Crooning for a Cause: Irene Cathaway

GOG irene cathaway bandThe Goddess of Groove
By Mad Royal

Sultry-voiced and soft-spoken, with big, brown eyes, Irene Cathaway’s appearance hides her inner diva songstress. Her singing voice is both sweet, and a little rough, just like life. Muscian Dorian Michael calls her “the best female vocalist I have ever worked with.” That’s why, when I asked if he had a band for a new club three years ago, I hired the band he put together for the event sight unseen and music unheard. When you work with people whose opinion you trust, that’s what you do. If Dorian says it’s good, it’s good. He went down to L.A. with Ken Hustad to rehearse with Irene and her drummer, Bill Severance (something they were going to do for fun, anyway), and the band Just for the Night was born. The evening in question ended up being the best night that venue ever had, and a lot of people and their dancing feet left happy.
Eventually, the band name changed to the Irene Cathaway Rhythm and Blues Band. As Dorian says, “It’s really all about Irene.” The band has since opened for the SLO Blues Society, performed at D’Anbino’s, an excellent little club in Paso Robles, numerous dances, and the Smoky Hill Music Festival in Kansas. Irene belts out soul and R&B tunes with knowledge of dynamics, phrasing, and excellent tone. Her voice is authentic, with that big little something we call “soul.”
Dorian Michael, on guitar, “fills in the corners completely,” Irene said, eliminating the need for a keyboard. Dorian also lends his warm, raspy voice to the occasional lead vocal. Bill Severance on drums is “impeccable, with lots of soul.” The band’s usual bass player is locally renowned Ken Hustad, but Billy Baxmeier will be filling those shoes at the band’s upcoming performance a benefit for the SLO NOOR Foundation on May 2. More about that later.
Irene Cathaway was born in Phoenix, Arizona, but she and eight siblings and half-siblings moved to Bakersfield to live with their grandmother after their mother died, just three weeks after Irene was born. When she was eight months old, Irene was adopted by an aunt and uncle, and moved with them to North Hollywood. Her adoptive parents were traditional Catholic Hispanics, so Irene’s mom was a stay-at-home mom. Her mother’s happiest day was when she could purchase tortillas at the store, instead of making them by hand. Irene’s mom used to sing to the radio around the house, and had sung three-part harmony with her sisters when she was younger. She played opera on the phonograph on Saturdays, and that, along with first-pressings from Capitol Records, where her dad worked as a carpenter, formed Irene’s early musical influences.
Irene attended St. Genevieve’s parochial school in Panorama City for twelve years. She studied tap, ballet, and acrobatics from age ten, and later sung in the choir. “Mom really wanted me to be a ballerina. I kind of fell into singing.” She took private lessons from a singing coach at 16, who brought her to audition for Phil Spector to sing backup for Jackie DeShannon. She didn’t get the job.
Irene listened to all kinds of music growing up, but it was soul and R&B which drew her in. Some of her favorites were Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Etta Fitzgerald and the Temptations. Especially Aretha. “She was IT.”
At nineteen, Irene married Rick Cathaway, a marriage that lasted 8 years, and resulted in two daughters, April and Michelle. She and Rick met in a band they were both in, the DuShaynes. The marriage was dotted with Rick’s frequent road trips, the first only a month after they were married, which was a month in duration. He played bass touring with the Osmonds, but usually played guitar. The family made their home in Van Nuys.
Back in the mid-60s, Bob Eubanks had a series of clubs in Studio City, Anaheim, and San Bernardino. The latter club is where the DuShaynes opened for, and were able to hang out with such musical acts as The Righteous Brothers, The Coasters, Paul and Paula, The Beach Boys, Cathy Young, and the Kingsmen. One night, coming home on the windy mountain roads, the DuShaynes’ drummer and saxophone player were seriously injured in a car accident. Although neither one was killed, the group did not re-form.
For a while, Irene and her husband, Rick, played in clubs around the L.A. area, such as the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas. “It was easy in those days,” she says. “You just called up the clubs and said you wanted to play there.” Irene got her driver’s license at age 27. After Irene and Rick divorced in the 1970s, Irene started singing on the road, backing such acts as Charlie Daniels, Helen Reddy, Bill Cosby, The Babys, Ann Margret, and Robert Goulet. She went to a cattle call for background singers for Connie Stevens, and was hired for a job that lasted 10 years, and was on and off for the next 20 after that. She and Connie had children around the same age. Irene counts herself as fortunate that her mother was able to take care of her children when she was touring.
Besides singing, Irene had one day job: at a mortgage broker. She lasted 8 months.
Another band she was in was the Sunday Sunday band. In 1988, she met her current husband who she was in her band, a keyboard player named Phil Eichholtz. They married in 1991. They have a trio with Chris Fenick on guitar, perform around Ventura and Los Angeles.
One story of note: Irene recorded a couple disco songs in 1977: “Disco Madness” and “You Can Ring My Bell”. When the latter was ready for release, Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell” came out, so “You Can Ring My Bell” was never released. The songs are currently being released in England, mostly as a collector’s item, and are getting some airplay over there as well is in the states. The songs are available on Amazon.com and iTunes.
Irene met the Irene Cathaway Band’s drummer, Bill Severance, and they played gigs in Long Beach on the Queen Mary for 6 months. She met Dorian Michael in the 80’s, and has performed with both of them from time to time. She currently resides in Burbank, but loves visiting the Central Coast.
The Irene Cathaway Rhythm and Blues Band is a special kind of dance band, performing authentic, in-your-face R&B, blues, and soul tunes. It’s a real treat anytime you get to see and hear them. Their next appearance will be at a fundraiser for the SLO Noor Foundation, which provides free, quality healthcare to those who cannot otherwise afford it. The Foundation provides those services solely from grants, donations, and fundraisers.  The fundraiser will be at the SLO Vet’s Hall in San Luis Obispo, and is in two parts. The first part is the “50 Shades of Color Thrift and Consignment Style Revue” featuring a silent auction, raffle, finger foods, and a full no host bar. Tickets are $20-35. Doors open at 1 p.m., and the fashion show starts at 1:30 p.m. That evening, there will a cocktail party and a dance, featuring the Irene Cathaway Band. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a cocktail party with a full no host bar, and appetizers from Giancarlo’s Ristorante in Morro Bay. During the cocktail hour, from 6:15 p.m-7 p.m., Liliana Graham will be teaching free dance lessons. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Irene Cathaway Band will be performing for your listening and dancing pleasure. This will be something fun to attend both as a participant and as a spectator, as lots of the local ballroom dancers are expected to show up. Tickets for the evening event are $30. Everything except drinks is included in the ticket price. Tickets are available at the door, or in advance at www.slonoorfoundation.org/50shades. See you on the dance floor!