Val Starr, a dynamic blues vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter with a successful career in the record and music industry is set to share her talents and those of her band, the Blues Rocket, this Sunday afternoon at Historic Folsom’s Powerhouse as part of the weekly Powerhouse of Blues series.
Along with her bass-playing husband, Starr has co-produced and released seven original blues albums between 2010 and the present, earning international radio airplay, chart success, and press recognition.
The band’s latest release, “Been to the Blues and Back Again,” debuted in April of this year. Starr describes the album as her deepest and most personal work to date. The lyrics cover a wide range of life challenges, from disappointment and failed relationships to epiphany and gratitude. Starr’s style defies categorization, blending blues shuffles, ballads, jump, swing, rock blues, and Americana crossover. Supported by Sacramento’s top blues musicians, her clever storytelling and catchy rhythms create an engaging musical and philosophical experience.
Their sixth album, “Healing Kind of Blues,” was released on January 21, 2022. The album continues with Starr’s unique brand of uplifting, inspiring California blues. It features guest appearances by Canadian blues pianist Debra Power and blues fiddler Ilana Katz Katz. Written largely during the pandemic, Starr reflects, “Above all else, there is no denying the healing power of music.” *Healing Kind of Blues* remained on the RMR Blues Album chart for 53 weeks, peaking at No. 3, and yielded a No. 1 single with “Slow Blues Grinder.” The album also charted for 83 consecutive weeks on the Contemporary Blues Chart.
Val Starr & the Blues Rocket, like many bands, faced challenges during the 2020 pandemic. Ironically, the isolation led to the development of new online media skills. To stay connected with fans, Starr produced at-home live clips and videos, and appeared twice on “Can’t Stop the Blues”, each time with three highly produced 20-minute segments of music. She also recorded two pandemic-related songs with bandmates and guest artists virtually: “Winter of 2020” and “So Easy Isolating With You” featuring Victor Wainwright. Both tracks are available on the band’s website, www.valstarr.com, as well as on Spotify, Apple Music, and other online stores.
Starr & the Blues Rocket’s fifth album, “Lighter Side of the Blues”, was released in January 2020 and stayed on the RMR Blues Charts for 22 consecutive weeks, peaking at No. 10. The album received worldwide radio support and excellent reviews and is still played by many blues stations. Their radio success is attributed to their talent, hard work, unique songs, and extensive music business background.
“ Always Turn the Blues On” was the band’s fourth all-original blues album, released on August 1, 2017. It reached No. 12 on the RMR Blues Charts in 2018. The album features heartfelt songs about love, loss, and moving on from bad relationships. “Whether Blues” is a call for unity, while “What Happens After Midnight (Nothin Good)” serves as a blues anthem for teenagers.
The band’s debut album, “Cool Ride”was released in 2012 to favorable reviews. Their second album, *Blues Away*, released in 2014, was well received by blues radio and reached No. 4 on the Airplay Direct Global Blues chart. In December 2015, Starr scored a No. 1 holiday hit single with “Spending Christmas With the Blues.” Her third album, “Woman on a Mission,” released in February 2016, held the No. 1 spot on the Airplay Direct Global Radio Blues Charts for five consecutive weeks.
For several years, Starr and her husband John organized blues acts in Sacramento through their summer concert series, Blues on the Patio. The band has also performed at festivals such as the Blues & Bones Festival in Sacramento and Idaho, the Vacaville Blues Festival, the El Dorado Hills Art & Wine Festival, Folsom Rhythm & Brews, and Orangevale Pow-Wow Days. They have shared the stage with top blues artists including Albert Cummings, Rick Estrin, Coco Montoya, Tommy Castro, EG Kight, EC Scott, Laurie Morvan, Chris Cain, Ms. Arness Williams, Daniel Castro, Dennis Jones, Kaye Bohler, Lisa Mann, Mick Martin, Leah Tysse, Mike Hammar, and more. The band was a finalist in the 2012 Sacramento International Blues Competition and performed in Memphis during IBC week for the National Women in Blues’ Blind Raccoon showcases in 2018 and 2020.
Val Starr’s lifelong music career includes roles as a performer and music industry executive. Raised in Southern California, she began singing and playing guitar at age 12, influenced by female singer-songwriters like Carole King and Joni Mitchell, as well as 60s and 70s bands. Her mother’s love of musical comedy is reflected in Starr’s theatrical performance style, catchy lyrics, and amusing storytelling.
Starr’s music business career began in the late 1970s with record labels ABC, Chrysalis, and Polygram as an executive assistant. In the early 1980s, she shifted focus to radio promotion and had a successful career as an independent radio promoter through the late 1990s. By day, she worked in the music industry, and by night, she played the L.A. club scene in original rock bands Local Authority and Threshold.
In 1983, Starr married bassist John Ellis, who remains the cornerstone of her band. At the end of the 1980s, they relocated to the Bay Area with their sons James and later Sean. Over the next 20 years, John and Val continued to write, record, and perform with local bands in San Francisco.
At the dawn of the new millennium, streaming audio piqued Starr’s interest. Witnessing the challenges of securing airplay slots on terrestrial radio as an indie promoter, she started one of the first streaming audio networks, Allradio.com, and later launched Choiceradio.com and Gotradio.com. GotRadio remains a popular global radio network, featuring a 24/7 blues station called Bit O’ Blues, which Starr personally programs.
In 2003, Starr and her family moved to Sacramento, where she continued to play in local cover bands. Around 2010, disillusioned with the cover band scene, she began attending local blues jams, discovering talent to form her first blues band. “I found the blues and with it I discovered my voice. I had been singing covers for so long, imitating other singers, I forgot what my own voice sounded like. I may not have the ‘typical female blues whiskey voice,’ but I know that I was always meant to sing and play the blues,” Starr says.
From programming an online international blues radio station to promoting her own blues concerts in Sacramento, to writing, recording, and performing with her top-notch band, Val Starr describes herself as “a Cool Ride that will take your Blues Away.” She is a woman on a mission who can confidently say she always turns the blues on. Starr will introduce you to the lighter side of the blues and the healing kind of blues because this powerhouse has truly been to the blues and back again.
Sunday’s Powerhouse of Blues show starts at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door or available online at www.powerhousepub.com. Powerhouse is located at 614 Sutter Street at the corner of Sutter and Riley in Folsom.
