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Valerie Jay, hailing from Yorkshire, England, brings her all-star band to Bird & Beckett for two sets of originals and country classics.

Rob McCloskey on bass
Jeanine Richardson on percussion
Joe Goldmark on steel
Todd Swenson on guitar

The youngest of five children, Jay picked up the guitar at fifteen and founded her first band Skyline, performing her own material. Drawing influences from great country performers such as Patsy Cline, Emmy Lou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and k.d. Lang, Jay fronted the hottest band on the country circuit, playing festivals and country music clubs all over England.

Nashville beckoned, but in 2001 Valerie headed for San Francisco instead, where she formed the Americanos, a country-based, roots-rock band that plays Jay’s original songs next to classic Americana favorites. Bay Area rock and pop audiences are being converted right and left by the beauty and depth of Jay’s formidable voice, and her winning combination of traditional country and cutting edge radio-ready hits. Former senior editor of Rolling Stone magazine and veteran music journalist Ben Fong-Torres sings her praises, writing “Valerie Jay is a country belter out of England – Emmylou, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt – Jay’s right in there, mixing country and soul, her voice full of heartbreak and passion.” Kimberlye Gold, music critic for Grapevine Culture raves, “Valerie Jay & The Americanos have got it all: a strikingly beautiful singer with fab stage presence, strong material, and a kick-ass country band to dress her up.”

“It’s a dream come true to have the opportunity to bring the music I love back to America, where it was born, and infuse my own personal experiences,” Jay says with her distinctive English accent. “I’ve always been a country girl at heart, and now I get to share it with the world.”