At BC's
Teen sensation
entrances crowd
by Patrice Raplee
The resurgence of teenage singing sensations is at an all time high,
with Portland's own Joann Coleman leading the pack.
Coleman, a bright-eyed, 14-year-old, performs every Sunday evening
at Bodacious Classics on Powell Blvd. Ralph McKee, owner of BC's, heard
Coleman performing at a private party and decided to make her the headliner
of his Sunday night variety show.
McKee has started auditioning vocalists for his variety show, providing
they have their own music on CD.
On a special Tuesday evening performance, this writer had the opportunity
to hear Coleman's superb rendition of Wide-Open Spaces by the
Dixie Chicks. Coleman's voice is a beautiful combination of mature control
and supple tonality. A surprising dimension of versatility emanated
from the vocal chords of this petite young lady, generally not to be
expected from an untrained voice.
Once introduced to the audience, Coleman took control of the microphone
and had every eye and ear focused on her. To say that every goose bump
on this writer's body snapped to attention would be an understatement;
the crowd kept looking around at each other in sheer amazement. The
only possible answer why this young diva has not been glommed onto by
a record label is the limited exposure she has received. McKee is slowly
exposing Coleman's talent and not trying to exploit her; he knows the
entertainment field and it's pitfalls.
When asked about her burgeoning career as a singer, Coleman eagerly
gave her story. "I was eight or nine when I started singing; my
mom and dad used to sing to me all the time. I would sing with the radio
and all of my mom's friends would say what a great voice I have."
A grin pops out on her face as Coleman says "I took voice for two
months, but I wouldn't listen to my teacher so that didn't last too
long."
Coleman's goals are the same as most performers, with fame as the ultimate
motivation. Not lost in the clouds, Coleman maintains a high grade point
average and understands the importance of an education. Already privy
to the hardships of pursuing a musical career, Coleman has had a few
successes to keep her going. In 1995, She won the award for Miss American
Starlet Preteen for Oregon, as well as the Los Angeles singing and commercial
television competition.
With school, working a few days a week at a local sandwich shop and
learning new vocal material, the opportunities to hang around with her
peers is limited. A sacrifice too often over-looked by young performers,
Coleman is no exception. the nervous, excited feeling of performing
in front of a live audience is almost always too intoxicating to evade.
Coleman will have quite the juggling act to contend with as her popularity
grows, not to mention dealing with the constant attention thrust upon
her from performing on a regular basis.
Coleman is at that rare stage where the enchantment of her personality
and the enormous amount of raw talent make her performances so compelling.
The chance to see her perform locally will diminish rapidly as the request
for her engagements of weddings and private parties fills up. Coleman
appears every Sunday evening from 6 to 7 p.m. at Bodacious Classics,
2433 S.E. Powell. Perhaps the next Leann Rimes has arrived.
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