music
ellen whyte
Ellen Whyte, thrice Grammy considered,
has taken her experience and passion
for the blues and is showing people the
validity and need for the creativity of
music in our schools.
g r a c e • c a t o n
S
ome spend their whole lives searching for
a career and what their purpose is. Ellen
Whyte isn’t one of these people. Blues
music found her. She’s taken it on as her mission
to spread the joy that it brings her to Portland, and
most of all, Portland public schools.
The minute I say blues, her face lights up. She can’t
help it. It’s instinctual, and it comes from a place so
deeply rooted inside of her. From that instant, I’m
hooked.
“Here! I’m going to write a song about Poppycock!
‘The only blog in town…the only blog you’ll ever
need. The only blog you’ll need to read…” sings
Whyte. “Hey, you never know, I might surprise
you.”
Blues music has blazed different trails over the
years with innumerable influences. Anyone from
Hank Williams, Bonnie Rait, to the one and only
B.B. King have brought something to the table. It’s
simple, it’s emotional, and most importantly it tells
a story.
Whyte has the blues swagger down. Her sway,
her tempo, her radiant smile—she embodies every
aspect of this genre. There are some artists who
make you dance, some who make you awestruck,
but Whyte makes you want to participate and
respond. She makes music approachable and
accessible to anyone.
Whyte’s musicianship is captivating. She sings
a Billie Holiday cover and brings you to tears, or
sings her song about “B-b-bacon!” which makes
you hoot and howl. I’ve never been so excited to
sing about bacon. She evokes such a broad range
of emotion through the stories she tells. Something
tells me she knows what she’s doing.
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The blues have shaped Whyte’s character. Ellen grew
up on her own, living in and out of foster homes, and
eventually went to boarding school in North Carolina.
“I met a young woman who played guitar. I said, ‘Show
me,’ and the rest is history. It was the first introduction I
got to how emotions are presented in music.”
Through years of struggle and the adventure of the 60’s
and 70’s, Whyte knew that her only reliable, consistent
rock to lean on was blues music.
After recording four albums, collaborating with fellow
musicians, receiving three Grammy Award considerations,
and writing song after song, Whyte found a new way to
spread the word about the blues: teaching.
“I’ve never been busier than I am now,” says Whyte. “It
exploded, and I have not looked back.”
Recently, Whyte finished an Artist in Residency for
Estacada School District. From January to April 2014,