Summer is finally almost here! And that means looking for things to do to get into the sun and also out of the heat. This year, Atlantic City is ramping up the fun for the LGBT community and, with gas prices dropping, it’s a quick and inexpensive mini vacation. This week, we spoke to Greater Atlantic City GLBT Alliance board member Melanie Rice.
In addition to her duties as treasurer for the group, Rice is a vocalist and performer who has opened for notable headliners in A.C. and leads her own quartet. She is also the owner of Melanie Rice Entertainment, LLC, a company that provides music and entertainment for social, corporate and casino events in the tristate area, and MRE Talent Management, an artist-management company through which she manages several emerging and established artists in the music, television and film industries.
PGN: So, what was the first album you ever bought?
MR: It was Barbra Streisand’s “My Name is Barbra.” My parents bought it for me. When I was about 8, they took me to see my first Broadway play, “Funny Girl,” and I was so enamored with her and the show that I asked them to buy me her album.
PGN: That’s great that they introduced you to the arts so early.
MR: Yeah, my mom loved music so she always had music on and was always singing and dancing around the house. Her two favorites were Streisand and Sinatra. Seeing that show was a pivotal moment for me; it was the moment that I thought, This is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I want to sing. I was hooked. As I got into my teens I expanded from Streisand to groups like Yes and Renaissance, Genesis and Gentle Giant. But the album that I wore out was Carol King’s “Tapestry.”
PGN: What was the first instrument you picked up?
MR: Well, in fourth grade we were forced to play a flute-a-phone, but the first major instrument that I got as a kid was a saxophone. The thing that I wanted to play was the drums, but it was taboo for girls. So my mom and dad got me this little fake plastic set for Christmas and within 20 minutes I’d busted every head on the set! But I kept the drumsticks and I always played along with music. I have a drum set in my garage and I still play as a hobby, but the instrument I play that’s most efficient for me is the keyboard. I use it mostly for writing.
PGN: What other extra-curricular activities did you do as a kid?
MR: I was a very proficient golfer. I started playing golf at 9 years old and became the New Jersey State Girls Champion when I was 17. I thought about pursuing it professionally but I’d been bitten by the music bug and went in that direction instead. [Laughs] Not many people know that about me.
PGN: Any siblings?
MR: I have one sister; she’s 13 years older than me so I was basically raised as an only child. By the time I was 5 she was already in college. She and I are much closer now, especially since our parents have both passed. That tends to bring family together.
PGN: Speaking of the folks, were they involved in the arts?
MR: No, my mom was a kindergarten teacher. She played piano for her students, which was actually a requirement of the job in those days. In her heart and soul she wanted to be a dancer but she went into teaching. My dad was a pilot in World War II — he flew wounded soldiers out of battle, mostly in the South Pacific — and when he came back ran the family business, a hardware and appliance store called Rice Hardware in Hammonton, N.J. It’s now a bagel shop.
PGN: So are you a handy person?
MR: [Laughs] I guess! I’m a bit of a handy lesbian. I do have a lot of tools in the garage.
PGN: Did you study music in school?
MR: Yes, I went to the University of Delaware and was enrolled originally as a math major, mostly because my mom wanted me to have some kind of “safe or secure” profession like teaching. Then I took a vocal class and three weeks into the class the professor took me aside and said, “Why are you not a vocal major? You should be in voice.” That’s all I needed to hear to make my pitch to my parents and switch majors. I transferred to Rowan College because they have a great jazz program and got a bachelor’s in music and vocal performance.
PGN: And how did you start managing other people?
MR: It was kind of a natural transition. Our business is very vain, especially for women. And especially performing in the casinos, once you get past your mid-30s, you start to age out. They tend to gravitate to the 20-somethings to front the bands. I had a lot of good fortune in my career: I was the opening act for a lot of celebrities in Atlantic City and I felt like I had a really good run. I wanted to start mentoring and helping other upcoming singers find their way. I started working for a company in Philadelphia called The Entertainment Group as a band leader, doing high-end weddings and events. After a few years, they asked me to start promoting other bands and singers, dancers, etc. And that’s how I got into that end of things. When they closed their doors, I decided to open my own management and talent companies.
PGN: Tell me about some of the people you opened for.
MR: One of the most exciting and memorable ones was the very first time I opened for a headliner, and that was with Smokey Robinson. He was and is just the sweetest man. He couldn’t have been more kind and generous. It was my first time on a big stage like that in front of 3,000-4,000 people and he was so complimentary and encouraging, just a sweet, sweet man. Then there’s Joan Rivers. I opened for Joan and she as well couldn’t have been more kind. She invited my parents backstage and took pictures with them — another warm, lovely person. Another memorable person was someone most people probably don’t know now, but it was the comedian Shecky Greene. Shecky was from that old-school Don Rickles, Catskill era of comedians.
PGN: Didn’t they call them the Borscht Belt comedians?
MR: Yes, exactly. He was very funny and he would bring me on stage during his act and do a little “bit” with me. It was a lot of fun.
PGN: What was your craziest moment on stage?
MR: Probably the most embarrassing moment for me was back in the ’80s when I was performing at Caesar’s in what was called the Battle of the Bands. The winner would get a gig as an opening act at Caesar’s for a celebrity act. I did my performance with a band that was set up behind me on a rolling platform. I did this big Streisand-y type number and as I did the big finish I started walking backward as they were bringing the curtain down. Unfortunately, I forgot about the platform and tripped over it, doing a head-over-heels “woooah” as the curtain was closing. I was horrified but now it’s something I look back and laugh at.
PGN: Well, you always want to leave a lasting impression. When did you come out as a person and as a performer?
MR: In the ’80s, when I started working in Atlantic City, I was still confused as to my sexuality. I had a boyfriend through all of high school and then in college I had the proverbial first experience and it was my “aha, that’s what it’s supposed to feel like” life-changing moment. But I still remained closeted because I was trying to get a record deal and in those days it was still very taboo. So I kept my relationships hidden, not from close friends but from the public and from my family. But as I got older, into my mid-30s, I got to the point where I didn’t care anymore. I just couldn’t hide it anymore and I was proud of who I was and who I was with. At the time, I was with a woman who I ended up having a 16-year relationship with. I knew from the start that I was there for the long haul and I didn’t want to hide it.
PGN: Did you face any discrimination for coming out?
MR: I feel very fortunate that I didn’t have any major conflicts. I do feel that there was a certain amount of hiding that I did, fearing that I wouldn’t get singing jobs, that I would be discriminated against. But I have to say that, like with anything, you think that people don’t know your story but they do. So I was very fortunate to be very accepted, in part because people got to know me before knowing my sexuality and, as a result, didn’t have any problem with it or me. One memorable moment outside of the business was when I was at the movie theater. I’d gone to see “Basic Instinct” and was there with the girl I was dating at the time. There was a married couple in front of us. When the two women kissed they very loudly went, “Ewww!” and the two of us were like, “Oh my God. Really?” It was a telling moment for the time that there was still such a stigma attached to it. But I’ve been very lucky that I haven’t experienced any real discrimination. I imagine if I’d been out earlier I would have faced it more. I know many of my friends did … and still do. A gay male friend of mine got beat up at Pride just a few years ago.
PGN: Noting how things have changed, you now have openly gay artists on your roster of talent.
MR: Yes, I have filmmaker Nicole Conn, who’s know for iconic lesbian films like “Claire of the Moon” and “A Perfect Ending.” She’s working on a new film right now called “Nesting Dolls,” and singer songwriter Laura Cheadle, who you profiled a few years ago.
PGN: Yes, Laura actually became my neighbor before moving to New York. When she came to my house to do the interview, she liked my neighborhood so much she rented the house next door to me! So give me an overall picture of what you do.
MR: I wear a lot of hats! I’m a singer, I perform mostly in the jazz arena and I have a quartet that I perform with, so it’s still a big part of what I do. I also own a talent agency and book all types of performers — musical talent, novelty acts, bands, DJs dancers, everything you can imagine entertainment-wise. The bulk of my business is booking for the casino industry and private and social events. I also do event management and planning and a smaller piece of my business is talent management, which I find very rewarding. I also produce shows, one of the largest being the Street Life concert benefiting the Hansen Foundation, and that’s coming up on June 10. It’ll be at Harrah’s and this is going to be our 10th year so we’ll have some special surprises. The other big show I produce is the Miss’d America Contest, which is coming up Sept. 26. It’s a drag pageant that rivals Miss America with competitions in swimsuit, evening gowns and talent. The proceeds go to a number of charities.
PGN: What was a favorite Miss’d America talent segment?
MR: The contestant who came in first-runner-up last year did a dance performance to Sia’s “Chandelier” and it was so moving it brought the audience to tears. We’ve had some tremendous talent and I’m sure this year will be no exception.
PGN: Who would you bring back from the past for one last concert?
MR: Gosh, that’s a good one. Billie Holliday, before she was under the unfortunate influence of heroin. What a unique voice.
PGN: I feel fiercest when …
MR: I’m on stage, singing.
PGN: When do you lose your temper?
MR: I’m a really even-keeled person. When I lose it is when dealing with severe incompetence.
PGN: Does the casting couch still exist?
MR: [Laughs] I wish! No, just kidding. Absolutely not, maybe in Hollywood. You’d have to ask Nicole Conn that question, but not here in A.C.
PGN: In another life I was probably …
MR: Well, I’ve actually done past-life regression so if it’s true, I can say that in a past life I was a farmer. I have a really strong connection with animals so I’m inclined to believe it.
PGN: Any animals now?
MR: Yes, stereotypical lesbian, I have three cats: Joey, Frankie and Mary. My ex and I found four kittens in the woods by our house so we named them the Cat Pack. Joey (Bishop) and Frankie (Sinatra), who we kept, and Sammy (Davis Jr.) and Dino (Martin), who my guitar player took in. Mary came later but that’s another story.
PGN: As the queen of Atlantic City, why should people head there this summer?
MR: The entertainment. Because some of the focus is off of the gaming side of A.C., one of the great things that’s happening is that people are focusing more on the entertainment side of things. I’m booking talent all summer long at Kennedy Plaza, where there will be great free concerts on the boardwalk. A lot of the casinos are also ramping up the talent: Borgata and the Flagship have outdoor concert venues and there’s a lot of excitement around that. For the LGBT community, there are monthly mixers planned by the Greater Atlantic City GLBT Alliance. Our next one is on June 18 and, following that, we’re doing an LGBT cruise on July 16. We have Sandblast July 17-20, which is always a lot of fun, and of course Miss’d America in September. The Flagship is also hosting an LGBT night every first Thursday of the month. I’ll be performing and bringing Christine Havrilla and Bobby Egan in to perform as well. The Borgata and a number of other venues are planning LGBT events too.
PGN: So where’s the “gay” section of the beach?
MR: It’s right in front of The Claridge. And they just opened a new gay club called Club 11. There’s a lot going on for LGBT people in A.C. this summer. It’s very exciting and affordable; I hope everyone comes down!
For more information on Melanie Rice, visit www.melanierice.com. For more information on the Greater Atlantic City GLBT Alliance, visit www.acglbt.org.