Quality Americana

Ricky Valido brings us his latest single “Lost Lyrics and Old Memories,” a work that explores his Cuban-American heritage.

The video opens with a picturesque view of the Florida coast and Valido crafting lyrics with one of his vintage typewriters. The baritone singer mixes traditional folk themes with the timeless pedal steel guitar for a wonderful dedication to his loved ones.

“It was a poem that I wrote about memories,” Valido said. “They’re always going to be lingering around, especially the good ones.”

Valido said he lost the original poem, which led to the title. 

“These are lost lyrics,” Valido said, “the words in the poem, and actually reconnecting with that piece and finding it.” 

It’s a preview for his second full-length album that will continue to explore country-western and Latin themes.

The Hialeah Hillbilly

Valido grew up in Hialeah, a small town outside of Miami where he started performing just as he was graduating high school. He remembered being one of the few students walking the halls in turquoise and leather soles. 

“I was sort of an odd ball because I would wear my belt buckles, my cowboy boots. I would listen to a lot of the stuff kids during that time weren’t listening to,” Valido said. “I was listening to Buck Owens, and Elvis, and Waylon, Otis Redding and just an eclectic mixture of music. A lot of it was classic country-western.” 

The nickname his friends gave him back then was the “Hialeah Hillbilly.” Valido carved the moniker into a plaque for a woodshop project that still hangs in his studio today.  

“That sort of became the name of my first band,” Valido said. “I started playing a lot of covers just to get my foot in the door. A lot of cover nights in Miami. I opened up for some punk bands, indie bands, and even afro-jazz bands. It was a different circuit at the time, but it let me explore and experiment with my sound.”

His father was a Cuban immigrant and stagehand at the Hollywood Sportatorium, a large venue that hosted classic rock and pop stars that were climbing up the charts. His mother was an American-born Cuban that was raised in New Jersey. 

“She was exposed to a lot of different music, and I guess blending the places they were born and raised, and the music kind of informed me early on.”

Valido was interested in storytelling from a young age, excelling in his writing courses and penning short stories. His grandfather taught him about country music.

“Although he was Cuban and didn’t know the English language very well, he had an old vinyl record collection,” Valido said. “A lot of them were Cuban folk records, but amongst them there was like George Jones and Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash, and he would put those on. As a kid I really didn’t pay too much attention to them, but as I got older and he passed away, I was able to take a deeper appreciation for the music he was playing for me at the time.”

When his grandmother gifted him a guitar at eight years old, he started taking lessons with Carlos Valdez, a gifted instructor that later became his mentor and lead guitarist. Valido remembered the time he expressed his desire to sing.

“He kind of looked at me sideways,” Valido said. “‘Like really you want to sing?’” 

The work paid off though, and Valido started building a name for himself in South Florida as one of the few country-roots focused artists. “Lost Lyrics and Old Memories,” is a beautiful dedication to the people that inspired him.

Borracho

One track off Valido’s debut full-length album goes back to his Cuban roots. “Borracho” explores spaghetti western and folk themes with Spanish lyrics. 

“That’s sort of the beginning of what I feel I’m going to be putting out more,” Valido said. “A fusion of things in the Spanish language.” 

Valido said recording the song brought back the memories of spinning traditional albums on the front porch with his grandparents. 

“They would get together on the weekend and just play music,” Valido said. “I felt like when I was singing that, I was sort of singing with them. Country music has always been something that I’ve wanted to pay respect to in my own music, although I feel like now I’m starting to find out that my music is sort of branching out to different things and different influences are starting to show more.”

“Borracho” was also influenced by the old spaghetti western shows his grandfather would watch.

“Some of those films, I don’t think they even had sound, but the images of the territory, the west, that culture, it stuck with me,” Valido said. 

The culture inspired Valido to start wearing the traditional ranch wear and cowboy hat his grandfather wore. 

“It’s not just a statement for me,” Valido said, “it’s part of my DNA since I was a kid. It’s something my elders always wore, so it kind of felt natural for me to wear too.”

Valido is in a unique place to represent the traditional music that comes from Cuba and the country and western traditions that the Latin population inspired in the Southwest.

“I’ve been doing this for close to ten years, but I feel like every year it gets a little stronger, the following and the awareness,” Valido said. “It’s very grassroots, very organic with the way I put out things. It’s a family operated business.” 

It’s been a difficult task to break into the club scene in South Florida, as rock and top 40 country are the more featured styles for larger venues. Promoters have taken a chance on Valido and his fan base in a place where there are few honky tonks and two-step nights. 

“I live in a city where the first language seems to be Spanish, so people talk Spanish before they talk English,” Valido said. “That’s been cool to see people show up to shows and support the music that don’t even really know the language, but they can relate to the sound, and the story, and the feel, and the sentiment in the songs.” 

Valido’s grandfather has been an avid supporter as well, often out in the crowd.

Support the Artist

Valido has been recording in Nashville, and hopes to perform there in the future as they branch out from their region. They recently supported Ward Davis on a small tour, and his father is also now serving as the band’s road manager.

More information about Ricky Valido can be found here.

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