By Marilyn Tinnin, Magnolia Tribune
Gifted jazz singer-pianist Ora Reed, once named “Mississippi’s Cultural Ambassador” by former Governor Haley Barbour and an inductee into the 2017 Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, has charmed audiences worldwide for over five decades. Ora is easy to spot in a crowd.
She is always the one whose elegant attire, often with matching shoes and hat, brings to mind Hollywood film stars such as Katherine Hepburn, Barbara Stanwyck, Loretta Young, and others seen on Turner Classic Movies. Beyond her style, as a resort entertainer—and that is just one of her many careers—she has lived for months in various countries, performing in luxury hotels and immersing herself in local cultures.
The result is that she literally has “close friends” all over the world, some of whom do not even speak English. As Ora says quite convincingly, “A smile goes a long way.” So does her silky voice and heartfelt delivery. Because her life story is so filled with unlikely friendships, exotic travels, and serendipitous opportunities, she says, “Even my stories have stories.”
An only child, she grew up in Lexington under the doting care of her mother and seven aunts and uncles, several of them teachers and one a Baptist minister. Their attention and constant encouragement produced a curious, adventurous, precocious human being who has never had a shy moment in all of her 77 years.
She learned her alphabet on the typewriter keyboard as a toddler. In fact, her Aunt Margaret put Ora to work typing out stacks of membership cards for the Mississippi Public Schools Black Teachers’ Association when she was seven. This early start at making lists and checking off tasks proved to be the foundation of the fine administrative skills which, years later, would land her stints as a campaign coordinator on President Jimmy Carter’s National Committee in 1975 and, later, as administrative assistant to the president of the National Baptist Convention for three years.
After her third birthday, she began piano lessons with a solely classical repertoire. Although she had a very good ear and could easily duplicate sounds, her teacher insisted that she read music and discouraged any improvisational flourish. For the creative Ora, that was a tough rule to obey—and a prelude to her future versatility.
By nine, she was playing for Sunday morning worship services at Lexington’s historically registered Asia Baptist Church. Violin, ballet, and clarinet were soon added to her education. Each summer, she attended summer classes at Jackson State, followed by an August trip to Chicago via Amtrak to visit family, tour museums, shop the Magnificent Mile, and see the Cubs or the White Sox play. These experiences broadened her early cultural horizons.
Following her graduation from Jackson State in the early 1970s, Ora moved to Baltimore to teach music in a junior high school. Though performing was not on her short list of ambitions, a new chapter began when she and her friends started frequenting The Pimlico Hotel’s popular night spot, where she met Bruce Westcott, whose band entertained there often. As their friendship grew, he would occasionally call on Ora and her friends to sing backup. Ora did not consider herself a vocalist at all, but she was more than comfortable being on stage.
Later on, Bruce, who played a major part in developing the renowned “Cleopatra’s Barge” at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, invited Ora to come out for a six-week solo engagement playing jazz standards at the bar. Excited by the prospect, she thought, “Why not? There is nothing like starting at the top!” This opportunity marked her first major step into the world of professional Performance.
At that time, her day job was as an administrative assistant to Maryland State Senator Verda Welcome. Ora was given permission for a six-week leave of absence provided she kept up with her work in the district. It never occurred to the tenacious and energetic twenty-something, Ora, that balancing both her real job and this side engagement would be anything but doable.
After her time at Caesar’s Palace, she returned to Baltimore and resumed her duties with Senator Welcome. Yet, the call of music grew stronger, and as new opportunities arose, she began singing more frequently in “chic dinner clubs in the area.”
The entertainment columnist of the Baltimore Sun described her as a “cafe society singer.” Ora recalls, “A singer by night and an Entertainment Critic by day for an ABC-TV affiliate, my plate stayed full!” These experiences introduced her to Baltimore’s elite, many of whom became her Friends.
That “good” life ended abruptly when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1980.
Without hesitation, Ora moved back to Lexington to care for her full-time—an act she always considered a privilege. After her mother passed away in 1982, the next chapters of Ora’s life unfolded as a series of revolving doors—stops, starts, and start-all-over-again!
During a trip to Los Angeles, she accepted a job with a national public relations firm through a series of chance meetings. The Michael Levine Communications Agency represented such stars as Michael Jackson and Barbra Streisand. Although they were not Ora’s clients, her work there allowed her to meet many key people in the entertainment industry—from those who book or manage groups and venues to top crews handling lighting, ticketing, and marketing. As with all her seemingly random jobs, the friends and connections she made there became key bridges to the next chapters of her life.
Since 1988, Ora has spent most of her time embracing her musical gifts. Her performances have taken her to luxury resorts in Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, Malaysia, Belgium, Norway, and the United Arab Emirates. She has performed at Carnegie Hall and toured major opera houses in Germany with international opera star Grace Bumbry and an entourage, presenting the History of African American Music, continuing to make lifelong friends at every stop.
For 18 years, Ora lived in Japan, performing at luxury hotels. One of the highlights of that time was an Independence Day performance at the United States Embassy in Tokyo at the invitation of Ambassador Caroline Kennedy.
Since returning in 2014, Jackson has been home. Ora lists “highlights of her southern experiences” to include singing in churches, especially at First Baptist Church of Jackson, where she is a member, performances with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, an appearance at the Southern Governors’ Association, participation in the first Mississippi Musicians’ Day, and the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New Orleans.
Another little tidbit she shared, smiling as she tells me. Her signature is right next to Billy Joel’s inside a priceless Steinway grand piano painted by famous Cajun artist George Rodrigue, of Blue Dog fame. She performed it during an art gallery opening in Thibodeaux a few years ago.
A four-time cancer survivor, she is bold to speak about her faith in God as the foundation of her courage and her strength. This citizen of the world has never discarded the deep roots from the rich spiritual soil of the Asia Baptist Church in Holmes County, Mississippi. She is a great lady and a Mississippi jewel.