Any thoughts on Joe Val?

Subject: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 14 Oct 99 - 05:03 PM

In the harmony thread Kendall mentioned Joe Val. he was a magnificent singer and although I have a few recordings by him, I don't know much about his background or whether he was highly thought of (or even known) by the southern bluegrassers. Anyone have any personal remenicenses(sp) of him. Thanks Kendall.

Rick

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: kendakk
Date: 14 Oct 99 - 06:41 PM

Joseph Valente was from Mass. and I dont know about the south, but, he was very well known here in New England. Years ago there was a radio program on PBS called Folk Music and Bernstien out of the University of Michigan. Joe was recognized that far west at least. I didn't know him personally, but, Herb Aplin did if you want more on him.

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: kendall
Date: 14 Oct 99 - 06:56 PM

Joseph Valente was from Mass. and I dont know about the south, but, he was very well known here in New England. Years ago there was a radio program on PBS called Folk Music and Bernstien out of the University of Michigan. Joe was recognized that far west at least. I didn't know him personally, but, Herb Aplin did if you want more on him.

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 15 Oct 99 - 02:23 PM

Hi there Kendakk!! (I kind of like that). Yah, Herb Applin is someone I know nuthin' about except his name and the fact that he was a part of that Boston scene. Anything you got would be nice. Thanks.

Rick

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: kendall
Date: 15 Oct 99 - 03:03 PM

I'l l see what I can dig up...no pun intended..(sorry Joe)You knew Joe died a few years ago??

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 16 Oct 99 - 12:01 AM

Never knew Joe but I'd see & hear him around Boston qutie often. It was easy to see that everybody had a great deal of respect & love for the skinny man with the high voice. Others that I knew, knew Joe & I've never heard nought but praise for the man & his music. When he died, the whole folk music community morned the loss as much as the bluegrassers. I haven't been to much bluegrass stuff in a long time but when I do he's still spoken of as if he was only going to be gone for a short while. He was a giant of a man in these parts. Barry

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: Stewie
Date: 16 Oct 99 - 06:19 AM

Rick, here's a thumbnail sketch of his early years:

Joe Valiante (shortened by Tex Logan in the 50s to Joe Val ) was born in 1926 in Massachusetts. His grandmother gave him a guitar when he was about 14 and he began playing country music. When he was in his 20s, he heard an early recording of Monroe's 'Footprints in the Snow' and that began his life-long love of bluegrass. In the early 1950s, he was a member of the 'Radio Rangers' and played on WCOP's 'Hayloft Jamboree'. His love of bluegrass was cemented by the powerful broadcasts out of Wheeling West Virginia by WWVA which introduced the music of people like the Lilly Brothers, Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, Tex Logan, the Osborne Brothers and Jimmy Martin to New England and the Northeast. When the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover arrived in Boston in 1952, Joe spent many a night at the Hillbilly Ranch. He credited the Lillys , Stover and Logan as strong musical influences. When Stover left Boston to play banjo for Monroe, Joe filled in for a time. In the decade or more before he and Herb Applin teamed up with Jim Rooney and Bill Keith at Club 47 in 1964, Joe played in some terrible places – he has an account of this in Rooney and Von Schmidt's 'Baby Let You Follow Me Down' - of which the Hillbilly Ranch was the best of a bad lot and the Novelty Bar and the Mohawk Ranch were the worst. Malone describes the clientele of these places a 'truck drivers, sailors, working folk, "combat zone" denizens and college students who were brave enough to venture in'. Rooney has commented that 'for Joe [Club 47] meant the end of working in bars. After playing for years to a motley assortment of drunks, hustlers and crazies, he was finally in a place where people loved his singing, his playing and him'. Joe said it was turning point for him: 'I'd put 13 or 14 years in those other places. Later, when I was with the Charles River Valley Boys, John Cooke would sometimes get upset if the audience was talking while we played. Siggins would be laughing about it and I'd tell John, "Forget it. You ought to come back a few years and play some of the places that I've played. This is heaven compared to those places'. With Keith, Rooney, Applin and Herb Hooven, he recorded the Prestige/Folklore album 'Livin' on the Mountain'. A few years later, he became a member of the Charles River Valley Boys and cut several sides with them. Joe played guitar and banjo, but his primary instrument was the mandolin. He was best known, however, for his powerful voice. The Rounder folks said: 'Rumour has it that he has shattered glasses at the old Club 47 with his high tenor'. Joe Val and The New England Bluegrass Boys [Joe Val – md and v; Herb Applin – g and v; Bob French – bj and v; and Bob Tidwell b] had the honour of being third cab off the rank of the Rounder label ['One Morning in May Rounder 0003] in 1971. Pete Rowan said that he took up the mandolin after seeing Joe play with Keith and Rooney. He later did some gigs with Joe as a duet and said he learned a lot of songs from him, in particular 'all those great Louvin Brothers tunes'. Joe went on to record several more albums for Rounder with various lineups of the New England Bluegrass Boys. Like many New England bluegrass groups, they stuck to the earlier style bluegrass.

Joe died relatively recently. I read an obituary in a magazine somewhere, but I have been unable to relocate it. He was a fine musician and a fine singer – I certainly enjoyed his music immensely. The above information comes from a variety of sources – record cover notes, Malone, Von Schmidt and Rooney etc. I also have a reference that I have not seen: Mike Greenstein 'Joe Val and the New England Bluegrass Boys Bluegrass Unlimited 12, No 1 July 1977.

Rick, I hope the above is of some use to you. Cheers, Stewie.

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: Lonesome Gillette
Date: 16 Oct 99 - 08:53 AM

Man! people complain about these places but where can a Bluegrass Band get a regular gig in Boston these days? I play with one of Joe Val's bass players once in a while, he has said that Joe was a nice guy, kind of quiet and modest. Didn't like to tour much, wanted to stick around home mostly. I don't think he wanted to do that Beatles cover record either. He's one of my favorite singers.

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 16 Oct 99 - 10:52 AM

Thanks so much Stewie. I really appreciate it.

Rick

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: Lonesome Gillette
Date: 16 Oct 99 - 05:53 PM

Wow, I thought I sent my message, it seems to have come out blank. Well, I dont remember all of what I said but Joe Val is one of my favorite singers. I've played several gigs with one of his bass players here in Boston, had only good things to say about him. One funny thing, I guess Mr. Val was "dragged kicking and screaming" to record that Beatles cover album... Also, as far as this: Hey, at least a bluegrass band had a couple of bars to play in then, I wouldn't mind having a regular gig in a bar in downtown Boston Thanks Stewie for the info

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: Sourdough
Date: 17 Oct 99 - 02:23 AM

I remember Joe Val from the Club 47 when he was playing with the Charles River Valley Boys.He was certainly well liked and well respected. Having spent many nights at Hillbilly Ranch in order to listen to the house band, (Lilly Brothers and Don Stover) and putting up with barfights, drunken sailors, prostitutes on the make, and mostly people who couldn't wait for the main act, some second rate country rock band or another, I am sure he appreciated the attention and affection he got at Club 47. As I recall, he had a very strong Boston accent that when you spoke with him, you were often surprised by the collision of Appalachia in his music and Boston in his speech.

Sourdough

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: Barbara
Date: 17 Oct 99 - 10:15 AM

Say, Lonesome Gillette, are you cutting and pasting from somewhere else when you talk about Joe Val's records? I read your messages using the right click on my mouse "View Source" and I see that you are getting angle brackets in there.
Anything you type between angle brackets (those sideways v's)is taken by HTML as a command, and it doesn't appear on the screen.
I haven't figured out how to cut and paste from 'source yet, so you all will either have to do what I did, or maybe LG can find a way to say it unbracketed. Whaddaya think LG? Or maybe Joe can fix it.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 17 Oct 99 - 11:20 AM

I still think the Beatles album by the Charles River Valley Boys is brilliant!

Subject: RE: Any thoughts on Joe Val?
From: Lonesome Gillette
Date: 17 Oct 99 - 12:52 PM

Yes Barbara, I was cutting a piece out of Stewie's long message above, but it didn't work. All I wanted to say was bars like the Mowhawk Ranch, Hillbilly Ranch, etc... sound like rough places but at least there were regular venues for Bluegrass bands in Boston then. Maby there still are but I don't know about them. I just played a gig for the reunion of the USS Columbus and they told me about hanging out there (Hillbilly Ranch) and the great music, I guess they would be some of the "sailors". Thanks Stewie for that message, I like to hear about Boston bluegrass stuff.