Kathy Valentine
Encyclopedia
Kathy Valentine is the American
bass guitar
ist for the all-girl rock band
, The Go-Go's
.
She began playing at age 16 in her hometown of Austin, and joined a fledgling Girlschool
in London
, England
in 1975. In 1978, Valentine relocated to Los Angeles
, California
and co-founded The Textones with Carla Olson. She joined the Go-Go's on New Year's Eve 1980, as a substitute for an ailing bassist, but was asked to remain as a permanent member shortly thereafter. She wrote "Can't Stop the World" on the Go-Go's debut album
, and co-wrote the hit single
s, "Vacation" and "Head Over Heels," which appeared on subsequent releases. After the Go-Go's disbanded, Valentine played guitar in the World's Cutest Killers with former Girlschool guitarist Kelly Johnson
, The BlueBonnets and The Delphines.
In 2005, she released a solo
recording
, Light Years, that she co-produced
, wrote
, arranged
and performed the guitar
and vocal
tracks. She now resides in her hometown of Austin with her husband and young daughter. Valentine performs regularly with the Go-Go's, the Impossible, and a new line-up of BlueBonnets.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist for the all-girl rock band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
.
She began playing at age 16 in her hometown of Austin, and joined a fledgling Girlschool
Girlschool
Girlschool are a British heavy metal band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest running all-female rock band, still active after more than 30 years...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1975. In 1978, Valentine relocated to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and co-founded The Textones with Carla Olson. She joined the Go-Go's on New Year's Eve 1980, as a substitute for an ailing bassist, but was asked to remain as a permanent member shortly thereafter. She wrote "Can't Stop the World" on the Go-Go's debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, and co-wrote the hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s, "Vacation" and "Head Over Heels," which appeared on subsequent releases. After the Go-Go's disbanded, Valentine played guitar in the World's Cutest Killers with former Girlschool guitarist Kelly Johnson
Kelly Johnson (guitarist)
Bernadette Jean "Kelly" Johnson was an English guitarist, widely known in the UK in the early 1980s as the lead guitarist of the all-female British heavy metal band Girlschool.-Biography:...
, The BlueBonnets and The Delphines.
In 2005, she released a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, Light Years, that she co-produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, wrote
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, arranged
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
and performed the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
tracks. She now resides in her hometown of Austin with her husband and young daughter. Valentine performs regularly with the Go-Go's, the Impossible, and a new line-up of BlueBonnets.