Lee News Service

By JODI RAVEBy JODI RAVE

The world is full of divas, and aspiring divas.

Arigon Starr confidently calls herself the Native American Diva, a stage goddess of country Americana music, living in Los Angeles and singing across the United States.

Maria McGrady, on the other hand, has been classically trained in opera, but remains virtually unknown outside Missoula, Mont.

Each woman has dreamed of becoming famous, placing them among the ranks of thousands who believe they have what it takes to become the next American Idol.

But fame and fortune are often more than an octave away.

"It takes a lot of discipline, but it also takes people skills," Starr said. "And you have to be willing to be rejected, over and over again. Just dust yourself off and keep going again. That's the hardest part for a lot of people. 'No' is usually the safest answer for most people. 'No,' we can't do that, that's crazy."

It's a word that doesn't stop her.

Starr, who is a Kickapoo, has been singing professionally for the last 10 years, meaning she doesn't need another job to support her musical habit. She planted herself in Los Angeles 15 years ago to boost her career and be among other professionals.

McGrady, a Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara, started singing classical music at age 13. She thought about auditioning for the "American Idol" TV show, but missed the age-sensitive deadline, which fixates on 20-somethings.

She began nurturing her talents as a teenager when she attended Michigan's Interlochen Arts Academy, a high school for some of the world's most talented art students. She majored in voice and graduated in 1993. McGrady has yet to claim a career in music, but still retains a deep passion for song.

McGrady has had periodic singing gigs over the years, and recently ended a near three-year stint with the Missoula band, Sweet Low Down. She bombed in college before she ever really started. Today, she cleans houses to pay the bills.

But she still has the ear of local musical professionals and enthusiasts. Recently she met with Jodi Marshall, a noted jazz pianist, and Catherine Capps, a fine arts philanthropist and musical disciple.

Before McGrady arrived at the home of Marshall, Capps turned up the volume of an impromptu CD recording, featuring the could-be diva. Marshall listened and raised her eyebrows. Soon, both women easily found adjectives to describe the sound filling the air around them.

They easily found words like "lush," "husky" and "sexy fullness."

"It reverberates with your brain," Capps said. "I want to listen to this all day."

Marshall has heard hundreds of singers in her day, beginning with a career that landed her work as a studio pianist in Hollywood. She was an accompanist for superstars such as Debbie Reynolds, Shelly Winters and Tony Curtis.

"I'm not usually blown away by singers, but I'm amazed at the versatility, and I don't say that often about vocalists," Marshall said. "She's certainly star material, as far as I can tell. She's as good as anyone I've heard."

When McGrady arrived at Marshall's house about an hour later, she was asked how she envisioned herself as a singer.

"I'm most comfortable doing opera, because I've been doing it so long," McGrady said. "But, then again, my German and French are pretty horrible, so I'd have to stick with something bel conta, Italian. Bel conta is impressive in itself because it's virtuous - not to say that I am. But that's what I like to do."

Marshall was upfront.

"You're looking at a field that is difficult," she said, adding that one of the few ways to succeed in opera is to be wealthy or win a major competition in music.

McGrady countered: "I realize, no matter how good you are, that the best you might be able to do in your career is lose a bunch of competitions."

Once they had that settled, Capps told the singer that the sultry, jazz-inspired ensemble on the CD was her "bread and butter." The fifth track was an operatic piece.

The first four songs inspired thoughts of a glamorous piano girl who had completely captured her audience's attention, Capps said.

Marshall and Capps agreed: More people should hear McGrady sing. Capps has said she will help the singer schedule a tentative recital in May at the home of a local opera afficionado.

While McGrady still searches for her confidence and a musical break, Starr has found hers. When she's on stage, she said: "It's like winning a race or getting a promotion. It's that kind of joy."

Starr's ambition and talent have allowed her to play for audiences in hundreds of venues across the country. Her first CD, "Meet the Diva," received honors from the Native American Music Awards for best independent recording. Singing also has opened doors and allowed her to branch out as an actress, poet and playwright.

She wrote and performs in a one-woman show called "The Red Road," which has gained favorable reviews from the Los Angeles Times and Daily Variety. The music from the show is featured on a CD of the same name, which is Starr's latest recording.

Today, she's in mid-production of a radio series called "Super Indian," which will be performed in Los Angeles with actors, music and sound effects at the Autry National Center in April.

Starr looks back to the beginning of her career when she first imagined: "I'm going to get a big record deal. It never happened. I'm not on the cover of the Rolling Stone. But that's OK. You don't have to be rock star to make a difference in someone's life."

(Reach reporter Jodi Rave at 406-523-5299 or jodi.rave@;lee.net.)