Bobby Valentino (born Robert James Beckingham, 22 June 1954) is a British musician, violinist and singer.

Career

Born in Chatham, Kent, he adopted the stage name Bobby Valentino in 1975. Valentino's first success was as a founding member of The Fabulous Poodles, but he is most often recognised as the violinist and co-writer of the #1 hit single " Young at Heart", by

The Bluebells The Bluebells are a Scottish indie new wave band, active between 1981 and 1986 (later briefly reforming in 1993, 2008–2009, 2011 and 2018). Career The Bluebells performed jangly guitar-based pop not dissimilar to their Scottish contemporar ...

. After leaving the Fabulous Poodles in the early 1980s, Valentino was a member of the Electric Bluebirds before joining the

Hank Wangford Samuel Hutt, known by the stage name Hank Wangford (born 15 November 1940), is an English country and western songwriter. "Hank is a good smoke screen. He can do things I can't do. He's my clown," says Dr. Hutt, who has been struggling to bal ...

Band at the beginning of 1984. The British country band already included pedal steel guitarist B. J. Cole (

Cochise Cochise (; Apache: ''Shi-ka-She'' or ''A-da-tli-chi'', lit.: ''having the quality or strength of an oak''; later ''K'uu-ch'ish'' or ''Cheis'', lit. ''oak''; June 8, 1874) was leader of the Chihuicahui local group of the Chokonen and principa ...

) and former Liverpool Scene/

Scaffold Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other man-made structures. Scaffolds are widely used ...

/ guitarist Andy Roberts. Soon after joining the Hank Wangford Band, Valentino was performing with them in a pub when members of The Bluebells heard his playing, and asked him to join them in recording Young at Heart. In the five years that Valentino was part of Wangford's band they recorded three albums; filmed two TV series for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

– ''The A-Z of C&W'' and ''Big Big Country'', which attracted audiences of between two and four million at a time when ''The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross'' was being watched by 750,000; performed and wrote an acclaimed and record breaking musical: ''C. H. A. P. S (Cowboy, Horseriding Acting Performance Studio)'' at the

Theatre Royal, Stratford East The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a 460 seat Victorian producing theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with director Joan Littlewood, whose s ...

(their previous record was held by ''

Oh, What a Lovely War! ''Oh, What a Lovely War!'' is an epic musical developed by Joan Littlewood and her ensemble at the Theatre Workshop in 1963. It is a satire on World War I, and by extension on war in general. The title is derived from the "somewhat satirical" ...

''); toured constantly all over the United Kingdom and Europe and made numerous other radio and television appearances. These included a TV special, ''Christmas in Strangeways'' showing the band in concert on Boxing Day with a captive audience in Manchester's Victorian jail. Valentino's violin can be heard on tracks by artists including:

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer ...

, Bob Geldof, The

Alabama 3 Alabama 3 are a British/English musical group founded in Brixton, London in 1995. They are best known for their track " Woke Up This Morning", which was used for the opening credits of the TV series ''The Sopranos''. In the United States, the ...

and

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

. He is also an occasional member of

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

's current band. He has contributed to many recordings by the British folk punk band

The Men They Couldn't Hang The Men They Couldn't Hang (TMTCH) are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush (vocals, guitar), Paul Simmonds (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, keyboards), Philip "Swill" Odgers (vocals, guitar, tin whistle, melodica ...

as well as frequently appearing with them on stage. His own most recent band, Los Pistoleros, sees him teamed up once again with former Hank Wangford bandmates B. J. Cole and

Martin Belmont Martin Belmont (born 21 December 1948) is an English rock and country-blues guitarist, best known for being a founding member of Graham Parker & The Rumour. Life and career Belmont was born in Bromley, Kent, England. After working as a roadie ...

. Valentino is lead singer and guitarist in addition to playing the violin. A part-time actor and model, Valentino has performed in West End musical theatre: in ''

Destry Rides Again ''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Hervey ...

'' with

Alfred Molina Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British-American actor known for his work on the stage and screen. He first rose to prominence in the West End, earning a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Pla ...

and

Jill Gascoigne Jill Viola Gascoine (11 April 1937 – 28 April 2020) was an English actress and novelist. She portrayed Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in the 1980s television series ''The Gentle Touch'' and its spin-off series '' C.A.T.S. Eyes''. In the 1 ...

and in ''C.H.A.P.S.'' at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East. Occasionally he can be seen in films and commercials, usually taking the part of

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

Solo career

Valentino has released three solo albums. ''You're in the Groove Jackson'' was recorded during 1990 in Livingstone Studios in

Wood Green Wood Green is a suburban district in the borough of London Borough of Haringey, Haringey in London, England. Its postal district is N22, with parts in N8 or N15. The London Plan identifies it as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater Lond ...

and GibsonWood Studios in

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...

and was released in 1991 on

Big Life Records Big Life was a record label established in 1987 by Jazz Summers and Tim Parry. It featured hundreds of releases from artists such as The Orb, Stare, Yazz, Junior Reid, Coldcut, De La Soul, and Damage. In 1999, the label was put into receiver ...

. The

Airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

was significant that many people thought he had had a hit but the distributors, Rough Trade Records went bankrupt the week it was due in the shops. In 1996 ''You're Telling Me'', which consisted of some new tracks and the best of ''You're in the Groove Jackson'', was released by

Vireo Records The vireos make up a family (biology), family, Vireonidae, of small to medium-sized passerine birds found in the New World (Canada to Argentina, including Bermuda and the West Indies) and Southeast Asia. "Vireo" is a Latin word referring to a g ...

to critical acclaim and Valentino appeared at the 1996 South by Southwest music festival in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

to launch the album. Again, the record company had distribution difficulties. The 2001 release, ''This is Murder'', consisted of new tracks and previous recordings from the earlier recordings and appeared on E.M. Records. All three titles are quotes from the

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

and Bing Crosby film musical, ''

Road to Rio ''Road to Rio'' is a 1947 American semimusical comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. Written by Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose, the film is about two inept vaudevillians who stow away on ...

''. A 4th album is due for release in June 2011 under the title of ''Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake'' – another quote from Crosby and Hope. Valentino is currently working on an album of new material with the working title of ''6 ft 3ins''.

Legal actions

In 2002, Valentino won a court case against Robert Hodgens (aka Bobby Bluebell) of Scots pop band

for unpaid royalties from his contribution to their 1993 hit "Young at Heart", co-written by Hodgens and

Siobhan Fahey Siobhan Maire Fahey (; born 10 September 1958) is an Irish singer whose vocal range is a light contralto. She was a founding member of the group Bananarama, who have had ten top-10 hits including the US number one hit single "Venus". She later ...

. Valentino's case hinged on convincing the judge that he, rather than Hodgens, had composed the song's distinctive violin part, and that the violin part made a significant enough difference to the song to be considered an original contribution. The song, first recorded by

Bananarama Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. T ...

in 1983, was then released by the Bluebells with the added violin part in 1984, reaching No. 8 in the

UK Singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Valentino was paid a session fee of £75. However his claim against Hodgens only dated back to the time of the single's 1993 re-release and chart-topping performance on the back of a high-profile

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...

TV commercial. The court case attracted media attention after Valentino performed the violin part in court to illustrate his point, convincing Mr Justice Floyd to rule in his favour and award him damages of £100,000. A subsequent appeal by Hodgens against the ruling was unsuccessful. In 2008, Valentino brought an action against the American R&B singer Bobby Wilson (then billed as "

Bobby V Bobby Marcel Wilson (born February 27, 1980), better known by his stage name Bobby V (also known as Bobby Valentino), is an American R&B singer. He was first a member of the R&B group Mista in 1994, before signing to rapper Ludacris through h ...

alentino") and his then record label Def Jam for "Passing off, Trade Mark infringement, and breach of contract, in relation to record sales, recorded content, and artist's live performances".

Discography

– "Wade into the Water" (2000) Violin * Alabama 3– "Power in the Blood" (2003) Violin * Any Trouble – "Wrong End of the Race" (1984) Violin *

Big Country Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although it has retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music incorporated Scott ...

– "Eclectic" (1996) Violin * Bluebells – ''The Singles Collection'' (1993) Violin * Bluebells – "Sisters" (1984) Fiddle * Blues Band – "Brand Loyalty" (1982) Violin * Billy Bragg – "Talking with the Taxman About Poetry" (1986) Violin * Bronski Beat – "Truthdare Doubledare" (1986) Violin * Sam Brown – "Stop" (1988) Violin * Cactus Rain – "In Our Time" (1990) Violin * The Christians – "Colours" (1990) Violin * B.J. Cole – "Heart of the Moment" (1995) Violin, Viola * B.J. Cole – "Trouble in Paradise" (2004) Violin * Andrew Cunningham – "20 Golden Greats" (1990) Violin * Electric Bluebirds – "Back on the Train" (1996) Fiddle, Vocals *

The Fabulous Poodles The Fabulous Poodles were a British pre- new wave band formed in 1975. Known for quirky stage antics, such as exploding ukuleles, as well as songs with funny lyrics, The Fabulous Poodles toured with Meat Loaf, Sha Na Na, Tom Petty, Bill Brufor ...

– "Fabulous Poodles" (1977) Violin, Mandolin, Vocals * The Fabulous Poodles – "Mirror Stars" (1978) Violin, Mandolin, Vocals * The Fabulous Poodles – "Unsuitable" (1978) Violin, Mandolin, Vocals * The Fabulous Poodles – "Think Pink" (1979) Violin, Mandolin, Vocals * The Fabulous Poodles – "His Masters Choice" (1995) Violin, Mandolin, Vocals * The Grants – "Let's Dance" (1998) Violin, Mandolin, Jaws Harp *

Haysi Fantayzee Haysi Fantayzee were a short lived British pop band of the early 1980s. Their best known songs are " John Wayne Is Big Leggy", released in 1982 and " Shiny Shiny", released in 1983. Career Haysi Fantayzee was an avant-garde, new wave pop pro ...

– "Battle Hymns for Children Singing" (1983) Violin * The Ferns – "The Falling Trees" (1999) Producer, Violin * Lena Fiagbe – "Vision" (1994) Violin * Holly Beth Vincent – " Holly & the Italians" (1982) Violin, Mandolin *

John Illsley John Edward Illsley (born 24 June 1949) is an English musician, best known as bass guitarist of the rock band Dire Straits. With it, he has received multiple BRIT and Grammy Awards, and a Heritage Award. As one of the founding band members, ...

-" Never Told a Soul" (1984) Violin *

Jah Shaka Jah Shaka, also known as the Zulu Warrior is a Jamaican reggae/dub sound system operator who has been operating a South East London-based, roots reggae Jamaican sound system since the early 1970s. His name is an amalgamation of the Rastafarian t ...

Mad Professor Mad Professor (born Neil Joseph Stephen Fraser, 1955, Georgetown, Guyana) is a Guyanese-born British dub music producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music ...

-"Jah Shaka Meets Mad Profes.." (1984) Violin *

Patricia Kaas Patricia Kaas (; born 5 December 1966) is a French singer. Her music is a mix of pop, cabaret, jazz, and chanson. Since the appearance of her 1988 debut album '' Mademoiselle chante...'', Kaas has sold over 17 million records worldwide. She h ...

– "Tour de Charme" (1993) Violin, Vocals * Patricia Kaas – "Je Te Dis Vous" (1994) Violin *

David Knopfler David Knopfler (born 27 December 1952) is a British singer-songwriter. He was born in Scotland and raised in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, from the age of two. Together with his older brother Mark Knopfler, John Illsley, and Pick Withers, he fo ...

– ''

Release Release may refer to: * Art release, the public distribution of an artistic production, such as a film, album, or song * Legal release, a legal instrument * News release, a communication directed at the news media * Release (ISUP), a code to iden ...

'' (1983) Violin *

"Quality Shoe" & "Baloney Again" (2003) Violin, Mandolin * Gasper Lawal – "Abio'sun n"i (1985) Violin *

Les Rita Mitsouko Les Rita Mitsouko (, translation: ''The Rita Mitsukos'') were a French pop rock group formed by Fred Chichin and Catherine Ringer. The duo first performed as Rita Mitsouko at Gibus Club in Paris in 1980. They went on to become one of the most a ...

– "Les Rita Mitsouko Presentent the..." (1987) Violin * "Live in London Vol.1" (1984) Violin, Vocals * Los Pistoleros – "Trigger Happy" (2001) Violin, Vocals, Guitar * Los Pistoleros – "Cult 45" (2004) Violin, Vocals, Guitar *

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including " There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears ...

– '' What Do Pretty Girls Do?'' (1998) Violin * Andy McCoy – "R'n’R Memorabilia" (2003) Violin *

– "Who Knows the Secret of the Master" (1987) Violin * Mad Professor – "Captures Pato Banton" (1988) Violin * Mad Professor – "A Caribbean Taste of Technology" (1985) Violin * The Men They Couldn't Hang – " How Green Is The Valley" (1986) Violin, arranger * The Men They Couldn't Hang – "Waiting for Bonaparte" (1988) Fiddle * The Men They Couldn't Hang – "Silvertown" (1989) Fiddle * The Men They Couldn't Hang -"Majestic Grill: The Best of..." (1998) Violin, Arranger * The Men They Couldn’t Hang – “Cherry Red Jukebox” (2003) Violin * The Men They Couldn’t Hang – "Smugglers And Bounty Hunters" (2005) Violin * The Men They Couldn’t Hang – "Devil on the Wind" (2009) Violin * Amanda Norman-Sell – "As Love is My Witness" (1996) Violin * Amanda Norman-Sell – "Patsy Cline Review" (1995) Violins * Sinéad O'Connor – The Lion and the Cobra" (1987) Violins *

Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

-"Earth Moving" (1989) Violin *

– "Pack up the Plantation" (1986) Violin *

The Proclaimers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

– "Hit the Highway" (1994) Fiddle * Red Box – "Circle & The Square" (1986) Violin * Redlands Palomino Co. – "By the Time You Hear This…" (2004) Violin * Reno Brothers – "Smile" (1996) Producer, Violin * Andy Roberts – "Loose Connections" (soundtrack) (1984) Violin, Mandolin *

The Style Council The Style Council were a British band formed in late 1982 by Paul Weller, the former singer, songwriter and guitarist with the punk rock/ new wave/ mod revival band the Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previously a member of Dexys Midnight Ru ...

– "My Ever Changing Moods" (1984) Violin * The Style Council – "Cafe Bleu" (1984) Violin * The Style Council – "Complete Adventures of the Style..." (1998) Violin *

– "C.H.A.P.S." (1985) Fiddle, Mandolin, Vocals * Hank Wangford – "Stormy Horizons" (1990) Fiddle, Mandolin, Acoustic Guitar * Bobby Valentino – "You're in the Groove Jackson" (1991) Vocals, Violin, Guitar, Viola, Mandolin, producer * Bobby Valentino – "You're Telling Me" (1996) Vocals, producer, Violin, Guitar, Mandolin, Viola, * Bobby Valentino –"This is Murder" (2001) Vocals, Violin, Guitar, Mandolin, Viola, producer *

Luke Vibert Luke Vibert (born 26 January 1973) is a British electronic musician and producer, also known for his work under several aliases such as Plug and Wagon Christ. Raised in Cornwall, Vibert began releasing projects in the 1990s across varied genre ...

& BJ Cole – "Stop the Panic" (2000) Vocals, Violin Mandolin

References

External links

Official website

Lospistoleros at MySpace

Hankwangford.com

Bjcole.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentino, Bobby 1954 births Living people People from Chatham, Kent British violinists British male violinists British country musicians British session musicians British country guitarists 21st-century violinists 21st-century British male musicians