Tony Valentine
A true musical artist, vocalist, song-writer, keyboardist, producer, arranger, Tony Valentine was born May 1, 1963 in Leavenworth, Washington. Growing up in small nearby towns of Peshastin and Dryden, he excelled in athletics, as that was the main focus of his youth. At an early age, he was hit with the realization that music had struck a chord deep within, and by the age of 19 had taken up both keys and bass. Tony is among the gifted self-taught, and proclaims himself “a late bloomer, but better late than never. The consensus seems to be that I act younger than I should so maybe the timing was perfect.”
Two years after Junior College and the glory days of football, he found himself using the strong work ethic handed down to him by his father to log in the dense Washington State forests surrounding his hometown. “I couldn’t see continuing on in college for a desk job and a suit. That would have been a life sentence for me. I always loved the outdoors and decided logging would be cool to do and make bank at the same time. Decent money was hard to come by at the time, I guess it still is.”
By August of 1986, Tony had moved with the logging company to Sonora, California. It was in Sonora that he met lifelong friends and fellow musicians Craig Rogers and Dave Quillen. “Craig and Dave were looking for a bass player to round out their original band “The Entrance” and took me on. I wasn’t very good, but I had a lot of desire to play and they allowed me to be creative. That was the beginning of learning to play with a group as well as the foundation for thinking like a song-writer. ”
The summer of ’87 brought an addition the band, fellow Washington native and close friend, keyboardist /vocalist, John Dirkse. “John was attending college in southern Cal so he came up and spent the summer with the band. It was great to play with the guy who actually inspired me to take up piano. Well, one of the guys. Keith Green was the other. I was sorry to see John go back to college in the fall, but he had his own calling.”
A year later, Tony and Dave moved to Lake Tahoe to team up with Dave’s two brothers Rob and Don to form “Bridge”. They would later move the band to Southern California, but Bridge’s span was short lived. Tony and Dave eventually returned to Tahoe to team up with the Fecteau brothers, but that ended even quicker. Discouraged and needing some serious R and R for the soul, Tony returned to his home state to reflect and regroup.
It was during this trip home Tony met and married his wife of 15 years. Glena and Tony enjoy writing lyrics together, and share this life journey of loving and learning with their 12 year old daughter.
Tony’s side trip back to Washington State went from a visit to a ten year block in the blink of an eye. A dormant passion for music came back to the forefront with a vengeance and Tony found himself on the phone to Craig in California. Tony explains “I had been working on lots of new music and decided it was time to enlist some help, since I’m not a great lyricist. I always liked the way Craig wrote and knew he would have great ideas and input. The reconnection with Craig has been a very powerful motivator for me. I can’t wait to see what else we come up with.”
By the close of 2005, Tony was ready to put the framework together for a band. Enter Garth Johnson: Guitarist, keyboardist, song writer, producer, arranger. Tony was also able to coerce Drummer Dave Ryles, Bassist Eric Frank and Guitarist Mike Walsh to come out and play. “The guys have come in and really jump started some life into my music and the compilation of lyrics Craig, Glena, and I have put together. They have added so much to this creative season of my life.”
Tony relates “The end project has truly morphed from the original vision into the work that I’m doing now. I’m enjoying the ride and looking forward to all the future has to offer. Hope you enjoy the new CD, and would love to see you all at an upcoming show. Drop me line, I’d love to hear from you, also.”
Check out the CD “Sentimental Soul“