Billy Valentine Plays Blackbox @ The Edye At The Broad Stage, Today

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica presents Billy Valentine, on Friday, November 2 at 8:00pm. Billy Valentine is the third evening of blackbox @ the edye, which transforms The Edye into a club featuring up-and-coming jazz and blues artists. The series is curated and hosted by The Reverend Shawn Amos; he and his house band perform at select shows during the season as well.

Valentine is followed in the blackbox@the edye series by Amy Keys (December 7), a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance (February 1), Mudbug Brass Band (March 1), Jennifer Keith Quintet (April 5), and Gabrielito (May 3).

Jazz & Blues is made possible by a generous gift from Richard and Lisa Kendall. blackbox @ the edye at The Broad Stage is made possible in part by a generous gift from Ann Petersen.

About Billy Valentine
Multitalented vocalist Billy Valentine's varied career has taken him across the United States, throughout the many countries of Europe and even to Oman, a small country in the Middle East. Lately, he's been frequenting local Los Angeles clubs, such as Café Cordiale in Sherman Oaks, and both The Vic and The Casa Del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica. From 2004-2008 his glorious singing voice was heard every week on the television series, Boston Legal, from the theme song right through to the end of each and every episode.

Billy began his professional career as a solo artist opening for such luminaries as Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack in the 1970s. He also was the lead singer for the group Young Holt Unltd.

Billy and his brother John went on to form the duo The Valentine Brothers, touring and producing four albums from 1975-1989. The duo co-wrote the memorable hit single "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)," which appeared on their album First Take. "Money's Too Tight" gained widespread popularity in 1986 when it was released as a single, and on video, performed by Simply Red.

Billy's singing career quickly expanded into theatre and film. In 1977, he toured with the first national touring company of The Wiz as one of its main orchestra voices, staying with the show for over 3 years. In the mid 1980s, he sang lead vocals for the documentary, Champions Forever, a film about Ali, Frazier and Foreman. In the early 1990s, Billy was the singing voice for the lead vocalist character in Robert Townsend's feature film, The Five Heartbeats. He joined the show It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, performing at the Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles and the San Diego Rep in the late '90s.

Billy's singing talents have also been in demand as a demo recording artist for such high-profile producers and writers as Gerry Goffin, Mark Isham, Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

Keeping pace with his expanding singing career, Billy has written numerous songs, collaborating with such greats as Will Jennings and co-writing three songs on the Neville Bros. Family Groove album. He also co-wrote the title track "My World" for the incomparable Ray Charles.

During the '70s and '80s, Billy tried his hand at producing with several projects, including "Crazy For You," by Sly Stone and Jesse Johnson, two songs on the feature film soundtrack, Soul Man, and the album Vesta from Vesta Williams for A&M Records.

As a musical artist, Billy feels he has been most profoundly influenced by the soulful talents of Otis Redding, Nat King Cole and Carmen MacRae.

About blackbox @ the edye at The Broad Stage | Curated and hosted by The Reverend Shawn Amos
New York's Cotton Club and Village Vanguard, Chicago's Kingston Mines, Kansas City's Reno Club, Los Angeles's Dunbar Hotel - these were more than just nightclubs. The Great American 20th century jazz and blues scene was a crucial gathering place where stories were shared and traditions handed down. In these sanctuaries, blacks, whites, rich and poor crossed lines to congregate and hold hands. In the early 1960s, curator Shawn Amos' mother, Shirl-ee May, sang jazz and blues at Club Harlem - a storied Atlantic City night spot home to a generation of African American performers. Throughout the early-mid 20th century, jazz and blues clubs like Club Harlem were the epicenter of urban American nightlife. Shawn Amos writes, "No doubt, people, souls were being saved. It's in the American rhythm and the rhyme. Jazz and blues is our music. It belongs to us. This music is ours. Jazz and blues is the tragedy and triumph of our shared history. It's the continual battle of our current circumstance. Jazz and blues cuts the shortest path from our heart to our head and up to a higher power. These deep grooves hold our fears, hopes and darkest demons. In this trying 21st century, jazz and blues reminds us of our interdependence. We let this music open our hearts."

Information, subscription packages and tickets priced $20 are available at thebroadstage.org or by calling 310.434.3200, or visiting at the box office at 1310 11thSt. Santa Monica CA 90401 beginning three hours prior to performance.

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