Valerie June Hockett (born January 10, 1982),Hubbell, John (2009),

, ''

The Commercial Appeal ''The Commercial Appeal'' (also known as the ''Memphis Commercial Appeal'') is a daily newspaper of Memphis, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is owned by the Gannett Company; its former owner, the E. W. Scripps Company, also ...

'', May 28, 2009.(aged 27 in May 2009). known as Valerie June, is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, United States.Barnett, Laura (2012),
One to watch: Valerie June
, ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'', September 30, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2012.Leggett, Steve
Valerie June Biography
,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved October 31, 2012. Her sound encompasses a mixture of folk, blues, gospel, soul, country, Appalachian and bluegrass. She is signed to

Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its inves ...

, and its parent company,

Concord Music Group Concord Music Group was an American independent music company based in Beverly Hills, California, with worldwide (including the U.S.) distribution through Universal Music Group. The company specialized in recordings ( Fearless Records, Concord R ...

worldwide. Through music and poetry, June wants to energize individual and collective change.

Early life

Born in Jackson, Tennessee on January 10, 1982, June is the oldest of five children. As a child growing up in Humboldt, June was exposed to

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

at her local church and R&B and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

via her father, Emerson Hockett, who was also a part-time concert promoter.Boone, Joe (2010),
The Musician's Progress
, '' The Daily News'', September 2, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2012.Lachno, James (2013),
Valerie June - New Faces
, ''

Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

'', February 23, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013. As a teenager, her first job was with her father, owner of Hockett Construction in West Tennessee, and a part-time promoter for gospel singers and

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

K-Ci & JoJo K-Ci & JoJo is an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey (born September 2, 1969) and Joel "JoJo" Hailey (born June 10, 1971). Natives of Monroe, North Carolina, they are also the lead singers of the chart-topping R&B g ...

, and

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guit ...

. She helped by hanging posters in town.Smith, William Michael (2012),
Tennessee Time
, ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

'', March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2013. Her father died in late 2016.

Musical career

2000–2009: Career beginnings

June relocated to

in 2000 and began recording and performing at the age of 19, initially with her then-husband Michael Joyner, in the duo Bella Sun. After her marriage ended, she began working as a solo artist, combining blues, gospel and Appalachian folk in a style that she describes as "organic moonshine roots music", and learning guitar, banjo, and lap-steel guitar. She became associated with the Memphis-based Broken String Collective.Jordan, Mark (2007),
Broken String 's new releases seem a bit frayed
, ''The Commercial Appeal'', June 15, 2007. In 2009 she was a featured artist on MTV's online series ''$5 Cover'' (following the lives of Memphis musicians attempting to make ends meet),Valerie June, Fille Catatonique
, ''The Commercial Appeal''. Retrieved October 31, 2012.Beifuss, John (2010),

, ''The Commercial Appeal'', February 2, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2012 and in 2010 she recorded the EP ''Valerie June and the Tennessee Express'', a collaboration with

Old Crow Medicine Show Old Crow Medicine Show is an Americana string band based in Nashville, Tennessee, that has been recording since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on September 17, 2013. Their ninth album, '' Remedy'', released in 2014, won the Gr ...

2010–2015: ''Pushin' Against a Stone'' and touring

In 2011 she was honored by the Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission at the Emissaries of Memphis Music event.Jordan, Mark (2011),
Music Commission to honor 8 women -- Event serves to inspire girls to pursue industry
, ''The Commercial Appea]'', March 21, 2011. She raised funds to record an album with producer

Craig Street Craig Street, born in Oakland, California, is a noted record producer. Street moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of 11, but returned to the Bay Area for his high school years. He began playing guitar at age 14, and was in a number ...

via Kickstarter.com, raising $15,000 in 60 days.Melvin, Lindsay (2011),
Capital idea -- Fundraising sites help creative types tap online donors to sponsor projects
, ''The Commercial Appeal'', March 20, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2012. Later that year she relocated from Memphis to

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a Neighborhoods in Brooklyn, neighborhood in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bedford–Stuyvesant to the s ...

. Shortly after, record producer Kevin Augunas introduced June to

Dan Auerbach Daniel Quine Auerbach (; born May 14, 1979) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the group, Auerbach has ...

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...

, which led to the recording of June's album '' Pushin' Against a Stone'' in July 2011, which was co-written and produced by Dan Auerbach and Kevin Augunas. Valerie June

In 2012, June performed with producer

John Forté John Forté (born January 30, 1975) is an American recording artist and producer. He is primarily known for being a member of the musical duo Refugee Camp All-Stars, and his production work on the Fugees album '' The Score''. He has released fo ...

on a collaboration called ''Water Suites'' (on the hip-hop-blues song "Give Me Water"), and with

Meshell Ndegeocello Michelle Lynn Johnson, better known as Meshell Ndegeocello (; born August 29, 1968), is a German-born American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on so ...

on the song "Be My Husband". She contributed The Wandering's 2012 album ''Go on Now, You Can't Stay Here: Mississippi Folk Music Volume III''.Lewis, Catherine P. (2012),
The Wandering/Luther Dickinson album review
, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', May 11, 2012. In 2012 she performed in the United Kingdom for the first time, playing at

Bestival Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festival relocated to the Lulworth Estate in Dorset. The event was organ ...

and appearing on '' Later... with Jools Holland''.Later... with Jools Holland
,

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

. Retrieved October 31, 2012. She has received substantial radio play in Europe on

BBC Radio 6 BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

, including a feature on ''Cerys on 6'' with

Cerys Matthews Cerys Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the "Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s. Matthews programmes and ...

Mary Anne Hobbs Mary Anne Hobbs (born 16 May 1964) is an English DJ and music journalist from Lancashire, England. She currently hosts the BBC Radio 6 Music weekday mid-morning show, Monday to Friday, 10:30am1pm, and her ''6 Music Recommends'' show, Wednesday ...

XFM Radio X is a British National commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. Radio X launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station, a licensed London-wide station in 1997 and nationally in 2015 ...

has said of June: "This woman has already touched my heart, she really, really has." In February 2013, June was invited to support

Jake Bugg Jake Bugg (born Jake Edwin Charles Kennedy on 28 February 1994) is an English singer-songwriter. His self-titled debut album, ''Jake Bugg'', some of which was co-written with songwriter Iain Archer, was released in October 2012 and reached numb ...

on the UK leg of his tour. In March 2013, June performed two nights at

South By Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

. The first performance was on March 14 as part of the Heartbreaker Banquet. On March 16, June performed again, this time as part of

The Revival Tour The Revival Tour was the second solo concert tour by American singer Selena Gomez, in support of her second solo studio album '' Revival'' (2015). The tour began in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 6, 2016, and concluded ...

After self-releasing three albums, her debut album as a signed artist, ''Pushin' Against a Stone'', was released in the UK and Europe through Sunday Best Recordings on May 6, 2013, and through

in August 2013. The album includes several songs co-written with

, who co-produced it with Kevin Augunas. The album was so titled to commemorate the story of her life. June said: "I feel I've spent my life pushing against a stone. And the jobs I've had have been fitting for getting a true feel for how the traditional artists I loved came home after a hard day to sit on the porch and play tunes until bedtime." The record includes performances by

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known art ...

, who co-wrote one of the songs contained on the album. The track "Workin' Woman Blues" was produced and engineered by Peter Sabák in Budapest. June has described the recording of the song as "magical" as it was completed in approximately 30 minutes. The two singles released in the UK and Europe were "Workin' Woman Blues" and "You Can't Be Told". In 2014, June was nominated for a

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

in the 'Best New Artist Debut' category for ''Pushin' Against a Stone''. June appeared on ''

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show t ...

'' in 2014.

2017: ''The Order of Time''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' listed June's second album, '' The Order of Time'', as one of the 50 Best Albums of 2017, citing "her handsomely idiosyncratic brand of Americana, steeped deep in electric blues and old-time folk, gilded in country twang and gospel yearning....a blend of spacey hippie soul, blues and folk with June’s pinched, modern-Appalachian voice at the center". In a 2017 interview,

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

was asked what artists he listened to and respected; June was among the artists he mentioned in reply.

2020–2021: ''The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers''

In 2020, June released a three-track digital release, ''Stay / Stay Meditation / You And I'', songs she co-produced with

Jack Splash Jack Splash is an American recording artist, musician, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California. Splash's works include writing and production on singles for artists such as Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, John Legend, ...

. The songs were set to appear on her next studio album. On January 22, 2021, June announced her album, ''The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers'', which was accompanied with the release of a new single from the album, “Call Me A Fool” featuring

Carla Thomas Carla Venita Thomas (born December 21, 1942) is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. Thomas is best known for her 1960s recordings for Atlantic and Stax including the hits "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1960 ...

. The video for "Call Me A Fool" was released on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. To support the upcoming album, June made several live appearances on shows such as

CBS This Morning ''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987, to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012, to September 6, 2021. The program was aired from Monday through Saturday. ...

Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing weeknights a ...

and

The Kelly Clarkson Show ''The Kelly Clarkson Show'' is an American daytime television variety talk show hosted by American singer Kelly Clarkson. It is produced and distributed by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios and features Clarkson interviewing celebrities and segm ...

. In February 2021, June made her third appearance on

KEXP KEXP-FM (90.3 MHz) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Seattle, Washington, United States, specializing in alternative and indie rock programmed by its disc jockeys for the Seattle metropolitan area. The station is owned by the non-p ...

, however, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the performance was recorded from her home. ''The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers'' was released on March 12, 2021, through

. The record was co-produced by Jack Splash and written by June. The album received critical acclaim, and was awarded a score of 85/100 on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, based on 10 critics' reviews.

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

described the album as her "most heavy-hearted" and "far-reaching" record, and praised June for exploring themes of "love and loss" throughout the album. In November 2021, June received a

GRAMMY The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nomination for Best American Roots Song for “Call Me A Fool” featuring

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

featured June's song "You And I" in their 2021 Christmas holiday ad.

Written work

''Maps for the Modern World''

June completed a book that was released in April 2021 under her full name, Valerie June Hockett. ''Maps for the Modern World'' (Andrews McMeel) contains poems, artwork, as well as homilies that speak on ideas such as consciousness and mindfulness.

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

with Bella Sun

* ''No Crystal Stair'' (2004), Bella Sun Music

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:June, Valerie 1982 births Living people American folk singers American blues singers American soul singers African-American banjoists African-American guitarists Songwriters from Tennessee People from Jackson, Tennessee People from Memphis, Tennessee Guitarists from Tennessee 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Women banjoists 21st-century American singers African-American women songwriters 21st-century African-American women singers