Della Reese

Della Reese (born Delloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan), is a famous American actress and singer. She is of half African and half Cherokee American descent.

Reese, a Christian, began singi

Della Reese (born Delloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan), is a famous American actress and singer. She is of half African and half Cherokee American descent.

Reese, a Christian, began singing at the age of six. She would later join famous gospel singer Mahalia Jackson as a back-up singer. While a student at Wayne State University she formed and performed with a gospel group, the Meditation Singers. Reese left university after her mother died and when her father developed serious health problems. While continuing to perform with the Meditation Singers she also performed in night clubs, notably the famous Flame Showbar, where as both a hostess and singer she heard some of the premier jazz artists of the day. She had by then married Vermont Taliaferro, and her married name was too long to fit on marquees, so she adopted a modification of her first name as a stage name.