Valerie June

Biography

Valerie June Hockett (born January 10, 1982) is a Grammy-nominated American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and author. Her music draws influence from many genres, including psychedelic folk, indie rock, Appalachian, bluegrass, country soul, symphonic pop, and blues, as well as from her southern roots and later East coast life. She is signed to Concord Music Group worldwide.

Early life

Born in Jackson, Tennessee, on January 10, 1982, June is the second of five children. As a child growing up in Humboldt, she was exposed to gospel music at her local church and R&B and soul music via her father, Emerson Hockett. As a teenager, her first job was with her father, owner of Hockett Construction in West Tennessee, and a part-time promoter for gospel singers and Prince, K-Ci & JoJo, and Bobby Womack. She helped by hanging posters in town. Her father died in 2016.

2000–2009: Career beginnings

June relocated to Memphis in 2000 and began recording and performing at the age of 19, in the duo Bella Sun. After her marriage ended, she began working as a solo artist, combining blues, gospel and Appalachian folk in a style that she describes as "organic moonshine roots music", and learning guitar, banjo, and lap-steel guitar. She became associated with the Memphis-based Broken String Collective.
In 2009 she was a featured artist on MTV's online series $5 Cover (following the lives of Memphis musicians attempting to make ends meet), and in 2010 she recorded the EP Valerie June and the Tennessee Express×Valerie June and the Tennessee Express2010 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1If You Love & Let Go3:542Keep the Bar Open3:013Shackle Bound2:424Raindance2:525The Story of Peggy Lee4:21, a collaboration with Old Crow Medicine Show.

2010–2015: Pushin' Against a Stone and touring

In 2011, she was honored by the Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission at the Emissaries of Memphis Music event. She raised funds to record an album with producer Craig Street via Kickstarter.com, raising $15,000 in 60 days. Later that year she relocated from Memphis to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Shortly after, record producer Kevin Augunas introduced June to Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, which led to the recording of June's album Pushin' Against a Stone in July 2011, which was co-written and produced by Dan Auerbach and Kevin Augunas.

In 2012, June performed with producer John Forté on a collaboration called Water Suites (on the hip-hop-blues song "Give Me Water"), and with Meshell Ndegeocello on the song "Be My Husband". She contributed The Wandering's 2012 album Go on Now, You Can't Stay Here: Mississippi Folk Music Volume III. In 2012 she performed in the United Kingdom for the first time, playing at Bestival and appearing on Later... with Jools Holland.
She has received substantial radio play in Europe on BBC Radio 6, including a feature on Cerys on 6 with Cerys Matthews. Mary Anne Hobbs of XFM has said of June: "This woman has already touched my heart, she really, really has."
In February 2013, June was invited to support Jake Bugg on the UK leg of his tour. In March 2013, June performed two nights at South By Southwest. The first performance was on March 14 as part of the Heartbreaker Banquet. On March 16, June performed again, this time as part of The Revival Tour.

After self-releasing three albums, her debut album as a signed artist, Pushin' Against a Stone, was released in the UK and Europe through Sunday Best Recordings on May 6, 2013, and through Concord Music Group in August 2013. The album includes several songs co-written with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, who co-produced it with Kevin Augunas. The album was so titled to commemorate the story of her life. June said: "I feel I've spent my life pushing against a stone. And the jobs I've had have been fitting for getting a true feel for how the traditional artists I loved came home after a hard day to sit on the porch and play tunes until bedtime." The record includes performances by Booker T. Jones, who co-wrote one of the songs contained on the album. The track "Workin' Woman Blues×Workin' Woman Blues26 October 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Workin' Woman Blues3:092Hey3:533Workin' Woman Blues (Live from Blacks)3:21" was produced and engineered by Peter Sabák in Budapest. June has described the recording of the song as "magical" as it was completed in approximately 30 minutes. The two singles released in the UK and Europe were "Workin' Woman Blues" and "You Can't Be Told×You Can't Be Told4 March 2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1You Can't Be Told".
In 2014, June was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the Best New Artist Debut category for Pushin' Against a Stone. She appeared on Austin City Limits in 2014.

2017: The Order of Time

Rolling Stone listed June's second album, The Order of Time×The Order of Time10 March 2017 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Long Lonely Road3:562Love You Once Made3:373Shakedown2:464If And3:315Man Done Wrong3:076The Front Door4:157Astral Plane3:398Just in Time3:519With You2:4310Slip Slide On By4:0411Two Hearts3:5312Got Soul4:13, as one of the 50 Best Albums of 2017, citing "her handsomely idiosyncratic brand of Americana, steeped deep in electric blues and old-time folk, gilded in country twang and gospel yearning....a blend of spacey hippie soul, blues and folk with June’s pinched, modern-Appalachian voice at the center".
In a 2017 interview, Bob Dylan was asked what artists he listened to and respected; June was among the artists he mentioned in reply.

2020–2021: The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers

In 2020, June released a three-track digital release, Stay / Stay Meditation / You And I, songs she co-produced with Jack Splash. The songs were set to appear on her next studio album.
On January 22, 2021, June announced her album The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers×The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers12 March 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Stay3:022Stay Meditation0:553You and I3:394Colors4:205Stardust Scattering4:306African Proverb0:287Call Me a Fool3:448Fallin'3:199Smile3:3010Within You4:5911Two Roads4:1112Why the Bright Stars Glow3:2613Home Inside2:5914Starlight Ethereal Silence1:29, which was accompanied with the release of a new single from the album, "Call Me a Fool", featuring Carla Thomas. The video for "Call Me a Fool" was released on YouTube. To support the upcoming album, June made several live appearances on shows including CBS This Morning, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Kelly Clarkson Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In February 2021, June made her third appearance on KEXP; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the performance was recorded from her home.
The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers was released on March 12, 2021, through Fantasy Records. The record was co-produced by Jack Splash and written by June. The album received critical acclaim, and was awarded a score of 85/100 on Metacritic, based on 10 critics' reviews. Pitchfork described the album as her "most heavy-hearted" and "far-reaching" record, and praised June for exploring themes of "love and loss" throughout the album. The album The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers ranked No. 3 on the Top 100 Americana Radio Airplay Albums of 2021, as reported by the Americana Radio Airplay Albums Chart (powered by CDX) for the period of January 11, 2021, through December 14, 2021.
In November 2021, June received a Grammy nomination for Best American Roots Song for "Call Me a Fool", featuring Carla Thomas.
Apple featured June's song "You And I" in their 2021 Christmas holiday ad.

From 2022 to present

In June 2024, June appeared on Celebrity Family Feud alongside The War and Treaty and Earth, Wind & Fire. In the same year, she appeared as a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, where she discussed her music and latest projects. In September, she was featured in the premiere of Austin City Limits' 9th Annual Hall of Fame Honors, celebrating the legacy of John Prine.
In June 2024, June tapped Carla Thomas for the song "Friendship×Friendship1 July 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Friendship3:40," which honors the Stax Music Academy legacy and celebrates Mavis Staples' 85th birthday.
In February, June announced her upcoming album, Owls, Omens and Oracles, with the release of the single "Joy Joy".
In 2023, June contributed a rendition of "Strange Things Happening Every Day" to the documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything. The song was featured on the film's official soundtrack.

Live performances

Since 2013, June has performed between 50 and 100 live shows annually worldwide. In 2013, she opened for The Rolling Stones at BST Hyde Park in London. From 2017 to 2023, she was featured in major festivals and shared the stage with artists such as Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Jack Johnson, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, Gary Clark Jr., and John Prine.
In 2023, she toured with Dave Matthews at The Gorge Amphitheater and performed at the Newport Folk Festival alongside Floyd from The Muppets. In 2024, she was a guest performer on Tyler Childers' tour and performed with Trevor Hall at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
June has had extensive radio experience, including appearances on NPR's All Things Considered, First Listen, World Café, Fresh Air, and Mountain Stage, as well as BBC programs such as Loose Ends, Bob Howard's Program, and Woman's Hour. She has also been featured on shows like E-Town Radio, Elton John's Rocket Hour, KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, and Sirius XM Outlaw Country Live at Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion.

Orchestral and songwriting contributions

June's songwriting contributions include "High Note×High Note31 May 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1High Note3:02," which she wrote for Mavis Staples' 2016 album Livin' on a High Note, and "Train Fare," featured on the Blind Boys of Alabama's 2017 album Almost Home.
In 2018, she performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, followed by a performance with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in Cork City, Ireland, in 2019.

Maps for the Modern World

June completed a book that was released in April 2021 under her full name, Valerie June Hockett. Maps for the Modern World (Andrews McMeel) contains poems, artwork, and homilies that speak on ideas such as consciousness and mindfulness. Memphis Magazine said that the book makes it "official and indisputable" that June "is a poet".

Somebody to Love: The Story of Valerie June's Sweet Little Baby Banjolele

In 2022, June published Somebody to Love: The Story of Valerie June's Sweet Little Baby Banjolele through Third Man Books. The children's book tells the story behind her song "Somebody to Love," inspired by her own experiences with a cherished banjolele.

Light Beams: A Workbook for Being Your Badass Self

In 2023, June released Light Beams: A Workbook for Being Your Badass Self through Andrews McMeel. The interactive journal features essays, poetry, and writing prompts designed to encourage self-reflection, creativity, and personal growth.

With Bella Sun

No Crystal Stair (2004), Bella Sun Music