Roving piano man busks in the Brewery Blocks

Raymond Wade and his custom piano can be found on various corners near Portland Center Stage

Raymond Wade “on stage” in the Pearl District. Photo and video by Michaela Lowthian

By 1:15 p.m. on a recent Sunday, Raymond Wade had made about $100 from people passing by his orange upright piano, parked on this day on the corner of Northwest 12th and Couch. His shift has only begun, and there were still throngs of people having a big brunch at the nearby Screen Door. If his luck continues, they might stroll past afterwards and feel like dropping a dollar in his bucket.

When he’s done making street music for the day, Ray puts the piano on his longboard and rolls it back to his Pearl apartment. His kids’ names, Nathaniel and Savanah, are painted on the front. The faded tattoos on his hands and arms hint at a hard life. Another favorite corner is Northwest 11th Avenue near Portland Center Stage. When he lived downtown, he often played near the Safeway on Southwest Jefferson Street.

Self-taught, he plays by ear following along to a perched iPhone that’s set to YouTube. He favors light classical music and says he won’t play any “hard rock or violent stuff” even if people request it. On this day, I heard Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” and the “How to Train Your Dragon” theme song.