Trish Keporos, the ultimate underdog to win the 12th annual Windy City Gay Idol contest, is a Chicago native who has been singing longer than many of the other finalists have even been alive.
And June 25 at Mayne Stage on Chicago's north side, it was the 62-year-old Keporos, a retired college counselor/teacher, who shined brightest … even though she initially thought she was the third-place finisher, not the 2014 champion as the best amateur LGBTQ singer in the Chicago area.
Winning, she said, "was a validation that I had something to share. Even people my age have something to share that is of value in this world," she said.
Keporos, who lives in Chicago's River North neighborhood, admitted that when she heard the "first runner-up" announced, she thought it was, in reality, the champion. And the second runner-up was the second-place finisher, she thought. And the third runner-upherselfwould have been third-place.
"Oh my God, I didn't realize [the error]. I had no idea," that I actually had won, she said. "It was very exciting."
Keporos first sang in the 2014 contest at 3160and the judges pushed her through that night with a wildcard vote. She then sang at Sidetrack, and ultimately made it to Mayne Stage. Her songs along the way included With You I'm Born Again, a 1979 duet from Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright; and We Are Family ( Sister Sledge ), among others.
"I wasn't sure they would vote for me because of [my] age, but I guess the audience must have liked me," she said.
Keporos' musical roots date back decades. Her brother, George, now 65, got a guitar as a Christmas present back when they were kids. He never used it, and she picked it up and admittedly started plucking at it. She eventually took two months of guitar lessons, then self-taught herself the rest of the way.
Keporos still remembers that navy blue guitar, though not the brand or model. And yes, "for sentimental reasons," she wishes she still had the relic.
Keporos started singing at age 12, beginning with The House of the Rising Sun ( The Animals ), and she never took singing lessons, she said.
"Apparently I had some kind of a voice, or my mother would have killed me if she had kept having to hear that song [by The Animals] over and over again," Keporos said, laughing.
Then at Illinois State University, Keporos was singing and playing in the basement of her dormand that caught the attention of fellow student Yolanda Bush, who said the two should perform together. Bush would be the primary songwriter; Keporos would be the singer.
They perfectly complimented each other, Keporos said.
After graduating the two parted ways. Bush ventured to California to explore a musical career; Keporos opted for graduate school and then went into counseling.
"She wanted to see if we could make it, but I just wasn't sure; I wanted something more stable," Keporos said.
They graduated college in in 1977 and lost track of each other for about 25 yearsuntil Keporos found Bush through a Google search and a series of friends of both. She eventually visited Bush after about 25 years, and it would be another 15 years or so after that before they saw each other again.
Keporos said the two need to try out for The Voice, America's Got Talent, or some similar TV show.
Keporos' singing career has included gigs at malls, restaurants, office Christmas parties, and even on street corners, among other locations.
She still has one singing dream: "I would like to be able to sing on national TV at least once, on any show … to do the thing that I've wanted to do since I was 12 years-old," she said.