Putting on a show

Ruth Sauerbrunn-Winstead isn't afraid to take on any genre of music.

As a matter of fact, the vocalist for local trio Steppin' Out says she'll sing anything -- from Aretha Franklin to Tina Turner and beyond.

"Whatever people want to hear, I'll sing it -- even opera," Sauerbrunn-Winstead said. "There was one occasion I sang 'Bohemian Rhapsody' on request -- the entire thing. It really doesn't matter what it is, I'll at least give it a shot."

Not your typical band, Steppin' Out consists of, aside from Sauerbrunn-Winstead, her husband Dean Winstead on bass guitar and keyboard, and Gordon Brumley on guitar. All three are older than 55.

"I started this band because I wanted a chance to perform before I got too old," 56-year-old Sauerbrunn-Winstead said. "I've been singing all my life, but I'd never had the chance to do it professionally and thought if I got Dean and Gordon together we could pull it off."

APPOVE: Dean Winstead handled the bass Saturday night with Steppin' Out as his wife, Ruth Sauerbrunn-Winstead, added some vocals along with guitarist Gordon Brumley, rear, at the Eagles in Cape Girardeau. OPPOSITE: Sauerbrunn-Winstead says she'll sing anything from Aretha Franklin to Tina Turner to opera. (KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com)

Sauerbrunn-Winstead said she got her start singing church specials as a little girl, but also put her powerful pipes to use in high school choir and received numerous vocal awards. However, she didn't begin publicly performing until the early 1990s. Dean Winstead, 60, and Brumley, 62, are both well traveled, experienced local musicians. Winstead has been playing locally since the 1960s, while Brumley was one of the original members of local rock band the Runaways. Sauerbrunn-Winstead said she often depends on her bandmates' experience.

"Those guys have played a lot of dives and had bottles thrown at them and God knows what else," she said. "Sometimes I get a little nervous just playing somewhere I'm not familiar with, but it makes me feel much better knowing those two are around. They know how to handle any situation by now."

And Sauerbrunn-Winstead said she knows when a performance is going well when she makes a connection with the audience.

"Something about my personality won't let me just be in the background," she said. "I like when the crowd really honestly reacts and listens to me. Then I know I have a connection with them, and I know we have something here."

The band often wears matching formal outfits -- which Sauerbrunn-Winstead makes -- during performances, and Sauerbrunn-Winstead even roams among the crowd getting individuals involved.

Ruth Sauerbrunn-Winstead tapped her gold-clad foot while singing with Steppin' Out Saturday night, October 6, 2007, at the Eagles in Cape Girardeau. (Kit Doyle)

"We like the crowd to get a nostalgic feel, the way shows used to be back in the '40s and '50s when bands dressed up in formals and the performance was more of a show," she said. "That's what I love to do: I put on show clothes and I give people a show!"