Spotlight Artist: Doña Oxford
Genre: Blues/Boogie
Location: Chicago, IL
Website:
http://www.donaoxford.com
CD Available: Yes
SAMPLE
Concert Review
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I run a web site for a club in Akron, which lead
me to Doña Oxford as she would be playing this club in
the near future. After putting a link to her site (wwww.donaoxford.com),
I contacted her management team and was thrilled that Dona could
take some time to answer some questions and give us some insight
into touring and her latest album "raw." Later in
the week I witnessed a concert so filled with passion and talent
that I had to go hear her (and band) again. When I called her
cell phone I caught Doña getting a cup of coffee in New
York, and she was gracious to stop and answer some questions. |
On The road with Doña Oxford
By David Jackson 7/15/2003
Dave: You went to NYU for theater, how did you end up
in music?
Doña: I had been doing theater, and I actually lied
about my age to get a job as a waitress at a club. I would watch
these great blues musician’s come in with a different band
every night. I had always played piano, and I just thought “I
would like to do that.” I guess I always wanted to be a performer.
When I was little I would be singing, and when I finished a song,
my Mom would stop doing the dishes and come in and clap at the end
of every song. Her friends would be like, “Do you do that at
the end of every song?” and she would answer, “Yeah, she
likes it.”
Dave: You had done some theater work (both regional and
off-Broadway) as well as some walk on work on soaps, which industry
is more “Cut-throat?”
Doña: I would say the acting world. It’s such
a cattle call. You could go to an audition for the part of a “blonde
girl” and walk in with brown hair and they wouldn’t even
talk to you. They didn’t even care if you could act or not.
The music world (aside from the Britney’s and NSyncs of the
world) isn’t solely based on your looks.
Dave: Is the competition tougher in the acting world?
Doña: Well it was funny, a bunch of actors could get
together and say “let’s do a show” but you knew deep
down they were all trying to get each other’s parts. The music
community doesn’t seem as competitive (hmmm maybe except for
the occasional guitarist). I think the love of the art brings musicians
together. The fact that we can’t really do it all by ourselves;
you need each other. When my first CD came out it got reviewed in
Keyboard magazine and I didn’t even know it. Another keyboard
player I barely knew called me up to let me know he saw the review.
I thought, “This is a person I barely know doing something
nice.”
Dave: Its fun to look back now and say you’ve played
and recorded with artists such as Keith Richards, Hubert Sumlin,
Kenny Neal, Pinetop Perkins, Shirley Dixon, Commander Cody, Shemekia
Copeland, Bernard Allison, Bob Margolin, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Michael
Hill, Popa Chubby, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and your idol,
the father of the rock & roll piano, Johnnie Johnson, but how
did you get here from there? I know one of your big breaks came
when you joined Shemekia Copeland’s band.
Doña: I had moved to NYC for acting, and I began going
to jam nights at the blues clubs. This got me introduced to many
of the local blues artist in the field, and basically I networked
my ass off. Eventually I released my first album, and was touring
the east coast, and still trying to gain some momentum. Then Shemekia
Copeland (daughter of Johnny “Clyde” Copeland) asked me
to join her band.
Dave: Was that a hard decision to put your solo thing
on hold?
Doña: Well at first I wasn’t sure if I wanted
to be the “sideman.” But my manager and folks around me
said “Look Shemekia is going to be the next big thing.”
She had the backing of Alligator records, and she is such a powerhouse,
so I told her I would try if it for six months. Well, we got to
tour all over, the money was good, and before I knew it the six
months turned into two and a half years. She is such a great talent.
Dave: And now you’re solo…
Doña: Yeah, Shemekia was great. She so understood
what I needed to do. I had that itch to go back to doing my own
thing. She was/is very supportive. I just spoke with her yesterday
on the phone.
Dave: Now you have a booker, management, and a publicist.
How did you assemble the team?
Doña: Through networking, and working to build a following,
eventually they approached me. An example of that would be Rafael
Fuentesof Fountain Bleu Records saw me when I was on tour with Shemekia
and approached me. He thought he could national distribution since
I had national exposure ( He helped me record my first album Rowena
Said..." (available at www.donaoxford.com )
Dave: How are things going on the road?
Doña: Things are going great. We’re doing a tour
of the East coast hitting New York, Ohio, Main, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
and Illinois.
Dave: I looked at your schedule, and it’s pretty
packed.
Doña: Yeah, we’re doing 8 shows in the next 9
days.
Dave: Are there any fears of burnout?
Doña: When it comes to touring you have to think of
it like an athlete. If you’re not in shape, then you’re
going to have problems. For me as a vocalist I have a great vocalist
coach in New York that I use, I do voice exercises on the road,
and sometimes I’ll call the coach from the road to help me
keep me in shape. Typically it’s not the singing that damages
my throat. It’s trying to talk to people on break. You end
up screaming over the jukebox, and it’s the screaming that
does the damage.
Dave: Do you have a “Favorite Gig?” Would that
be the night you went to Johnnie Johnson’s show, only to have
Keith Richards join Johnnie on stage, and then have Johnnie call
you up on stage to play?
Doña: Yeah, that was an amazing night.
Doña jams with Johnnie Johnson and Keith
Richasrds in Chicago
Dave: It’s not too often you get to play with one of
your idols along with a Rolling Stone
Doña: Yeah, and you know Keith Richards is one of
the nicest guys.
Dave: At the other end of the spectrum, do you have a worst
gig?
Doña: Well I had a real disappointing gig where we
opened for the Temptations in front of about 10,000 people. There
was a problem with the sound system, and through my entire set there
was a very loud (annoying) crackling noise. We had hoped to sell
some CD’s and I think we ended up selling about three. Looking
back you have to kind of laugh, I mean what are you going to do?
Dave: You’ve had so much touring experience, do you
have any words of wisdom for our members. Something that you thought
“Man I wish someone would’ve told me about this”
when it comes to touring.
Doña: Well you have to realize that you are going
to live with these people 24/7. If you are assembling a group to
tour and you have two musicians and one has slightly lesser talent
but a better personality, take the personality. If you find yourself
burying your face in a book to avoid people, it can make the tour
very long. Of course like a family you’re not always going
to get along, but try to find a team player, or it can make your
band completely miserable.
Dave: Lets talk about your last CD “Raw” 
Doña: Well we were getting ready to play the Chicago
Blues Festival and we thought about going into the studio to record
a new CD, but it would’ve been rushed. A friend of mine had
recorded a gig on mini disk, and after listening to it, we thought
it captured the energy and feeling of our shows. We had it mastered,
and it sounds great. It gives club owners a chance to hear exactly
what to expect at a show.
Dave: That explains why it sounds like you’re in the
front row. You are. I’ve listened to the samples on your web
site It sounds great.
Doña: Thanks
Dave: I know this is your cell phone, are we burning up
all your minutes?
Doña: I’ve got unlimited minutes, but I’m
worried about my battery. I think we’re ok.
Dave: Well just to be safe, we better get to the canned questions
Doña: Ok Dave, Shoot.
Dave; How long have you been together?
Doña: We’ll I’ve been doing this for 10
years. My current touring band has been together for about 9 months.
I had to assemble a new band when I moved to Chicago.
Dave: You’re No longer in New York?
Doña: Most people don’t realize that after September
11th, musicians had a really hard time making a living. Seventeen
blues clubs closed after September 11th. Then there were laws put
into place (for “dancer” bars) but people would get up
and dance (not strip), and the cops could come in and close the
bar. Then there were fines; it was horrible…
Dave: Kind of like Sam Kinison screaming at people starving
in the dessert. “Move to where the food is!”
Doña: (Giggles), yeah you live in sand! But Chicago
has plenty of blues clubs.
Dave : Who is your current line up?
Doña: Are you ready for some fun spelling?
Mark Diffenderffer – Drums (we call him “Diff”).
Eduardo Garcia – Guitar
BNY Dughba - Bass
Dave: Do you have a motto?
Doña: Oh man, um Wear your heart on your sleeve and
live life to the fullest. I just made that up. But, yeah, that’s
pretty much it.
Dave; Who are your influences?
Doña: My idol growing up was/is Johnnie Johnson.
Dave: Don’t hate me, but I don’t think I’ve
heard of him.
Doña: Most people haven’t as he was a sideman
for most of his career.
Dave: What’s in Your CD player now?
Doña: Oh man, good question. Umm, let’s see,
NRBQ at Yankee Stadium. I am getting into Nora Jones and John Mayer
a little these days. Oh! Wait a Solomon Burke CD, oh man the CD
is out of print and I can’t remember the name, but it has a
version of “Letter to my Darlin” and oh man….
Dave: Favorite Part of being in a band?
Doña: To me it’s seeing all the different places,
and meeting people. I’m a people person. I love to go out and
touch, talk, and bring a smile to people’s face. Seeing the
joy on their faces feeds and inspires me to play.
Dave: And the part of being in a band you hate?
Doña: Well, it’s all pretty good. You know I
just read something that in 1970 the average band made $400-$500
per night. You know what the average band makes now a night? You
guessed it $400-500 a night.
Dave: Any other advice for bands?
Doña: You know when it comes to touring; it can easily
become a blur. Take the time to smell the roses, and take in each
city. You never know when you're going to be back there again.
For tour information, CD’s t-shirts, bios, pictures, go to
www.donaoxford.com
Concert Review:
Doña Oxford Northside/Fat Fish Blue 7/17 and 7/18
By David Jackson
What do you get when you mix Jerry Lee Lewis, with the funk and
soul of James Brown, mix in the Sass of KoKo Taylor and wit of Bette
Midler, with the power of Mahalia Jackson, and top it off with a
contagious Cheshire Cat Grin? You get Doña Oxford.
Typically when I hear someone is extremely gifted in one area (piano
in Doña's case) ocassionally this means their vocals are
“OK” and you sit and wait for the solo. This is NOT the
case with Doña Oxford. While the samples on her web site
allow you to hear her; the presence and power of her voice in a
live setting made me believe that she really didn’t need a
microphone. Her soul and passion saturate every note that comes
from her lips.
Typically when I hear that someone is (again) extremely gifted
in one area that means when you go to their concert you will hear
nothing but that instrument. Doña is very wise, and knows
that every good performer needs a good BAND. Guitarist Eduardo Garcia’s
solos were “tasty” while the Rhythm Section of Mark Diffenderffer
on Drums and BNY Dughba on bass showed FANTASTIC use of dynamics.
This band has a huge amount of fun on stage as they play off each
other. This then elicits an “Oh Yeah!” and a big smile
from Doña and it’s very, very contagious.
About the time I was already impressed, they performed a song called
“Doe’s Boogie” which explains why they call her "the
boogie woogie woman." When the song was over, my body spent
time looking for my head (as I believe it had exploded). Here she
plays a solo with just the left hand (very impressive), and a solo
with just her right hand (amazing). Then she puts them together
and it was like watching David Copperfield. She’s doing it
right in front of you but you have no idea how she is doing it.
My hands cramp just thinking about it. On break I went up and shook
her hand (and checked to make sure there were only five fingers
– check). What’s the kicker on top off all of this? The
band had started their day in New York, drove approximately eight
hours to get to Ohio, and then put on this show. That is truly amazing.
When I drove to Cleveland the next night to watch this again, it
still completely blew me away.
So yes friends, Doña Oxford is currently touring the country
(her schedule is on her website at www.donaoxford.com).
If she’s coming to a city near you, you need to be there. If
she’s not coming near you, you need to move.
For tour information, CD’s t-shirts, bios, pictures, go to
www.donaoxford.com
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