Untitled Document

BOBBY VALENTINO
BIOGRAPHY

MK fans will remember Bobby from various MK shows, notably the 2002 charity gigs at the Shepherds Bush Empire and at Beaulieu. The following biog infomation is a slightly amended version of that on Bobby's website.

Bobby Valentino is a violinist, singer, songwriter and an occasional actor and model. He first came to fame in 1975 as a renegade virtuoso with the Fabulous Poodles and with them he released 3 albums and extensively toured Europe and the U.S.A.; they split in 1980. He is now known as a session violinist and lead singer/songwriter of the Americana band Los Pistoleros.

Bobby has a released a number of albums under his own name: You’re In The Groove, Jackson was recorded through 1990 and 1991 and was released in the UK by Big Life Records. The critics loved it and the first single, The Man Who Invented Jazz, received so much radio play that many people thought it was a hit. Unfortunately, the company distributing Big Life’s records, Rough Trade, went bankrupt the week the CD and LP were released. This meant it never reached the shops although there was a demand; instead thousands of copies were sitting in sealed warehouses.

Bobby carried on writing and recording and in 1996 he was signed by the Texan label, Vireo Records. They released a CD of the new recordings, along with some of the tracks from You’re In The Groove Jackson, under the title You’re Telling Me. To promote this CD Bobby played at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, and did short tours of both Texas and California. Again, the reviews and radio-play were glowing and significant, but Vireo did not have nationwide distribution so nearly all the sales occurred in Texas and California.

A new CD will soon be available through Bobby's website under the title of Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake. Bobby is also currently writing and recording an album of new songs with a working title of “6ft 3in”.

Additionally, Bobby has been featured on huge number of recordings including releases by Alabama 3; Any Trouble; Michael Ball; B*witched; Big Country; Bluebells; The Blues Band; Max Boyce; Billy Bragg; Bronski Beat; Sam Brown; Cactus Rain; The Christians; B.J.Cole; Andrew Cunningham; Bob Dylan; Electric Bluebirds; Anne Dudley; Fabulous Poodles; The Ferns; Langer & Winstanley; Lena Fiagbe; Bob Geldof; The Godfathers; The Lost Gonzo Band; The Grants; Roger McGuinn; Rolf Harris; Haysi Fantayzee; Holly & The Italians; Hulk Hogan; Jools Holland; Patricia Kaas; Brian Kennedy; Gaspar Lawal; Los Pistoleros; Nick Lowe & His Cowboy Outfit; Des O’Connor; Sinéad O’Connor; The Mad Professor; Kirsty MacColl; Rory McGrath; Andy McCoy; The Men They Couldn’t Hang; Don Mescal; Mark Nevin; Amanda Norman-Sell; Mike Oldfield; Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers; Phil Pope; Private Lives; The Proclaimers; Redland Palomino Co.; Reno Brothers; Red Box; Les Rita Mitsouko; Andy Roberts; Style Council; Jah Shaka; Swill and the Swagger Band; The Tempest; The Tower; Shania Twain; Luke Vibert; Tony Visconti; Hank Wangford; Roger Whittaker; The Woolpackers; Paul Young; Alvin Youngblood-Hart; John Illsley; Guy Fletcher; and, Mark Knopfler.

Acting & Modelling:

As well as being a great musician, session player and songwriter, Bobby works occasionally as an actor and model, appearing in films, TV adverts and plays. In one film and many commercials he has taken the part of Clark Gable. This came about after a shaving mistake: in the early days of the Fab Poos he had a full moustache and one day trimmed it a little too much. He recalls – “I liked the look of the skinny, spiv-like moustache, a mousedirt on my top lip. And it fitted the style of the band. I didn’t notice the resemblance to Clark Gable, and still don’t quite see it, but everybody else thought it looked great”

Theatre Shows (all musicals):

In 1983 Bobby was among the cast of Destry Rides Again at the Donmar Warehouse in London’s West End which stared Alfred Molina and Jill Gasgoine. He made his West End debut playing a character called the “Dude” in a musical version of Destry Rides Again - the 1939 film with songs but, alas, not See What the Boys in the Backroom Will Have. In the show the “Dude” was a card sharp, cool hired gun (one of the baddies) and the violinist for Frenchie’s saloon band in the town of Bottleneck. Type-casting?

Alan Dunn, the accordionist and vocalist from the Electric Bluebirds, was also in the cast as well as Julian Littman and the three of them helped make the musical parts of this musical more musical. Other cast members included Danny John-Jules (“Cat” from Red Dwarf) and George Irving (Holby City, Dangerfield and The Tudors). 1987 saw Bobby in “C.H.A.P.S.” at the Theatre Royal, Stratford (East), with the Hank Wangford Band, a show which, apart from pantomimes, still holds the house record. The previous record being held by Oh! What a Lovely War.

Bobby was accidentally “shot” during the show and of his totally over the top death scene, he remarked - "This wasn’t the first time I’d died on stage." The song No Smoke Without Fire was written by Bobby and Hank for the musical but failed to make the soundtrack album. In 1993 Bobby sang and led the band in Who killed St Valentine, An Emergency Exit Arts production set and performed on a river Thames pleasure cruiser.

Films:

Bobby can also be seen in numerous films. In 1999 he was in “RKO281” (U.S. title; The Battle over Citizen Kane). starring, Liev Schreiber, John Malkovitch, Melanie Griffiths and James Cromwell, and directed by Benjamin Ross. Bobby Played the legendary Hollywood actor Clark Gable. The film is about the making of “Citizen Kane”, directed by and staring Orson Wells, and the meaning of “Rosebud” (watch the film and use your imagination). Bobby even takes part in a scene with the 4 stars around a banqueting table that is supposedly in 1930s San Simian, Randolf Hurst’s Californian mansion, but was actually filmed in the Guildhall in the City of London – a much classier venue.

In Stephen Fry's critically acclaimed 2001 film Bright Young Things Bobby played a singer in a café singing A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square.” There is a sneaking suspicion that he was only cast in the rôle because his sister, Anne Dudley, was responsible for the music in the film. Bobby again played a singer in the 2004 film Alfie directed by Charles Shyer and starring Jude Law.

TV Commercials:

There are too many to mention them all but Bobby has had Atlanta “burnt” behind him twice alla Gone with The Wind: once in Spain for an advertisement for cameras and once in Germany. A very successful commercial was for Fresh and Low (skimmed milk) in Scotland and the North of England. Bobby can be seen miming cello, and gently leering, in the 2007 Marks & Spencer Christmas TV commercial.

One of Bobby’s favourite reminiscences is a fabulous moment during the casting of a TV ad for Colgate Toothpaste. He had already been cast and was asked if he would help in choosing the young woman he was to kiss during the commercial. About 11 o’clock one morning he arrived at a casting-suite in Soho and about a dozen of the most beautiful of London’s young actresses and models were waiting, including the likes of Sarah Stockbridge, who had appeared with him in the Fresh and Low commercial. In a room, darkened and made to look like a cinema, with the director and producers looking on, the young ladies were bought in one by one and asked to kiss Bobby; that was the only instruction. None of them were chosen for the ad, perhaps the director was just having fun – Bobby certainly was.

One amusing point worth mentioning is that in many of the commercials Bobby is seen kissing a young lady, often taking the part of Scarlet O’Hara. On more than one occasion, his wife, who works in post-production in Soho, has been confronted by the image in an edit suite…. We can only imagine what a strange situation this creates at home!

More info at www.bobbyvalentino.co.uk