Val Young
Birth nameValaria Marie Young
Also known asLady "V"
Born (1958-06-13) June 13, 1958
OriginDetroit, Michigan, U.S.
GenresR&B,[1] Soul, Funk, Disco, Hip Hop Soul
Years active1977–present
LabelsMotown, Amherst Records

Valaria Marie Young (born June 13, 1958) is an American recording artist from Detroit, Michigan, who achieved success during the 1980s. She is now based in Los Angeles.

Career

She was discovered by George Clinton, who hired her as a background vocalist in 1977 for The Brides of Funkenstein,[2][3] one of the many acts in his Funkadelic stable.[3] In 1980, she recorded and toured with Roy Ayers. Young became a background vocalist for The Gap Band the same year and was featured with the group on the funk hit "Oops Up Side Your Head".[3] She recorded five albums with the group and also toured with them.[3]

It was not until she met Rick James that she became popular as a solo artist.[3] James promoted her as the "Black Marilyn Monroe",[3] and brought Young to Berry Gordy, who signed her to Motown Records on James' recommendation. James produced her debut album Seduction,[3][2] which was released in 1985, it included the singles "Mind Games" and the title track "Seduction", as well as "Piece of My Heart" and "If You Should Ever Be Lonely", which were successful follow-ups in 1986.[3]

James ran into serious conflict with Motown over the status of his spin-off acts, and Young subsequently left the label signing to Amherst Records, a Buffalo, New York-based label,[3] releasing her second album Private Conversations in 1987. Three tracks from this album were produced by James with the title being released as a single.

Young went on tour with Bobby Brown in 1988 after he released his Don't Be Cruel album, and she was in high demand for performing live and recording background vocals for several artists: Bobby Womack, Kurtis Blow, Dr. Dre, Sylk E Fyne, Wayman Tisdale, Snoop Dogg, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Yo-Yo, El DeBarge, Miki Howard, Gerald LeVert, Teena Marie, Tupac Shakur, MC Eiht, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Eddie Murphy, Teddy Riley, Michael Bivins of New Edition and many other artists.

Young appeared in the songs "To Live & Die in L.A.", "Black Jesus", "Teardrops & Closed Caskets", plus on the album Still I Rise, and the track "Never Forget", a tribute dedicated to Tupac Shakur by former Outlawz member Napoleon.

In 2009, she was featured as a background singer for Raphael Saadiq in his PBS televised concert Live From The Artists Den.

In 2013, Young sang backing vocals on Eddie Murphy and Snoop Lion's single "Red Light", she also appeared in the official music video. In 2014, Young began touring with Candice "Candi" Ghant and Farah Melanson as the new lineup of The Mary Jane Girls.

In 2019, Young partnered with entertainment manager, Lawrence "youngBiz" Dixon, to revamp her and The Mary Jane Girls' career.

Discography

Studio albums

  • Seduction (1985)
  • Private Conversations (1987)

Singles

  • "Mind Games"
  • "Seduction"
  • "If You Should Ever Be Lonely"
  • "A Piece of My Heart"
  • "Private Conversations"
  • "Don't Make Me Wait"
  • "Stop Doing Me Wrong"

Guest appearances

Unreleased

  • "Street Life" (Unreleased) (Snoop Dogg featuring 2Pac & Prince Ital Joe)
  • "Let Em Have It" (Unreleased versions) (2Pac featuring Storm)

See also

References

  1. Sanders, Corey (July 25, 2016). "Val Young Of The Mary Jane Girls Shares How She Partnered With Rick James & What She Thinks Of The Music Today". tallboy.us. TBE Media. Retrieved September 26, 2022. She became a solo vocalist after meeting Rick James, and James got her signed to Motown. They worked together on the LP Seduction in 1985. It got Young one Top 20 and one Top 30 R&B single.
  2. 1 2 Wynn, Ron. "Biography: Val Young". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 314. ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
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