{"id":974,"date":"2015-10-27T15:41:57","date_gmt":"2015-10-27T19:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/?p=974"},"modified":"2021-07-06T13:23:06","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T17:23:06","slug":"cowboy-crooner-ricky-valido-makes-his-mark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/cowboy-crooner-ricky-valido-makes-his-mark\/","title":{"rendered":"Cowboy Crooner Makes His Mark"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wearing a white cattleman cowboy hat, a black T-shirt, blue jeans and brown embroidered boots, standing 5 feet and 11 inches tall, Ricky Valido, stepped up to the microphone on the main stage at Uncle Tom\u2019s BBQ in Homestead recently to play his latest song I Love Livin\u2019<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGuitars and muscle cars\/whiskey and women\/I like drinking\/I like women.\u201d Valido, 22, sang in a country drawl while strumming his acoustic guitar.<\/span><\/p>\n

In front of an audience of more than 60 people, Valido performed on the wooden platform with his band, the Hialeah Hillbillies. Following the rhythm of his songs, he occasionally leaned back and forth into the microphone while smiling at the crowd. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Cuban-American from Hialeah is an MDC student studying environmental sciences at North Campus. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vintage records open a new world<\/b><\/p>\n

Valido\u2019s first encounter with country music was during his middle school years \u2014 while leafing through his grandfather’s records collection. There he found the family\u2019s affinity to the country lifestyle.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just kind of stumbled upon some of his old records and I was amazed by the cool vibe that old country music has,\u201d Valido said. \u201cThat\u2019s when I said \u2018Wow, this is music that I am really attracted to.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ricky<\/a>
Hialeah Cowboy: North Campus student Ricky Valido performs at Uncle Tom’s BBQ in Homestead on Oct. 9. ELI ABASI \\ THE REPORTER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, he epitomizes the country lifestyle. Practicing several times a week in his personal studio replete with sound control systems, a collection of guitars and a PA sound setup. His weekends are filled with performances around South Florida\u2019s country bars and social venues.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Cuba, Orlando Valido, his grandfather, was a <\/span>guajiro<\/span><\/i>, a rural man from the countryside, before emigrating to the United States in the late 1960\u2019s. The family settled in South Florida \u2014 where Valido was born and raised.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first instrument Valido picked up was a six string, nylon brown, guitar when he was eight. His mother and grandmother saved to buy him the guitar. <\/span><\/p>\n

Valido\u2019s career as a musician began during his time at Hialeah Senior High School when he started writing and composing melodies for his own songs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGetting into high school, I was exposed to country music [because] I would listen to it on the radio,\u201d Valido said. \u201cThat\u2019s when it truly started happening, this journey of [singing] country music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Though Valido did not always grow up listening to country music. His parents both enjoyed classic rock and that is the music Valido ventured toward before dedicating himself to country music. <\/span><\/p>\n

Those early encounters with his parents\u2019 musical taste molded his writing style.<\/span><\/p>\n

Valido considers himself a young man with an old soul. His music instills the old country melody, a more melodramatic sound, that complements his bass voice. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the years, Valido\u2019s biggest supporters have been his parents. His father, Enrique Valido, is his righthand man, the point of contact for venues and his general manager. Valido\u2019s mother takes the role of clerk. She ensures that all paperwork is in order as per government regulations. <\/span><\/p>\n

Blending genres and identity<\/b><\/p>\n

A Cuban-American involved in country music is not unique.<\/span><\/p>\n

Valido adds himself to the growing list of Cuban-American artists that have made their contribution to this music genre. Sammy Arriaga<\/span><\/a>, also a Miami native, now living in Nashville, TN., is at the epicenter of the genre, having found success in the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contemporary country music has evolved in the last five years with artists experimenting with new genres said Tim Conlon, director of music at Kiss Country 99.9 FM. Conlon said it is becoming harder to recognize a country song because of its expansion and addition of non-traditional country sounds. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not your \u2018mom and pop\u2019 country music anymore,\u201d Conlon said. \u201cThe artists are making country off of stuff that they hear. You might not know it is a country song cus\u2019 it doesn\u2019t have the twinge and stuff like old country used to have.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In his \u201c69 Camaro\u201d video from Valido\u2019s album, South of the South<\/em>, there are keys to the South Florida location. In it, heavyset men smoking fat cigars play dominoes surrounded by palm trees. But the rest has all the hallmarks of a typical country video \u2014 a barn setting, horses, guns, pickup trucks, moonshine, cowboy hats and even a Confederate flag.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cowboy_02\"<\/a>

Downbeat: MDC student Ricky Valido performed at Uncle Tom’s BBQ in Homestead on Oct. 9. Valido’s country songs embrace old country melodies with melodramatic sound. ELI ABASI \\ THE REPORTER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Conlon said, as a Hispanic, Valido posses a special advantage on other rising artists in the industry. His music can break norms and stereotypes. Conlon thinks Valido could hold a unique key to the Latino community and the expansion of country music into new horizons. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Cuban-American country singer is proud of his ancestry. <\/span><\/p>\n

But what he truly wants is for his fans to see his music beyond his Latino background. He wants the masses to truly embody his music for what it is.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want my audience to understand the type of approach that I am giving to country music,\u201d Valido said. \u201cI am not the stereotypical country music singer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In South Florida, a growing number of diverse fans are filling amphitheaters from Palm Beach to Homestead according to Conlon. He has seen an increased interest in contemporary country music among the Latino community. <\/span><\/p>\n

Valido\u2019s first independently produced debut album (not yet titled) will be release later this year. It will include 12 original songs. The young singer hopes to take his music to the next level by traveling outside of the state, pursuing his dream and reaching audiences around the country and world while staying independent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really don\u2019t want any tie-ins with any label right now,\u201d Valido said. \u201cI want to have a chance to develop and explore different things before I get to where I want to get to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Valido will be performing at the Science Complex at North Campus, 11380 N.W. 27 Ave., on Nov. 4 at a yet to be determined time. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wearing a white cattleman cowboy hat, a black T-shirt, blue jeans and brown embroidered boots, standing 5 feet and 11 inches tall, Ricky Valido, stepped up to the microphone on the main stage at Uncle Tom\u2019s BBQ in Homestead recently to play his latest song I Love Livin\u2019. \u201cGuitars and muscle cars\/whiskey and women\/I like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2748],"tags":[552,2038],"class_list":{"0":"post-974","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-north-campus","9":"tag-hialeah","10":"tag-country-music"},"yoast_head":"\nCowboy Crooner Makes His Mark<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ricky Valido, an environmental sciences student at North Campus, has seen his 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