The Valentine Brothers were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

recording act in the late 1970s and 1980s, comprising brothers John and William "Billy" Valentine. One of their biggest hits, as singers and songwriters, was "

Money's Too Tight (to Mention) "Money's Too Tight (to Mention)" (sometimes stylized as "Money$ Too Tight (to Mention)" in some of its single and album releases) is a song written and first recorded by The Valentine Brothers, John Valentine and Billy Valentine, and released a ...

", which reached no. 41 in the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

in 1982 and was later recorded with greater worldwide success by

Simply Red Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since the ...

Career

The brothers were born in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. Billy Valentine performed as a singer with

Young-Holt Unlimited Young-Holt Unlimited (also known as Young-Holt Trio), were a U.S. soul and jazz instrumental musical ensemble from Chicago, Illinois, United States. Drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young, formerly members of Ramsey Lewis' jazz trio, ...

in the mid-1970s, before joining with his brother John to begin performing as The Valentine Brothers in 1975. Starting in 1977, they began a three-year stint as part of the touring company of ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown (writer), William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's childr ...

'' musical. Their first self-titled album was issued by Source Records in 1979, and their second album, ''First Take'' in 1982, featured the single "Money's Too Tight (to Mention)", written by the duo and produced by

Bobby Lyle Robert Lyle (born March 11, 1944) is a jazz pianist/organist and educator. Early life Lyle was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 11, 1944 to parents Robert and Elise Lyle. He grew up in a musical household after the family moved from Memphis ...

. The record spent 14 weeks on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' R&B chart, reaching no. 41. The following year, another track from the album, "Let Me Be Close To You", also reached the R&B chart. In 1984, their third album, ''Have a Good Time'', issued by

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

, produced their biggest chart hit, "Lonely Nights", which reached no. 28 on the R&B chart. Their final album, ''Picture This'', was released in 1987. Billy Valentine also performed in the 1980s on the soundtracks of the films ''

Champions Forever A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, ...

'' and ''

The Five Heartbeats ''The Five Heartbeats'' is a 1991 musical drama film directed by Robert Townsend, who co-wrote the script with Keenen Ivory Wayans. Produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film's main cast includes Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon Robins ...

'', before joining the show ''

It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues ''It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues'' is a musical theatre, musical written by Charles Bevel, Lita Gaithers, Randal Myler, Ron Taylor (actor), Ron Taylor, and Dan Wheetman. It was originally produced at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts and l ...

'' in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in the late 1990s. He has also worked as a

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

recording artist and songwriter, and as a singer in Los Angeles clubs. Since 2004 he has sung on the soundtrack of the hit TV series ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, t ...

''.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine Brothers, The American soul musical groups Musicians from Columbus, Ohio