Customer Reviews

Million Dollar Secret

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
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Valerie Wellington was one of the most powerful performers I have ever seen in person. Million Dollar Secret captures a great deal of her power. Wellington was a blend that ranged from Bessie Smith to Koko Taylor. Unfortunately we lost this dynamic performer when she died in 1991 at the young age of 31. Anyone who truly loves the power of the blues should add this to their collection as a memoir of a great blues artist. Who knows how much greater she could have become.

Valerie Wellington is up there with established "belt it out blues" women such as Koko Taylor and Etta James. Anyone will appreciate her raw (raw and gritty!) talent, but this is a must have for serious blues fans. This is a hard rocking album, and every track thoroughly enjoyable.

Actually, there WAS another Wellington release titled "Life in the Big City" that was recorded around the time of her death.
It was on the DIW label. I would stick with Million Dollar $ecret, though. A much better collection. Fantastic vocals.

Million Dollar Secret is the only thing we have to showcase Valerie's talent and it is solid good. Valerie had recorded 3 albums that I knew of. 2 were in production at the time of her death. Her bandmates decided not to release them because they weren't finished. Unfortunately, Million Dollar Secret, as good as it is, barely covers Val's talent as anyone who's ever seen her live can attest to. I wish whatever was recorded, whoever recorded it, would release what's left. I really miss her.

In the mid-80s Valerie Wellington had a standing engagement at the Moosehead, located in the Printer's Row district just south of Chicago's Loop. I think it was Thursday nights and my friends and I rarely missed a week. We stayed for set after set. She was a classic blues singer, no doubt. Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Valerie Wellington. Here's the difference: Recordings were able to capture the preternatural strength and depth of the the first two. But this, the only complete studio album of Valerie Wellington's, does not. Check out the You Tube video of VW posted by 5longyears. That's what I'm talking about.