Singing in Ronstadt tribute band a labor of love for Contra Costa pair

Natalie Amaya says that when she saw “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” she immediately thought someone should really do a show like that for Linda Ronstadt, one of her all-time favorite singers.

From there, they spent roughly six months hashing out the music, working on a script, staging and costumes. Performing for just less than a year now, Amaya and her bandmates have worked throughout the Bay Area, most recently at El Campanil Theatre in Antioch, singing songs by 11-time Grammy Award winner Ronstadt in English and Spanish. Their new tribute band is called “Ronstadt Revolution — a Tribute to Linda Ronstadt” (ronstadtrevolution.com).

Amaya, born in Walnut Creek, raised in Vacaville and now living in Martinez, said her band consists of herself (lead vocals), Marisa Barley (background vocals), David Esparza (keyboard and vocals), Don Schiff (NS/Stick — an eight-string tapping instrument designed by Ned Steinberger and Emmett Chapman), Brayden Cone (drums), Jeff Teczon (saxophone) and their newest band member, Craig Relyea (guitar).

“My father is a singer and taught me a lot until I turned 13 and my teenage attitude got in the way,” she said. “So he signed me up for voice lessons, and I fell in love with everything that had to do with voice (work). I never really stopped studying voice. In college, I studied musical theater.”

Amaya says what drew her to Ronstadt was the star’s unique mix of singing so many genres, from rock to country, Broadway and mariachi music.

“I have always bounced between those styles, and people would tell me I had to pick just one, but she [Ronstadt] didn’t do that, and she’s one of very few artists who have found success with so many different genres of music.”

Background vocalist Barley, of Walnut Creek, says she’s happy to be part of the new tribute band.

“When she (Amaya) asked me if I wanted to be involved, I immediately said, ‘yes!’ ” said Barley. “Not only have I always loved Linda and her music, but I think Natalie is a talented vocalist and an honor to work with.”

Barley said the feedback from their audiences has been remarkable so far.

“Our audiences say they love the energy of our show, the musicality of our show and the fact that it brings them back to childhood — one in particular, mentioning singing into her hairbrush in her bedroom as a teenager,” she said. “Many compliments on Natalie’s lead vocals — they love the Spanish elements to our show; they love hearing the history on Linda and the slideshow images we present. It’s just a feel-good show that makes you happy and want to dance.”

Barley elaborated on how she, like Amaya, has always loved Ronstadt’s music.

“Growing up in the Bay Area, I was aware of her from a young age and have always loved her voice. It’s sad that she can no longer sing, so it’s an honor to be a part of presenting her music to our audiences,” she said in reference to Ronstadt, now 78, who was diagnosed several years ago with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare and incurable brain condition that affects her ability to move, think and sing.

With a background in singing at schools, community and church choirs, Barley talks about her early singing experiences.

“I have been singing since elementary school. I’m a proud alumni of the Oakland Children’s Chorus, which performed at various locations throughout the Bay Area, including being featured on KTVU’s ‘Creature Features,’ ” said Barley. “I continued singing in school choirs. After high school, I took a break from singing while pursuing my career as a court reporter and raising my son.”

Later, she joined her church’s choir, directed their children’s choir and became a member of a vocal jazz group called “Q’ed Up.”

“I’ve also been a member of an R&B, soul and jazz cover band called ‘Private Practice’ since 2010,” she said.

During the past 10 years, she’s also sung for various other bands as a co-lead singer and backup singer and has had the opportunity to perform at San Francisco’s AIDS Walk and to open for REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick and Eddie Money at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts as part of area ABC news anchor and musician Dan Ashley’s Rock the Casa Foundation concerts.

As for Amaya, she says performing Ronstadt’s songs is personal for her and her band.

“I’ve read her book and watched her movie multiple times. There are so many things we have in common growing up in a bilingual and biracial family,” Amaya said. “Both of our moms are American women who married Latin American men who loved to sing. Both of our fathers spoke Spanish, had beautiful voices and loved to sing mariachi music.

“They shared their love of music with us, and of course our careers and paychecks are very different from one another, but it definitely defined the type of singers and musicians we became. Learning more about her from her book and movie and knowing that she can’t really sing anymore, I felt inspired to create a show in her honor.

“It’s a little scary because she has some pretty big shoes to fill, and we really want to do her justice. But we work pretty hard to do the best we can.”

Reach Charleen Earley, a freelance writer and journalism professor at Diablo Valley college, at charleenbearley@gmail.com or 925-383-3072.