LaRhonda Steele. Do Your Job.
Women. Music. Power.
Episode 2 of Women. Music. Power. features LaRhonda Steele, Portland’s First Lady of the Blues. An artist whose voice has the power to transport, heal and transform. In this inspirational episode, we sit down with LaRhonda Steele, a compelling, uplifting vocalist whose artistry spans blues, R & B, gospel and jazz with boundless emotional depth and astounding virtuosity. Born in Oklahoma, Larhonda relocated to Portland in the early 90’s and became a beloved fixture on the Portland scene. She’s now an essential part of the Waterfront Blues...
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Women.Music.Power Trailer LaRhonda Steele
Women. Music. Power.
Women. Music. Power. is excited to announce that the 2nd episode of our podcast will be dropping on November 20th! Please join us as we chat with LaRhonda Steele the First Lady of the Blues. Wherever you stream! Thanks for listening and please share!
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Sonny Hess. Figure It Out.
Women. Music. Power.
Our very first guest, Sonny Hess, is a Portland legend and leader. Please join us as we talk about her early life, her collaborations with another Portland legend, Paulette Davis, and her current projects. Sonny tells us about her passion and her purpose -- she is a pioneer. She is dedicated and driven to share the talented women of the NW with a wide audience in her project the NW Women in Rhythm and Blues. The alum of this project are an astounding group of Portland cognoscenti. We will listen to 3 of her songs and discuss the inspiration for the...
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Sonny Hess Episode trailer
Women. Music. Power.
Announcing the release of our first episode. Our first guest is the incomparable Sonny Hess. The episode drops on Thursday November 6th wherever you stream. Visit to find out more about her and where you can hear her live!
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Women.Music.Power Trailer 1
Women. Music. Power.
Our first episode is dropping on November 6th 2025! Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes! === Welcome to Women Music Power, celebrating the voices, journeys, and artistry of women in music. Hi, I'm Leah Hinchcliff, musician, educator and lifelong music fan coming to you from the Creative Heart of Portland, Oregon. This podcast is my love letter to the women who have shaped me, inspired me, and whose music moves me. I want to honor their legacy by sharing their stories with the world. I'm Marianna Thielen, vocalist songwriter and band leader. Together, Leah and I sit down with...
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Women.Music.Power Trailer 1
Women. Music. Power.
Women.Music.Power. Is a podcast celebrating the voices, journeys, and artistry of women in music. Co-hosts, Leah Hinchcliff and Marianna Thielen have candid conversations with women about their creative process and personal journeys. Each guest shares songs or pieces they have written and recorded and talk about the stories behind the music. Stay tuned for our first episode as we interview Sonny Hess! Dropping on Thursday November 6th!
info_outlineEpisode 2 of Women. Music. Power. features LaRhonda Steele, Portland’s First Lady of the Blues. An artist whose voice has the power to transport, heal and transform.
In this inspirational episode, we sit down with LaRhonda Steele, a compelling, uplifting vocalist whose artistry spans blues, R & B, gospel and jazz with boundless emotional depth and astounding virtuosity. Born in Oklahoma, Larhonda relocated to Portland in the early 90’s and became a beloved fixture on the Portland scene. She’s now an essential part of the Waterfront Blues Festival, a Cascade Blues Hall of Fame inductee, and a 2020 Oregon Music Hall of Fame honoree. She has also traveled overseas to perform at festivals. Larhonda has recorded several albums with her husband and musical partner, Mark Steele. She also has studio credits that include back up vocals and collaborations with many luminaries including Curtis Salgado, Taj Mahal, and Gino Vanelli, whose albums Wilderness Road and The Life I Got feature LaRhonda’s stunning back up vocals.
LaRhonda shares stories with us about her musical journey, her family and her creative voice. Whether fronting the LaRhonda Steele Band, directing the Portland Interfaith Gospel Choir, or performing with the Steele Family Band, her sound is unmistakable: bluesy, gospely, and drenched in soul. As Portland blues legend Norman Sylvester puts it, “She can bounce over chordal progressions like a surfer on a perfect wave”.
We talk about music as a career, a way of life and a journey to finding strength in the face of adversity. LaRhonda’s voice doesn’t just fill a room—it transforms it. Listening to her can heal you, transport you to a place of peace and stir your soul.
Tune in for a conversation that has us laughing, crying and honoring LaRhonda’s artistry and musical gifts.
Aside from our podcast theme song, every track in this episode carries LaRhonda’s creative touch—whether as writer, co-writer, or collaborator.
Here are links to those songs:
Bootylyte - Ocean 503
In and Out Romance - LaRhonda and Mark Steele
Cycles - LaRhonda and Mark Steele
In Another Life - Lo Steele and Peter Knudsen