Hidden Figures: Valerie June #BlackHERstoryMonth 11/29 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Valerie June #BlackHERstoryMonth 11/29

Born in Jackson, Tennessee on January 10, 1982, Valerie June was the oldest of five children. As a child growing up in Tennessee, June was exposed to the nightclub scene early on by her father, Emerson Hockett, who was a promoter for Prince, K-Ci & JoJo, and Bobby Womack. Outside of music, Hockett supported the family through his construction company, Hockett Construction, and June’s first job was assisting in his promotion by hanging flyers for performances around town. June has said that the experience of seeing her father work two jobs gave her the understanding that artists live “in two worlds,” where they have to live in the outside world, working to make a living, along with the inner world where they must maintain their affirmations as an artist. At the age of 19, June moved to Memphis, Tennessee to begin recording and performing, meeting and marrying her husband and forming a duo with him called Bella Sun. After the marriage dissolved, June began performing as a solo artist in the Nashville gospel and folk scenes, performing at bars and coffee shops, and studying the history of blues, gospel and Appalachian folk music while learning to play the guitar, ukulele, and banjo. She began experimenting with a musical style she called ‘organic moonshine roots music.’ Combining gospel, folk, soul, and blues influences, in 2009 she was featured on the MTV reality show ‘$5 Cover,’ which followed the lives of up and coming Memphis musicians, and in 2010 she released the EP ‘Valerie June and the Tennessee Express.’ Shortly after releasing the EP, June started a Kickstarter to self fund a studio album, raising over $15,000. June moved from Tennessee to Brooklyn to record, and was introduced to members of folk rock group The Black Keys, who would assist her in recording her debut, ‘Pushin’ Against A Stone,’ in July 2011. June had several high profile collaborations in 2012, and after receiving radio play and gaining a following in Europe, she also performed in the UK for the first time. After self-releasing three albums, ‘Pushin’ Against A Stone’ was released through British label Sunday Best Recordings in 2013. In 2017 Valerie June released her second album, ‘The Order of Time,’ which garnered critical acclaim and was described as one of the best albums of 2017 by several publications. About her success, June has said: “I paid my dues. I have crawled to gigs. I have served people coffee. I worked hard selling all these records out the back of my car... Every day I get up and I get myself into alignment with the things that I came here to do. You're always walking into it, following a practice of calling forth what you came to be. … For me, the journey is a practice and I have to do it every day. I have to get up and dust off and say, "OK, I'm ready. I'm ready to shine again. I'm ready to shine again. I'm ready to shine again." #HiddenFigures #ValerieJune ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: Valerie June - Shakedown (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cShj4BimPXc&list=WL&index=3&t=0s Valerie June - NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert: (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBDrTHCSWDc&list=WL&index=4&t=0s 'Review: Valerie June, 'The Order Of Time:' https://www.npr.org/2017/03/02/517916942/first-listen-valerie-june-the-order-of-time 'Tennessee Time:' https://www.houstonpress.com/music/tennessee-time-6592726 'The Musician's Progress:' https://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=52530 'One to watch - Valerie June:' https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/sep/30/valerie-june-one-to-watch 'Valerie June Retraces Her Steps On 'The Order Of Time:' https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/valerie-june-retraces-her-steps-order-time 'VALERIE JUNE’S MUSIC IS A REMINDER THAT LIFE GOES ON:' https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/valerie-junes-music-is-a-reminder-that-life-goes-on 'Review - Valerie June Comforts and Captivates at The Vic Theatre: https://rebelliousmagazine.com/review-valerie-june-comforts-captivates-vic-theatre/ Valerie June captures “Little Ole Sound” on a sparkling, NEW record: Manifest: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/923319556/valerie-june-captures-little-ole-sound-on-a-sparkl Valerie June (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_June