JustaDuo's next performance is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 16, at Paschal Winery in Talent.  

With one a seasoned rocker with decades on the stage, and the other having performed her first-ever gig in 2020, artists Albert Lee and Alois Henderson bring a distinctive blend of sound through their band JustaDuo.

Lee brings a deep well of experience, providing the band’s foundation through his guitar, keyboard and background vocals while Henderson showcases her vocal talents as lead singer.

JustaDuo brings an eclectic mix of music spanning multiple decades from ’60s hits to modern pop tracks. The two also collaborate with four other Rogue Valley players for the Linda Ronstadt Tribute Band, recreating the iconic rock singer’s famous tracks.

Lee grew up in Southern California, while Henderson was raised in Northern California.

“My mom was a pianist and she got me started on piano when I was 6, and guitar when I was 14,” Lee said of his musical start.

“I’ve always sang, my dad was an amateur musician so I always had the drive to sing,” Henderson said of her sonic genesis. “I would record songs off the radio, sing along with them and write the words down. I did that my whole life.”

While Lee spent decades in the California music scene as a pro player before moving to the Rogue Valley about nine years ago, Henderson’s first time singing on stage came in 2020.

Lee was auditioning for a new singer to make up the other half of a duo band he’d been workshopping.

“I was looking for a good music situation to plug myself into … I noticed some people doing duos and I thought, ‘Hmm, that would be interesting to do,’ because I hadn’t done that in a while so I put an add in Craigslist,” Lee said.

While Henderson had been singing since she was a little girl, music was an intimate experience she’d only shared with family and friends.

“I did sing, I just didn’t have an outlet to go outside of that,” Henderson said.

The singer was looking to overcome her fear of performing on stage to a live audience and just so happened to see Lee’s ad on Craigslist.

“It was a fear that I wanted to conquer because I had terrible stage fright, but I didn’t want to and I didn’t think I should’ve. I felt like I should be afraid of rattlesnakes (instead),” Henderson said. “It was really an excursion in conquering a fear, not that I was thinking that it was going to go anywhere.”

But after Lee heard Henderson’s voice for the first time, he immediately recognized the singer’s aptitude.

“I was auditioning singers and I had heard a couple, and then she comes in and I went, ‘Wow,’” Lee said. “She hadn’t professionally sang anywhere and this was unadulterated, raw talent right out of the chute. So, after she came in I called up the next girl and said ‘I’m sorry, I found my singer.’”

The two linked up in March 2020, and with the pandemic putting the kibosh on live music, Lee and Henderson had plenty of time to hone their sound and prepare for the big debut of JustaDuo.

“My wife actually named us and at the time we were rehearsing. ‘American Idol’ had this contestant called Just Sam and my wife Susan goes, “why don’t you call yourself JustaDuo,” Lee said of the band name.

After months of practice, the two were ready to showcase their talents to the local community.

“To ease into it, we had what I call a backyard concert,” Lee said. “It was her first time performing in front of people and I wanted a nice, friendly crowd.”

Since then, JustaDuo has continued to pick up steam and perform across the Rogue Valley, primarily gigging at wineries and other venues in the region.

Some of the locales they’ve played at include Rellik Winery, South Stage Cellars, Grape Street Bar & Grill, Naumes Sincerest Winery and more, Henderson said.

“Wineries seem to be our jam,” Henderson added.

A key to the duo’s enjoyment of playing around the Rogue Valley scene is their chemistry and the fun they have on stage and in the moment.

“We both have a good sense of humor and we make each other laugh,” Henderson said. “I couldn’t imagine it not being fun.”

“At the end of the day, we like each other; we’re really good friends,” Lee said.

To learn more about the duo, visit facebook.com/JustaDuo.rvso.

For more information on Lee and Henderson’s Linda Ronstadt Tribute Band, see facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089953515177.

JustaDuo’s next performance will be at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 16, at Paschal Winery in Talent. 

The Linda Ronstadt Tribute Band will play at 6 p.m. July 5 at Naumes Suncrest Winery, and at 8 p.m. Aug. 2 at The Talent Club.

“One of the things I love about being a musician is that there is no ageism,” Lee said. “If you’re good, it doesn’t matter what your age is and as long as you’re not appealing to teens and twenties you are readily accepted and appreciated no matter what age you are.”