KING LOUIE & LaRHONDA STEELE   Talk about a dynamic duo!  Louis Pain was dubbed, “Portland’s boss of the B-3” by The Oregonian, and KOIN t.v. named LaRhonda Steele, “Portland’s First Lady of the blues!”  Louis is in the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, and LaRhonda is in the Cascade Blues Association’s Hall of Fame.  Whenever these two artists perform together, something magical happens: a soulful & spontaneous combination of blues, soul, gospel and jazz.     Louis & LaRhonda have teamed up for a pair of critically acclaimed CDs: “Rock Me Baby” in 2016 and “Live at Riverhouse Jazz” in 2018.  Both recordings received numerous raves, including 4-star reviews in  the world’s top jazz magazine, Downbeat.  Also, they were both honored among Downbeat’s “Best Albums of the Year” (for 2016 & 2018 respectively).    On those CDs, as on most of their live performances, Louis & LaRhonda are joined by a pair of remarkable musicians: drummer Edwin Coleman III (Soul Vaccination) and saxophonist Renato Caranto (Esperanza Spalding & Merle Haggard).     Since the release of “Rock Me Baby,” King Louie & LaRhonda Steele have played a series of high-profile gigs, including a pair of main stage performances at the Waterfront Blues Festival and an appearance at Italy’s renowned Porretta Soul Festival in 2017.  More recently, Louis & LaRhonda performed as a duo in four Colombian cities during the 2018 Cali Blues & Folk Festival.  Louis, Edwin, and Renato will be releasing an album of original instrumentals in February, 2019.