Today we’d like to introduce you to Doña Oxford.
Hi Doña, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born an entertainer, always seeking applause and approval. At the age of six, a teacher entered the classroom and asked which students were enrolled in his piano lessons. “Piano Lessons?” I thought. Wow, that sounds like fun! Little did I know that they required payment. Being only six, I simply raised my hand. About two months later, my teacher called my mother and informed her that she owed him for the lessons. My mother, always skeptical, asked, “What Piano Lessons?”
Surprised by her response, he assumed and asked if she had heard me practicing at home.
“Practice?”. We did not have a piano in the house. He was astonished because I seemed to retain my lessons from week to week as if I had been practicing diligently.
(Well, I did have a one-octave toy piano with multicolored keys that I used daily).
My teacher told my mother that I was quite gifted and possessed a natural ear, and that I should really continue the piano lessons. But my mother, who had recently been recently widowed and living on a fixed income, expressed our inability to afford them.
He then asked if she could afford only $10 a month and assured her that it was worth investing in my future. “Ok”, she reluctantly agreed. He also suggested that she purchase a piano, but she laughed, as she had no money to spare for such an expense.
The following week, we visited a shopping mall that had a piano store. While my mother was browsing the clothing section, I ventured into the piano store and played on various pianos. The store owner called my mother over and said, “She wants a piano.” My mother replied, “Of course she wants a piano, but I’m recently widowed and on a fixed income. Christmas is coming.”
He then proposed an alternative: “What if I told you that there’s no money down, only $20 a month, you don’t have to make your first payment until March, and you can have the piano on Tuesday?”
Guess what? I had a piano on Tuesday! That marked the beginning of my artistic journey.
A few years later, my mom secured a job as a registrar for a prestigious state-run educational theater company in upstate New York.
I sprinted there every day after school to sit in the corner and watch their rehearsals.
Often they would grab me to stand in or even participate whenever they needed a kid in a production. It was an amazing theatrical education from top Musical Theater professionals.
Eventually, I headed off to college and enrolled at NYU to continue my studies in drama, in what seemed a natural path.
But while living in New York City and relentlessly pursuing Broadway auditions without success, one faithful afternoon, I wandered into a local blues club that was hosting a jam session.
Not knowing much about the blues, I was reluctant but eventually was coaxed by a stranger to get up on stage. I sang the only blues song I knew, a Koko Taylor song called, “You Can Have My Husband”. I got such a huge ovation that I returned the following week and eventually started bringing my keyboard. Little did I know that I was playing alongside some of the greatest musicians in New York City. They say, if you want to improve, surround yourself with people who are as good or better than you. Those years at the jam helped me soar as a musician.
I was now earning $100 a night from gigs as a pianist, which was significantly more than what I was making in musical theater. So I embarked on a music career, playing with some of the greatest blues and rock bands across the United States and Europe.
Around this time, as fate would have it, my mom‘s friend, who knew I was a Piano Player, gave her a cassette tape of an album by a man named Johnnie Johnson. He was Chuck Berry’s piano player for over 30 years. Wow, I had never heard such exceptional piano playing before. I wore out that tape trying to replicate every piano lick.
A few months later, I received a call from a club owner in New York. Their headliner for the night was none other than… Johnnie Johnson! The club was unable to rent a piano, so they ask if I would be willing to open for Johnnie and allow him to use my keyboard. Are you kidding me?!
That night, as I was playing, Johnnie Johnson was being escorted into the club. He paused and simply stood there, observing me. I was trembling with excitement.
After my set, I met him backstage. He remarked, “You sound just like me.” To which his wife responded, “Yes, but she does it while standing up in high heels.”
We all laughed and instantly became friends. From then on, I opened for Johnnie every time he visited New York. Through his mentorship, I had the privilege of meeting and performing with some of the world’s most renowned rock stars, including Keith Richards, Levon Helm, Bob Weir, Albert Lee, Van Morrison, Roger Daltrey, Daughtry, Ginger Baker, and many others.
Needless to say, my acting career was put on hold for the next three decades. Until the pandemic which halted my touring, prompting me to resume my acting career. Now, I’ve come full circle and am actively working in commercials, voiceovers, film, television, and even live radio plays. No matter what, I always find ways to entertain!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I remember a time when fame was the reward for doing your occupation well.
Now fame is an occupation, and everyone wants it. Yet unfortunately, art, music and theater are still regarded as hobbies! And the journey to success is still one of the toughest andmost underpaid professions.
And if you are passionate about your art, you often have to take a day job to support your passion.
To make ends meet over the years, I’ve had countless side jobs; waitress, bartender, secretary, receptionist, aerobics instructor, Uber driver, music teacher, housekeeper, babysitter, personal assistant, caterer, party planner, you name it… I’ve done it!
And like the old adage says, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! I’ve survived recessions, fires, floods, pandemics, etc. I’ve moved from New York to Chicago to LA always in search of the best opportunities.
It’s made for quite a journey!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Persistence is a word that has always followed me throughout my whole career.
I used to phone the booking agent at the Bitter End every week like clockwork. Every week he would say, “sorry, I have no openings this month” after a few weeks most people would give up. But every Tuesday I called back. And finally, he said, “Doña, you’re the most persistent woman in the business! But I am still never gonna give you a gig here, you’re just not the right fit for our club!”
Well, I took that as a compliment and still called him the following Tuesday!
Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment, but what I’m most proud of is that I never give up. It’s in my blood. I’m an artist through and through. I don’t care about the fame as much as I care about working in a creative collaborative environment, that makes art which in turn brings people joy!
And whether I’m serving someone a plate of food, teaching a child to sing and dance, driving someone to their destination, or any other side job, I am still entertaining.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I use my faith to keep me grounded. I very much believe in the Science of Mind. Our thoughts create our future. What we believe we become! But that means you have to stay on Faith Street. You won’t make it on ‘I’m too old Boulevard’ or ‘I’m too broke Avenue’, because what you tell yourself will become reality.
So I try and stay in daily practice of my belief in myself and my success, by getting inspiration from people like Abraham-Hicks, Steve Harvey, Wayne Dyer, Peter Crone and others.
I have a daily mantra, “Life is always working out for me”. And even when things go wrong or take a turn for the worst, I’ve learned to abandon the “boo-hoo’s” and embrace the “woo hoo’s”.
Yes, it sucks when your car breaks down. But maybe the AAA guy is the love of your life or maybe it’s preventing you from an accident down the road. If we could step back far enough to get a satellite perspective of what’s really going on around us, we would see that we are all intertwined in a greater omniscient, omnipresent, adhesive ripple of energy that serves our highest well-being.
So relax and enjoy the ride… oh, and let me entertain you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.donaoxford.com
Image Credits
Mike Kendall, Vivian Oxford, Heather Pasquazzi, Tina Vonn.
