232 A BICENTENNIAL HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI PHOTO COURTESY OF C SPIRE DOROTHY MOORE Soul, gospel, and R&B singer Dorothy Moore was born on October 13, 1947, and reared by her great grandmother in Jackson. Recognizing her musical talent at a young age, Moore’s relatives encouraged her to sing in the church choir when she was just five years old and to learn musical instruments even before turning five. During junior high and high school, Moore competed in many of the popular talent shows that took place at Jackson’s famous Alamo Theatre, marking the beginning of her successful music career. After repeatedly winning Alamo talent shows, Moore was given a recording contract. Moore attended Jackson State University following graduation from Lanier High School in 1965. While at Jackson State, Moore was the lead singer for a female vocal group known as the Poppies, with whom she recorded an album in 1966. During their prime, the Poppies collaborated with music legends like Wilson Pickett and Bobby Goldsboro and recorded hit songs with Columbia Records, including “Lullaby of Love” and others. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Moore worked as a background singer for Jackson’s Malaco Records, where she later became a featured vocalist. There, she recorded her hit songs “Misty Blue” and “I Believe in You,” which both received Grammy nominations. Throughout the 1990s, Moore continued to record and perform, often with famed artists such as B.B. King, Al Green, and The Temptations. Moore established a record label called Farish Street Records in 2002. She has received four Grammy Award nominations and a 1996 Mississippi Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and is a member of the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. Today, while she has the opportunity to record for many labels around the country, Moore continues to live and work in her hometown of Jackson recording for her first label, Malaco Records. PHOTO COURTESY OF BLUES ARCHIVE, UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI