+ By Rahsaan “Wordslave” Eldridge + Photos by Danielle Lawrance
Musicians are often led to their calling as a result of childhood influences. Maybe a song on the radio resonated, or an older sibling or a parent was a musician. Shari Puorto’s experience was similar. Her parents exposed her to the music they loved. She listened to classic rock with her father and took train rides to New York City with her mother to see Broadway musicals. Puorto loved the voices of Bonnie Raitt and Etta James. She danced ballet and tap. But her interest in becoming a musician developed much later.
An adventurous child, Puorto grew up in Orange, Connecticut, in a neighborhood that she recalls was brimming with play and friendship. She remembers digging in dirt, running through the woods, and snatching watermelons from neighbors’ farms. Her song “Old Silo Road” is a nostalgic tribute to the street where her family lived. When she was 16 years old, Puorto was devastated when her father got a new job and moved the family to Los Angeles. She missed her friends and never quite adjusted to her new life. When it came time for college, Puorto was excited to get away and gain independence in a new environment of her own choosing. She graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor of science in merchandising and landed a job in marketing, a skill that has been helpful as an entrepreneur and a musician.
After college, Puorto returned to Los Angeles to work full-time. The man she was dating worked at Disney and was a musician. Through his Disney connections, Puorto found herself surrounded by musicians and hanging out at venues in Venice Beach, which she described as bizarre, magical, and electric. One day, as an observer at a rehearsal, she was coerced into singing background vocals. Not only did she enjoy it, but also the band members were so impressed that they invited her to a jam session at a bar in town. Terrified, Puorto agreed. They only played three songs, but that was enough for them to ask her to join the band. They were called Body Parts, a name chosen after Puorto and her roommates discovered cadaver parts hidden in trash bags in their garage.
Body Parts dissolved about a year after Puorto joined, but she quickly found herself in other groups, including blues-rock-funk band Blues Bettie and Radio Star, which later became Shari Puorto Band. They’ve garnered award-winning success and acclaim, including Best Live Release at the LA Music Critic Awards in 2019 for her album Live at Bogie’s, first-round Grammy Ballot and nomination in 2017 for My Obsession, and Americana, Blues, Roots song of the year at the LA Music Awards for “Free” in 2011. Most recently, her song “Why Not Me?” was nominated in 2026 for best blues song by the Wammie Music Awards, which acknowledges musicians in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.
During college, Puorto wrote poetry, and she attributes that to helping her songwriting. Another large contributing factor was her connection to famed keyboardist Barry Goldberg, who worked with artists such as Percy Sledge, Gladys Knight, Bobby Bland, and Bob Dylan, who, along with Jerry Wexler, produced Goldberg’s 1974 self-titled album. Puorto called her time writing with Goldberg “going to school.” She estimates that they wrote 50 songs together. Her latest album, Hold On, was released in March 2025. It was her first release in a decade and has been nominated for several awards. The album includes some of her collaboration with Goldberg, although Puorto laments that he didn’t hear the finished product, as he passed away in January 2025.
Puorto’s artistic and personal lives intersected again when she met Grammy-nominated trumpeter Doug Woolverton at the Big Blues Bender music festival in Las Vegas. Woolverton was walking to his next gig when he heard Puorto’s voice. He was so struck by her soulful timbre that he stayed longer to listen, causing him to run late to his gig. They ran into each other later, at an event during which they spoke briefly, but they didn’t start working together until a couple of years later. Woolverton had moved to Los Angeles and shortly thereafter began filling in gigs with Puorto’s band. Unbeknownst to her, he also played bass, so when there was a vacancy in her band, Woolverton auditioned and secured that gig. They spent a lot of time working together, and what began as creative collaboration developed into a romantic connection. They moved to Annapolis in 2023 to be closer to Woolverton’s son and were engaged in December 2025.
One of their projects is an album called Lightning’s Lessons. It’s a double-volume album and book combination that uses blues music and fictional characters such as Little Lightning, Big Blue Tractor, and Freddie the Frog to teach children lessons, including the alphabet, counting, shapes, and healthful eating. It features an all-star cast of musicians that includes Tommy Castro, Vanessa Collier, Shemekia Copeland, Ray Greene, Curtis Salgado, Jimmy Vivino, Victor Wainwright, and Woolverton, among others. Their stated mission is twofold: “To assist in teaching young children . . . and curious minds basic learning concepts” and “To inspire and ignite an early love for Roots/Blues music in a fun and memorable way.”
Aside from music, Puorto is obsessed with shoes. She gets a new pair for almost every gig. She’s not sure where it originated, but she estimates that she owns over 200 pairs. Her merchandising and marketing background has helped her promote her brand, although she doesn’t love that part of the job. But there’s no mistaking her passion for creating and performing. She’s concerned about the state of live music and grateful for the supporters and the young people who respect the foundation of soulful music, which has become an indelible part of her identity.
Puorto didn’t grow up thinking that she would be a professional musician, but she’s able to reflect on the signs that led her to this place: the classic rock that her father played, the Broadway shows she attended, writing poetry, connecting with folks at Disney, and hanging out at band rehearsals and bars in Venice Beach. She was always around it, downloading information, even when she wasn’t aware as to how it would inform her future. She was willing to take opportunities and create others of her own. Puorto wants to continue writing, collaborating, performing, and possibly producing in the future. Though she didn’t initially envision life as a musician, she now can’t imagine life any other way.
