Honoring the queens…Linda Hornbuckle and Janice Scroggins.
It’s been 10 years since Portland lost beloved vocalist Linda Hornbuckle and pianist Janice Scroggins. To the blues, gospel and jazz scenes in Portland, the two were a source of inspiration and pride —incredible talents who moved hearts and souls whenever they performed, and their loss was a one-two punch to the city’s music scene, and in some ways is still recovering from.
An all-star cast of their former colleagues and bandmates, orchestrated by Scroggins’ vocalist-daughter, Arietta Ward, gathers at Waterfront Park for this special tribute to these brilliant women.
Born in Oklahoma, Janice Scroggins, a gospel/blues pianist known for her ferocious groove and thunderous left hand, moved to Portland in 1979 with her then-infant daughter, Arietta. She performed with such Portland area musicians as Linda Hornbuckle, Thara Memory, Curtis Salgado, Mel Brown, Lloyd Jones, Paul deLay, Reggie Houston, Norman Sylvester, and was a session musician for many other artists. Scroggins was music director for the Portland Interfaith Gospel Choir, and directed the musical component of the World Arts Foundation’s annual tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. for 29 years. Scroggins was inducted into the Cascade Blues Association Hall of Fame as well as the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.
Linda Hornbuckle began singing at 6 years old at Portland’s Grace and Truth Pentecostal Church, pastored by her father, Bishop Howard Hornbuckle. Her natural talent blossomed into a career in music, branching out from gospel to soul, funk and blues. She toured and recorded with Nu Shooz, Quarterflash and Dan Reed, some of the Northwest’s biggest R&B acts of her time. She became the lead vocalist for the Motown revue, Body and Soul, fronted the No DeLay Band in the 1990s, and led her own band for more than two decades. Hornbuckle won the Cascade Blues Association’s Best Female Vocalist three times and was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.
Among her frequent collaborators, none were more special to Linda than pianist Janice Scroggins. The two shared the stage during many iterations of Hornbuckle’s “Old Time Gospel Hour,” a regular Sunday set at Waterfront Blues Festival.
Scroggins passed away suddenly from a heart attack after performing for students at Portland Community College in May 2014. She was 58. Five months later, Linda passed after a battle with kidney cancer, at 59.
The tribute’s core band includes Ben Jones on bass, Brian Foxworth on drums, AG Donnaloia on guitar, and Alex Milsted on keys; with special guests Louis Pain on organ, Randy Monroe on bass, Doug Lewis on guitar, and Reggie Houston on saxophone. They will be joined by vocalists LaRhonda Steele, Arietta Ward, Nafisaria Mathews (Scroggins-Thomas), MaryEtta Callier and Amy LeSage.
