United in Spirit

The three buddies sat at the House of Blues bar three years ago, dreaming of the day they could perform on the storied stage. As they swigged their beers, the music suddenly stopped and the crowd squealed. The club’s electricity went out.

It was the perfect opportunity for the buddies, who were used to the dark. A friend led them to the stage, where they entertained the crowd, singing “In the Still of the Night” a cappella.

That was the seminal moment for a singing trio whose members call themselves “Outasight” for good reason: they’re blind.

Wearing dark sunglasses and fire-red shirts, the doo-wop group performs at schools, in coffeehouses or even on street corners when a willing audience is present. The three young men are unhindered by racial differences, fake smiles or dirty looks.

How did they meet?

“We bumped into each other,” singer Eli Del Rio said, laughing.

The three longtime buddies--Del Rio, Otis Albert and Robert Smith--live in the same apartment complex in La Mirada. Del Rio and his wife, Nancy, live in one apartment and Smith, his new bride, Rosey, and Albert stay in another. They are inseparable and serve as one another’s motivation.

“It took our vision,” Smith said, “but not many people can say they have friendships like the three of us do.”

“We’re closer than blood brothers,” Del Rio said. “When one of us is looking at life a little blurry, one of the others helps us see it clear.”

Their good humor and acceptance of their condition enhances life, they said.

“Losing your vision isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world,” said Del Rio, who lost his at 16 due to retinitis pigmentosa. “We can’t enjoy a sunset or go to the beach and check out the fine bikinis, but we compensate with love, faith in God and bettering ourselves. We’re not unhappy people.”

Del Rio, Albert and Smith--the latter of whom both were born blind--say their sightlessness has made them see opportunities that a set of healthy eyes may have missed, built unconditional friendships and enhanced their spirituality.

Smith, 28, has appeared on a television sitcom. Del Rio, 33, has been in a Coke commercial. Albert, 33, has won the Mr. Universe Handicapped amateur title five times. And the trio sang the national anthem at Las Vegas on Ice last Christmas.

“Being positive, having faith in God and keeping your minds and bodies healthy--that’s what we’re all about,” Del Rio said. “We want to represent a positive image for young people who are also disabled.”

Albert was 17 when he moved out of his South Bay home to escape family problems. Broke and malnourished, he later moved in with Del Rio, a classmate at Narbonne High School in Harbor City. Del Rio, an inveterate weightlifter, put Albert on a workout schedule.

Now, 16 years later, Albert has won 24 bodybuilding trophies. His pectorals bulge out of his black tank top.

“People are getting into working out and being fit,” he said. “I think I can touch people who will say, ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’ ”

“Sometimes all a person needs is a word of encouragement and someone to believe in them,” said Del Rio, still Albert’s spotter and trainer. “If we can touch one person’s life, that makes [being blind] worth it.”

The trio lift weights daily and practice singing nearly as often in Smith’s apartment. For kicks they enjoy listening to music, swimming and going to sports bars to listen to games on TV.

Singing performances, bodybuilding prizes and an occasional guest appearances in movies, sitcoms or commercials provide their income. They receive some Social Security benefits, but say they would rather work.

“You wouldn’t believe people’s perception of blindness. We walk across the street and people say, ‘Wow, that’s amazing. How did you do that?’ We’ve been doing it for years,” Del Rio said. “There are so many of us that hold down full-time jobs. There are so many things we can do.

“As long as there’s life, there’s hope.

“You have to look at the world with positive eyes.”