Background
James Matthew Valentine was born in about 1962 in Ballarat. His father was a car salesman and his mother taught elocution and was a part-time radio announcer.
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James Valentine
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He attended Ballarat Grammar School where he learned saxophone, he described his performances in the local area, "a really bad jazz rock fusion gig." In the early 1980s Valentine relocated to Melbourne to attend university, he later recalled "First year I spent studying, and then I started getting gigs, and I didn"t pay much attention to uni after that because I wanted to be a jazz musician.".
Career
He has two older brothers. Musical collaborations In 1982 James Valentine joined Joe Camilleri"s group, Jo Jo Zep. Other members included James Freud (of Models) on bass guitar, Barton Price (also of Models) on drums and Zan Abeyratne (of I"m Talking, with Ceberano) on co-lead vocals.
He described his experience, "The rhythm section of that band was The Models.
When that finished, they asked me to go on tour with them and then I never left. All of a sudden I was in this popular band wearing black leather jackets." Valentine joined Models in late 1984, when they relocated to Sydney and he played saxophone with them until 1987, the group broke up in June of the following year.
Valentine joined Absent Friends on saxophone and clarinet in 1989, they recorded a lone album, Here"s Looking Up Your Address (April 1990). He also worked for Wendy Matthews (ex-Models, Absent Friends) on her debut solo album, Émigré (November 1990).
Radio and television presenter Valentine has been a music and television journalist and radio and television presenter.
He was the host of The Afternoon Show on American Broadcasting Company television, children"s afternoon television series, from February 1987 until 1990. He continued at the American Broadcasting Company as a presenter of television television As a radio presenter he worked on 666 American Broadcasting Company Canberra and later presented an afternoon show on 702 American Broadcasting Company Sydney. Valentine wrote and presented comedy sketches on air for the American Broadcasting Company"s Humour Australia website.
Membership
As a saxophonist he was a member of Jo Jo Zep (1982), Models (1984-1987) and Absent Friends (1989-1990). Valentine, on saxophone, and Kate Ceberano (of I"m Talking), on lead vocals, were members of Diana Boss and the Extremes, a covers band which performed The Supremes material. As a member of Models he appears on their studio albums, Out of Mind, Out of Sight (September 1985) and Models" Media (October 1986).
