Logan Wells is a woman on a mission.
“For four years, I played country music,’’ she said. “For the last 16 years, I’ve done everything from Stevie Nicks to Adele to Lady Gaga to Journey. I’m not just country!’’
Wells said she and her duo partner, Jerry Colosimo – she performs about 250 dates a year either as a solo act or with Colosimo, in clubs, at festivals, weddings or corporate events – tailor their shows to the crowd or client.
“We never use a set list,’’ she said. “We look out in the audience see what’s out there, and play to our fans and what they want to hear.’’
With a repertoire of more than 600 songs, that’s easy to do. Especially since she rarely plays with a full band. Using professionally recorded tracks makes her a bit more palatable hire for budget-conscious club owners and other clients.
And in a way, the use of recorded tracks seems to fit for a woman who began her career as a somewhat reluctant karaoke singer.
“We had a block party in our back yard,’’ said the North Royalton resident. “One of our guests did karaoke and he had it all set up. People were encouraging me to get up and after a couple of margaritas, I did.’’
Of course, she hid behind the speakers just in case she turned out to be as bad as her brother, whom she would not identify beyond his first name – Rick – for fear of familial retribution.
And here’s where those country roots come into play. Having seen the 1985 biopic starring Jessica Lange, Wells fell in love with Patsy Cline, and got one of the silky-voiced singer’s greatest hits CDs.
“The very first song I sang was ‘I Fall to Pieces,’’’ Wells said. “Everybody stopped to see who was singing.
“I knew then that I could carry a tune, so I did another one, and then Karen Carpenter,’’ Wells said.
That first year, she entered 15 karaoke contests and won them all, earning a trip to Las Vegas and even the Ohio Karaoke Championship in Canton, which brought with it $2,500.
Despite her protestations that she’s more than country, it’s that love affair with Cline that forever connects her to the genre. And it’s all God’s fault.
She had just joined the Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church in North Royalton and was looking to help with a fundraiser that wasn’t the typical spaghetti dinner kind of thing.
“What’s going to draw people to this?’’ she asked herself. And herself answered: “I’ll write a tribute to Patsy Cline show, so I went to the library, got a bunch of books and wrote a show that tells her life through narrative and song.’’
Her “Tribute to Patsy Cline’’ and “Women of Country’’ shows have become the stuff of local legend. But it’s still not easy.
“It used to be I could call my clubs in October and be booked for the whole year,’’ she said. “Just lately, nobody wants to book any more than six to eight weeks out. It’s a constant battle to be on the phone trying to get gigs like anybody else. I do this for a living and it’s what I do full time.’’
Wells said she puts between 60 and 80 hours weekly into her job, counting performances and bookings.
The tougher DUI laws mean people aren’t staying out till 2 a.m., she said. So has technology itself.
“In the ’70s and ’80s, we didn’t have computers and movies you watch at home,’’ she said. “People went out more back then. You went to clubs with friends and family. We’ve become a very docile society.
“I don’t think the [statewide ban on smoking] keeps people from going out, especially with all the bars now having patios,’’ she said. “But the drinking thing has really killed it.’’
Plus club owner have a pretty universal mindset: I’ll have my regulars here till 8 o’clock, and you’re supposed to get your people in from 9 to 1, she said. But the fear of getting one of those DUI party plates keeps a lot of the older set at home.
Wells has several shows on the horizon, including a "Women of Country'' performance at the Sandusky State Theater on Saturday, Sept. 7. Patterned after her Patsy Cline show, it looks at some of the first ladies of country broke down barriers in an age where "barefoot and pregnant'' wasn't the punchline of a joke, but the expected norm.
Patsy Montana, Kitty Wells, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Brenda Lee and more weren’t just singers; they were women on a mission.
Kind of like Logan Wells.
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