With the voice and face of an angel and a Medusan tangle
of dreadlocks as thick and strong as her family ties and her musical roots
in the flatlands of West Tennessee, Valerie June is a true original and
an emerging star in the legendary and still vibrant Memphis music scene.
A self-taught guitar and banjo player, composer and troubadour of heartbreak
ballads, folk songs, spirituals, soul-stirring blues and what she calls
“Organic Moonshine Roots Music”, Valerie seeks to preserve the traditional
music from the mountains of Tennessee to the deep delta of Mississippi and
Arkansas. As she evolves and explores the roots music of Etta
Baker, Elizabeth
Cotten, Mississippi John Hurt, Jessie
Mae Hemphill and The Carter Family, Valerie encourages listeners old and young alike to acknowledge the similarities
between the ancient sounds of old time American music and the themes of
many modern day musical creations. She reminds the audience that music
truly is the universal language by which all races can find a voice.
