When you think of Miami, country music might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But that’s not the case for a rising Cuban-American star in Hialeah. Ricky Valido lives and breathes country and just released his first full-length album. Deco’s storyteller Alex Miranda has more to offer.
Hialeah native Ricky Valido isn’t just another country singer. This guy is so talented. On his new record, he even sings country in Spanish! And that signature style includes stories tailored specifically to South Florida. This is for us. So move over, Texas, we’ve heard way too much about you, a South Florida cowboy is ready to take over Nashville.
It’s a little bit country and a lot of Hialeah!
Ricky Valido: “Being born and raised here in Hialeah is a topic of conversation everywhere I go.”
Ricky Valido is a cowboy from Miami-Dade County.
Ricky Valido (vocals): “I met the devil on the railroad tracks. Look, mom, I’m not coming back. Nobody’s gonna pay my bail. Now the lawman’s on my tail.”
Mostly in the studio.
Ricky Valido: “I tell people I’m not a cowboy, I’m a cowboy singer.”
And has just released his first full album: Ricky Valido: A Collection of Songs.
Ricky Valido: “I’m heavily influenced by crooners like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. But I also try to mix that with my own thing.”
I also hear a bit of Johnny Cash. So no surprise…
Ricky Valido: “My music is more focused on darker feelings and moods. Also more of a retro sound, and I try to mix that with my own style.”
The new record is quite a nice collection.
Ricky Valido: “It’s a mix of modern and traditional sounds and also includes my first foray into the Spanish language.”
Like in the folk song “Borracho”.
Ricky Valido: “My heritage, my grandparents’ stories, my Cuban roots. I think it flows in quite naturally.”
Then there is “I miss, miss you, Mom,” a tribute to his great-grandmother.
Ricky Valido: “And I wanted it to be a song for all mothers, all mother figures, mothers who are with us and who are not here with us.”
And “Candle” is about the battle of Nashville’s great hopes.
Ricky Valido: “I started this project when I was eight years old, with the guitar, and then I started playing in honky-tonks, bars, and open mics. And then it evolved into me playing with my full band and, you know, becoming a recording artist.”
The Hialeah hillbilly, his words, not mine, will move you to tears as he strums the guitar strings. But if you, too, want to enter your own country era, Ricky says, head on over to…
Ricky Valido: “Thrift stores, flea markets, anywhere you see something cool, put it in your closet and have fun with it.”
Stream Ricky’s music anywhere. He also told me he’s planning another album about the Florida Everglades! How cool will that be?
For more information on merchandise and tour dates click here.
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