ROSA, VALERIE

Homebase: Renton / Seattle, WA
Stats: b. 1948
Misc Notes: "Soulful Seattle singer Valerie Rosa's family roots were in Italy, Norway, and pre-statehood Alaska Territory. Her father was a professional musician who performed with prominent Seattle dance bands of the 1940s and '50s, and her home life always included much music-making. At age 13 Rosa worked her first paying jazz gigs in an afterhours nightclub in Seattle's Chinatown-International District. While still a teenager she sang with early Pacific Northwest rock 'n' roll bands, including the Dimensions, Viceroys, and Dynamics, and joined Jimmy Hanna's Big Band -- a large ensemble of premier R&B players that opened local concerts for touring Motown stars. Rosa headed to Hollywood in 1967, where she experienced brushes with fame and had many memorable musical encounters. Capitol Records released her solo single in 1971, and she sang with the likes of soul pioneer Ray Charles (1930-2004) and jazz diva Nancy Wilson (1937-2018). After marriage and motherhood -- and gigging and recording with numerous bands -- Rosa returned home in the 1980s, sang for years with the Dynamic Logs, established herself as a beloved fixture on the local R&B scene, and appeared regularly on television's Northern Exposure." [READ MORE...]

ALSO SEE:
1.) HANNA, JIMMY (Bolo Records #756)
2.) "Stranger In Your Own Hometown" on the Mystery of Ron Davies tribute album.

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