The Argonaut

Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Entertainment

As newly appointed chairperson of the NDNU Music Department, Debra Lambert took the responsibility of expanding upon the already-talented music department by adding new faces to the music faculty.

Most notable of the four newly appointed vocal coaches is recording artist and jazz singer extraordinaire, Wesla Whitfield.

Her inspirational story has caught the attention of many well-known publications, such as The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.

She even was featured in O Magazine, which is produced by Oprah Winfrey, as the "Phenomenal Woman" in the October 2005 issue. Whitfield describes her involvement with O Magazine as "absolutely thrilling. It was a big deal and a lot fun to get to see that huge picture of me."

Whitfield knew she'd one day become a singer ever since the age of 2 1/2, when she saw a singer named Molly Bee perform on television. Since then, she has developed a unique style, yet she lists her influences as Rosemary Clooney and Dean Martin.

She manages to "tell the story of the song" by taking it out of tempo and rather than singing the lyric as written, she does it as though it were a spoken monologue, something Whitfield believes present day singers (and songwriters) don't do enough of.

Needless to say, her career took off and she began singing in places such as the Empire Plush Room in San Francisco, Le Jazz Au Bar, The Algonquin Oak Room, and yes, even Carnegie Hall.

But what seems to be more amazing and inspiring is the fact that she has accomplished all of these feats while in a wheelchair.

In 1977, Whitfield was the victim of a rather random street shooting. She was shot by a couple of kids who were toting a gun and now is paralyzed from the waist down.

But leave it to Whitfield to overcome the odds and defy all criticisms of handicapped performers.

Currently, she and husband Mike Greensill, who is also her dedicated pianist, perform what is known as the Great American Songbook at lounges and bars around the country with their bassist John Wiitala.

Whitfield is no stranger to the spotlight, and on Sept. 29, she will perform in concert in Ralston Ballroom at 7:30 p.m.

She also teaches a class at NDNU, instructing vocal performers to convey the meaning of the song, as the writer/composer would have wanted, and to highlight the importance of the story.

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