“THE VOICE, SMOOTH AND SULTRY”, “THE SINGER EXPRESSIVE AND REFINED”…

ACKNOWLEDGED AS “SOUTH FLORIDA’S OWN QUEEN OF SOUL”, VALERIE TYSON IS ONE OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S MOST SOUGHT AFTER VOCALISTS…

“SHE WILL TAKE THE AUDIENCE AND WRAP THEM AROUND HER FINGER”-THE SUN SENTINEL

“HER FLAME-THROWER VOCALS THREATEN TO BURN THE JOINT DOWN AS SHE RAIDS THE REPERTIORES OF SUCH R&B GREATS AS JAMES BROWN AND ARETHA FRANKLIN”-THE MIAMI HERALD

VALERIE TYSON WAS BORN AUGUST 1, IN HOLLYWOOD FLORIDA AND HAS BEEN ENTERTAINING FOR OVER 30 YEARS OF HER LIFE. SHOWING AN INTEREST IN MUSIC EARLY IN LIFE, SHE STARTED SINGING IN SCHOOL PLAYS, TALENT SHOWS AND MUSICALS. WHILE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL ONE OF HER MUSICAL MENTORS JUNE CAPEZZA INTRODUCED HER TO THE WORLD OF OPERA AND CLASSICAL MUSIC, AND BARBRA STREISAND. THAT IS WHERE SHE BEGAN HER LOVE AND PASSION FOR OPERA, CLASSICAL AND POP GENERES. THAT MUSIC ADDED TO HER ALREADY LOVE FOR OTHER MUSICAL INFLUENCES SUCH AS ARETHA FRANKLIN, SARAH VAUGHN, OTIS REDDING, SAM COOKE, JOHN COLTRANE, DIONNE WARWICK, BILLIE HOLIDAY, THE STAPLE SINGERS, JAMES BROWN, THE MUSIC OF MOTOWN, AND “THE ONE AND ONLY GLADYS KNIGHT” WHOSE STYLE VALERIE ADMITS WAS AND IS A MAJOR INFLUENCE IN HER LIFE AND HER SINGING STYLE TO THIS DAY…”MUSIC CALLED ME EARLY ON IN LIFE” AS VALERIE ONCE SAID IN AN INTERVIEW…IT FEELS SO SPIRITUAL, REAL, CONNECTED, WHEN YOU’RE IN FRONT OF THAT MICROPHONE AND YOU ARE BLESSED WITH THE ABILITY TO MOVE EVERYONE’S EMOTIONS AND COMMAND A ROOM WITH YOUR VOICE OR AN INSTRUMENT, THAT IS WHAT IS TRULY “A GIFT FROM GOD”…

VALERIE HAD DREAMS OF BEING ON A BROADWAY STAGE OR PERFORMING OPERA MUSIC AT THE MET, BUT ONE DAY SHE HEARD THE SONG “ONCE YOU GET STARTED” BY RUFUS AND CHAKA KHAN, SHE WAS SO HOOKED BY CHAKA’S AND VOICE SHE WANTED TO SING R&B AS WELL. THROUGHOUT HER TIME IN HIGH SCHOOL SHE WAS INVOLVED IN VARIOUS LOCAL AND STATE SINGING COMPETITIONS AND WON VARIOUS MEDALS FOR THOSE COMPETITIONS AS A SOLOIST AS WELL AS BEING A PART OF THE VARIOUS CHORUS ENSEMBLES. HER LAST YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL SHE WORKED AT THE FORGE LOUNGE WITH “THE LIFE BAND” SUBBING FOR ANOTHER SOUTH FLORIDA GREAT MISS DEEDEE WILDE. FROM THERE SHE PERFORMED WITH THE GROUP “UNIT THREE”. THEY PERFORMED AT VARIOUS CLUBS, CONCERTS, GALA BALLS, SORORITY AND FRATERNITY BALLS AND BAR MITZVAHS. UNIT THREE WAS VERY SOUGHT AFTER AT THE TIME AND WOULD HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO OPEN FOR SOME NAME ACTS SUCH AS JOHNNIE TAYLOR, S.O.S. BAND, THE BAR-KAYS, DAVID HUDSON, AND JIMMIE “BO” HORNE. VALERIE’S FIRST VENTURE AS A TRAVELING MUSICIAN BEGAN AS A BACKGROUND VOCALIST FOR ANOTHER ONE OF HER MENTORS JIMMIE “BO” HORNE. FROM THERE SHE PLAYED WITH VARIOUS SOUTH FLORIDA BANDS SUCH AS, COSMIC TRUTH, KICKIN, I.C.Y., STYLE, AFTER MIDNIGHT, AND E.J. AND COMPANY. IN 1988 VALERIE PUT HER OWN BAND TOGETHER AND PERFORMED AND TOURED THROUGH VARIOUS STATES AND ABROAD, HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN SHOWS FOR AL GREEN, JANET JACKSON, NEW EDITION, SPYRO GYRO, AND EARTH, WIND, AND FIRE.

IN 1992 SHE WAS CROWNED “THE PACE R&B SHOWCASE WINNER” WITH HER THEN BAND “O.T.G.” (SAL ORISTANO, LLOYD TUCKER AND MITCH GOLDSTEIN) WITH THAT LINEUP THEY BEGAN TO PLAY ALL OVER SOUTH FLORIDA WINNING FANS FROM ALL OVER. DURING THIS TIME SHE MET GEORGE TANDY WHO WAS ALSO A PACE WINNER IN THE JAZZ CATEGORY, AND YEARS LATER THIS LED TO HER OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF HIS BAND AT “MANGOS” EVERY SUNDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT FOR TWELVE YEARS IN WHICH VALERIE FELT SHE HAD THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS TO PERFORM JAZZ AND R&B! VALERIE HAS SAID MANY TIMES HOW MUCH SHE LOVES THE TIMELESS CLASSICS OF SOUL MUSIC WHICH SHE CONTINUES TO PERFORM MANY OF THOSE SONGS STILL IN SHOWS AND CONCERTS, “PEOPLE NEVER GET TIRED OF HEARING ARETHA, GLADYS, MAVIS, AND ETTA,”…”I KNOW I AM STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF MANY, MANY ENTERTAINERS THAT CAME BEFORE ME, AND BECAUSE OF MY LOVE AND PASSION FOR SOUL MUSIC I HAVE ALWAYS FELT A STRONG NEED TO KEEP THE LEGACY OF SOUL MUSIC GOING”… VALERIE HAS PERFORMED LEAD AND BACKGROUND VOCALS ON VARIOUS RECORDING PROJECTS, AND IN 2015 VALERIE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERFORM AT “JAZZ IN THE GARDENS” AS ONE OF THE FEATURED LOCAL ARTISTS. IN THE SAME YEAR SHE RELEASED HER EP “HERE I AM”…EVERY TUESDAY FOR THE LAST 6 YEARS, VALERIE AND HER BAND HAS BEEN PERFORMING AT BLUE JEAN BLUES IN FORT LAUDERDALE WHERE THEY HAVE A FAN BASE THAT SHOWS UP TO HEAR THEM PERFORM FOR WHAT THEY CALL THROWBACK TUESDAY’S! “IT IS A REAL JOY TO HAVE PEOPLE SHOW UP WEEK AFTER WEEK TO ENJOY THEMSELVES AND WE ALL GET TO GO DOWN MEMORY LANE TOGETHER AND I AM SO GRATEFUL AND HUMBLED THAT AFTER OVER 30 YEARS PLUS IN THE BUSINESS THEY STILL COME OUT TO SUPPORT MYSELF AND THE BAND!

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