Billy Valentine Big Band at San Jose Jazz Summer Fest at Hammer Theatre

Whether from his time as the singer for Young-Holt Unlimited or as half of The Valentine Brothers, Billy Valentine’s distinct voice is recognizable to generations. Valentine’s singing was featured in the series Sons of Anarchy and Boston Legal, and his crooning is timeless.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Valentine first found the spotlight as the vocalist for Young-Holt Unlimited, a soul-jazz instrumental band founded by bassist Eldee Young and drummer Isaac Holt.

Billy then joined his sibling John to form The Valentine Brothers in 1975. The pair scored R&B hits with the singles “Money’s Too Tight (to Mention)” and their biggest success, “Lonely Nights.”...

read more

Whether from his time as the singer for Young-Holt Unlimited or as half of The Valentine Brothers, Billy Valentine’s distinct voice is recognizable to generations. Valentine’s singing was featured in the series Sons of Anarchy and Boston Legal, and his crooning is timeless.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Valentine first found the spotlight as the vocalist for Young-Holt Unlimited, a soul-jazz instrumental band founded by bassist Eldee Young and drummer Isaac Holt.

Billy then joined his sibling John to form The Valentine Brothers in 1975. The pair scored R&B hits with the singles “Money’s Too Tight (to Mention)” and their biggest success, “Lonely Nights.”

Following the Brothers’ final album in 1987, Billy Valentine pursued a solo career that landed him on the soundtrack for Robert Townsend’s film The Five Heartbeats and on the stage in productions of It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues.

His broad musical style has been captured on his two albums—Travelin’ Light from 2006 is a collection of jazz standards. Brit Eye Soul from last year revisits the hits of British pop and rock stars from Simply Red to Culture Club to the Rolling Stones.

With Billy Valentine’s Big Band performance at 2018 Summer Fest, one gets to hear jazz, pop and soul classics as realized by a supremely accomplished and charismatic songsmith.

show less