THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 11, 1994 TAG: 9409090237
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Close-Up
SOURCE: Rebecca Myers
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
When you're from a small town, says Robin Blythe, you make your own fun.
``You know the old story of riding in the car, going to visit your grandmother and singing a song? That's what we did and I always sang harmony,'' said Blythe, a native of Luray, Va.
For Blythe, director of the Virginia Coast Chorus of Sweet Adelines International, music is ``self-preservation.''
``It's the one thing I do for myself that I don't let anything else interfere with,'' said Blythe, who directs the chorus every Monday night at Heritage United Methodist Church in Virginia Beach.
``Work stops, everything stops. When it's Monday night, it is Sweet Adelines night and don't bother me!''
Chorus members specialize in barbershop singing - vocal harmony produced by tenor, lead, baritone and bass. The melody is carried by the lead singers, tenors harmonize above, basses below and the baritones somewhere in between.
``I've never really been a soloist,'' said Blythe, 43, who sings bass. As a child, Blythe sang duets with her father in shows put on by the Lions Club.
``Once a year, the Lions Club put on a minstrel show and my father was always in it - one of the featured performers. And when I was really little, 6 and 7 years old, I would get up there and sing and dance with him,'' she said.
Blythe has a degree in music education from James Madison University. She wanted to teach school, but because her husband was in the Coast Guard, the couple moved frequently and it was difficult for Blythe to get certified from state to state.
``I was introduced to the Sweet Adelines in, of all places, Tokyo, Japan,'' said Blythe. She joined the Virginia Coast Chorus about two years ago and was named its director in August 1993.
The 37 chorus members range in age from 20 to 76 and come from various backgrounds, said Blythe, who by day manages Bay Color on Dinwiddie Street.
``Most of them are working women,'' she said. ``We've got a few retired ladies in there or some who have stopped working to raise families, but there's all ages, educations, everything.
``We have a physicist, a pharmacist, a lady we call our resident rocket scientist, dancers, people with a lot of musical experience, and some with none. We've got one lady who's been doing this for 50 years,'' she said.
The group will perform its annual show, ``World Series of Harmony,'' on Oct. 22 at the Virginia Beach Pavilion. For ticket information, call 340-7678.
Name: Robin Campbell Blythe
Neighborhood: Hatton Point
Number of years in Portsmouth: Two
Birthplace: Luray, Va.
Birthdate: Sept. 11, 1951
Occupation: Manager, Bay Color
What other job than your own would you like? Full-time coaching for Sweet Adelines choruses and quartets
Marital status: Married 21 years and nine months
Children: None
Fondest childhood memory: Singing with my father in the Lions Club Minstrel Shows
First concert: Luray High School Chorus, 1965, Luray, Va.
What song or book title best describes your life? ``Whither Thou Goest'' and ``That's What Friends Are For''
If you won the lottery, what's the very first thing you'd buy? A house on the water
If you could trade places for just one day with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? I wouldn't trade places with anyone. . . unless I could take my husband with me
Biggest accomplishment: College graduation/senior recital
Most embarrassing moment: Falling off the risers during a dress rehearsal (in front of 100 people)
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Patience
Perfect way to spend the day: With my husband
I can't resist: My husband's cooking
Favorite Portsmouth restaurant: Scale O' De Whale
Favorite Portsmouth hangout: Portside
Biggest problem facing Portsmouth: No major shopping center; crime
If you had three wishes for Portsmouth, what would they be?
Downtown redevelopment completion
Increased tourism
More jobs (race track)
Other than its small-town atmosphere, what do you like about living in Portsmouth? Ease of commute and the water ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
by CNB