 'Sermonette' (a Cannonball Adderley tune with words by Jon Hendricks); switched to RCA, hit with 'Don't You Know' (no. 2, adapted from Puccini), 'Not One Minute More' (no. 16), both '59; several more lesser hits through '61. Chart LPs on RCA were Della '60 (top 40), Special Delivery '61, best-of Classic Della '62; came back to charts on ABC '65-6 with minor hit singles, LP Della Reese Live with Bill Doggett and Shelly Manne. There were six albums on Jubilee, nine on RCA and five on ABC. Strangely, not one Reese album was listed in US Schwann catalogue '96. She was influential: Martha Reeves named her Vandellas partly after her. Other albums, compilations and reissues, especially in Britain, included Della on Deja Vu; Della By Starlight on RCA International; Della Della Cha Cha Cha on RCA reissued '87 in UK; I Like It Like Dat on Jasmine, Sure Like Lovin' You on President, Something Cool on Allegiance; tracks from an LP on Applause c.1982 reissued on Dunhill CD Jazzy Ladies '87 (other tracks by Carmen McRae and Lena Horne). She had a good role in film Harlem Nights '89. The Best Thing For You '64 made at Basin Street East for RCA was reissued '97 on Jasmine, A Date With Della (live at Mr Kelly's in Chicago) combined with The Story Of The Blues with Sy Oliver, and compilation The Jubilee Years were both on Westside CD, all in the UK. She continued popular as a singer in clubs, worked in Las Vegas for some years, later returned to gospel music. She had a TV talk show in 1969-70 and once guest-hosted Johnny Carson's Tonight show. Meanwhile her acting talent provided a whole new career: she made ten films (including Harlem Nights '89), about 20 TV movies, and appeared in episodes of TV series including The Mod Squad, The A-Team, McCloud, L.A. Law and countless more. She was most famous for starring in Touched By An Angel, which after a rocky start was a hit TV series for seven seasons. She retired from acting in 2014 after two episodes on the Hallmark Channel. Will Friedwald thought enough of her singing to feature her in two of his authoritative books: A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and pop Singers (2010) and The Great Jazz And Pop Vocal Albums (2017). |