Valerie Johnson & Al B Blue Music

Born in the San Francisco Bay area, Valerie spent eight years polishing her voice as she toured Europe with the Bitburg Gospel Messengers and sang gospel and blues in the Far East. In 1998 she also sang lead on tour with the band that was made famous by Janis Joplin - BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY. Often also compared to Etta James, Valerie is a genuinely original talent with a direct line into the spirit of the Blues. She has also sung with BOOGIE WOOGIE PIANO QUEEN DEANNA BOGART and the award-winning blues/gospel group the HOLMES BROTHERS.

Al B Blue dishes up hypnotic, funky, driving rhythms on his guitar. Watch out when he pulls out that dobro with his slide... the wondrous sounds will stop you in your tracks! Al B. Blue also is a classically trained pianist, and back in the 50's, formed a street corner doo-wop group in Camden, NJ, where he and his buds took street-corner crooning all the way to the radio! Later in California, he picked up the guitar, paid his dues and started playing major clubs in Los Angeles. From there he joined BIG BLACK AND THE CONGREGATION, an Afro-funk band, then toured the West Coast with CURTIS MAYFIELD. Later, he was offered a position playing with a blues band touring the infamous “chitlin’ circuit”. That’s where his blues began and let me tell you - It will never end!

Valerie Johnson & Al B Blue are part of a blues presentation at the Smithsonian Institute. They also have a program that has toured nationwide called BLUES FOR KIDS teaching kids from 2 to 92 about the Blues - their way of keeping the Blues "alive” and showing kids how to use the Blues to express their feelings and just have fun! Here are some of the places they have performed: Sonora Blues Festival, Sonora Christmas Craft Faire, Blues & Brews Festival, California Mid-State Fair, along with many other festivals, Blues Society events, conventions, civic functions, parties and weddings.

In short, with Valerie's earthy, silk-and-steel vocal chords and Al's slick, rootsy guitar work, this duo will immerse you in a happy, sad, silly and glad Sea of Blues! A Val & Al show is a soulful blend spiced up by their reverence for Traditional Jazz, Traditional R&B, Gospel and obvious enjoyment of Blues, Funk and Rock & Roll.

On the flip side, they can get sophisticated; serving up standards and old-school jazz and blues. Between Al's guitar and slide dobro and Val's voice, washboard and ukelele playing, people often think there's a full band playing!

© 2011 Valerie Johnson