My Favorite Singer; Tony Starlights Supperclub and Lounge; August 11, 2011

Meredith opening the set

Sorry, Kat, Karla, Barbara, Duffy!  My heart goes out to a younger woman!  This was the monthly Cabaret Chanteuse hosted by Gretchen Rumbaugh at Tony Starlights to an SRO crowd. Meredith (and yes, Sam, she got her pipes from her Mom!) opened the evening with a musical theatre number and moved to Adele, Billy Joel, and one other (she told me and I forgot already).  She had a big job as she was followed by Wendy Westerwelle (Larson) her high school drama coach, Claudia Knauer and, wow, Duffy Bishop!  My girl was up to the task; I watched her entire set and she didn't screw up once (a private joke).  OK, gush, gush, gush.

Feelin' it!

Wendy followed with a set both funny and poignant.  She is a true entertainer; I expect her monologue at the start was completely unrehearsed; she can do that with the best and had the audience in stitches.  Her vocal chops are still strong as ever!  She is fun!



Hey!  This is good stuff!

 I had never heard Claudia Knauer prior to last night.  She is obviously an experienced performer. Her voice reminds me of late night clubs in New York.  There was always a blues singer holding court in the corner commanding the attention of those late night patrons.  And, yes, Don, I do remember some of those evenings!  I enjoyed her set very much.

Claudia at work!

The last set was from Duffy Bishop; "Miss Duff" has been on my first team for years!  I have gone to her shows for over 20 years; starting back in the old Key Largo club.  I have (I think) every one of her cds; her Back to the Bone is one of my very favorite disks.  To say Duffy has a big voice is like saying that it gets warm in South Carolina!  At one point, she dropped her mike to her side and let go with full voice.  The folks in the back didn't miss a note!  Hey, and I got a hug afterward.  Eat your heart out.

Am I gettin' through to ya?

Thanks to Gretchen and Tony Starlight for creating this showcase for a lot of very talented Portland performers to show their stuff.   Also, kudos to Darcy White for her excellent accompaniments, keeping everyone on task, and not using any four letter words in front of Meredith's Mom.

See ya next time!