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When singer LaRhonda Steele rode the Greyhound bus from her native Oklahoma to Portland 10 years ago, she was looking for a new beginning. Back home she had a loving and supportive family and strong church ties, but in many ways the plains of Oklahoma had been a harsh place for her to grow up. Being a Blonde-haired, light-skinned African-American with poor vision because of her albinism had resulted in too many bad experiences with narrow-minded and sometimes cruel people. So, when it was time to strike out on her own, she packed some of her belongings and headed to the Pacific Northwest. She had a place to stay at her aunt's home and the support of her family; but beyond that, she was pretty well starting from scratch.
Portland has proven to be just what LaRhonda was hoping to find: a place where people are more accepting of diversity and more willing to allow her to be who she wants to be. Portland also has offered a thriving music scene ripe with opportunities, and one other important ingredient for a young woman who had been legally blind all her life: a decent public transportation system. Those big old Tri-Met buses we often take for granted were an important source of freedom for someone who didn't drive.
Armed with a college degree in Business, LaRhonda found work as a bookkeeper, but she had another calling. Back in Oklahoma she had frequently sung Gospel in church and occasionally in school, but never professionally. Here in Portland she wanted to pursue a professional singing career, so she enrolled in two music courses at Portland Community College, Cascade Campus. She made some connections with veteran musicians through these classes and began making her way in the local music business.
Her extraordinary vocal skills attracted attention right from the start. Her Aunt Jean, through her volunteer efforts for the annual Martin Luther King Day celebration, arranged an audition over the phone with Ken Berry for a singing role in the celebration. He hired her on the spot and also invited her to perform with his band on several occasions.
LaRhonda also made an acquaintance with horn player Ralph Carter, and it was he who introduced her to the "Boogie Cat," Norman Sylvester. She first sat in with Norman when he and Frankie Redding were performing as a duet at Parchman Farm. At the time, the only popular Blues songs she knew were "Chain Of Fools" and "Downhome Blues."
Norman recognized a "natural Gospel tone" in LaRhonda's singing and wound up hiring her in 1995 to perform with his band. LaRhonda turned out to be a great fit for Norman's band and has been performing with him ever since. Remembering her at first as a great talent with limited self-confidence, Norman has watched her grow as a performer during her stint in the band. LaRhonda credits Norman with teaching her about professionalism in performing and about how to give to the audience.
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Even though LaRhonda now performs more frequently with Ocean 503, she still joins Norman's band during their regular Thursday night appearances at Billy Reed's in North Portland, and also appears on his latest CD, A Family Affair – Music From The Soul.
Over the last 10 years, LaRhonda has developed her skills by performing with a variety of groups, such as Kita Montgomery, the Ken DeRouchie Band, the No deLay Band and Obo Addy's modern American Jazz-African High Life group. Early in her professional singing career, she realized a childhood dream of performing in front of a large audience when she participated in a Gospel set at the Waterfront Blues Festival, and she has fulfilled this dream several times over with subsequent appearances at the festival as a member of Norman Sylvester's band and last year, she had the honor of traveling with Obo Addy's modern group to New York to perform at the Lincoln Center.
About two and a half years ago, LaRhonda joined her husband, pianist Mark Steele, in the sextet Ocean 503. This eclectic band, founded by MeGale Roberts several years ago, covers material that includes R&B, Jazz, Blues, Funk and Gospel. While all of the band members have experience performing the Blues, LaRhonda and guitarist and vocalist Steve Smith serve as the main Blues influences in the band. LaRhonda emphasizes how much she is enjoying the opportunity that Ocean 503 provides for her to express her own personality on stage.
The distinct sounds of Ocean 503 have caught on around the Portland area and can be heard on Wednesdays at the Candlelight or on weekends at places like Billy Reed's, Bacchus and Bookie's in North Portland. The band has just finished recording a CD at Walter Mitty Studios and has been mixing the tracks at the studio that Mark and LaRhonda have built in their home. Hopefully, an announcement of the CD's release will be forthcoming soon. They are also hoping to produce a video of the band.
Not surprisingly, LaRhonda grew up in an environment of music. Both her parents sing and her father also played drums. She followed her mother's lead by singing Gospel in church and remembers their small Baptist congregation as an excellent setting for her first public singing appearance at age 13. The Reverend enjoyed the vocals of his young parishioner so much that by the time LaRhonda was 15 she was traveling to other communities to perform at religious revivals. She wound up visiting towns in Kansas, Arkansas and Texas, as well as in her native Oklahoma, while performing at these gatherings.
Though she has come a long way since those early singing experiences, LaRhonda's musical roots are still strong and this summer she is hoping to celebrate those roots by recording a CD with her family and friends at their home studio. She wants to include her parents, sisters, brother and friends from church on the recording.
When not performing three to four nights a week and recording with two different groups, LaRhonda is kept busy with her other career, that of mother to her two daughters and two stepdaughters. As Norman Sylvester is quick to point out, remaining active as a performer while raising a family is an impressive feat that not many artists manage to pull off. Yet, despite the demands of raising a family, LaRhonda is committed to her singing career and even hopes to record a solo CD later this year.
The difficulties LaRhonda faced as she grew up have only helped to increase her determination to succeed as a singer. She has learned to face adversity head on and uses her performances as a way to rise above those who ridiculed her in the past. Given these motivations, one can understand why she would mention such Blues and R&B legends as Koko Taylor, Etta James and Aretha Franklin as particular favorites.
LaRhonda makes a special point of thanking Portlanders and the CBA for their acceptance and support. Of course, music fans have been responding to the talent and dedication she has exhibited when it comes to her chosen craft. But, nevertheless, we should be proud that the trip LaRhonda took to Portland a decade ago has proven so rewarding.
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© 2003 Cascade Blues Association