About Lee Valentine Smith
Lee Valentine Smith is celebrating his thirty-fifth year as an entertainment journalist. He has interviewed many of the architects of popular music as well as icons of film, television, theater and comedy.
Career highlights include conversations with Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, James Brown, Tony Bennett, Bo Diddley, Robert Plant, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, The Beach Boys’ Mike Love and Al Jardine, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork of The Monkees, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, Go-Go’s, Bangles, Dave Brubeck, Todd Rundgren, Bill Burr, Bill Maher, Jason Alexander, Sandra Bernhard, Billy Bob Thornton, Ed Asner, Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren.
In a decade with influential alt-weekly Creative Loafing in Atlanta, he served as full-time editorial contributor, Local Music News editor, photographer and podcaster. During this era, he also played guitar and sang onstage with a number of bands on college radio stalwart WRAS, at prominent rock clubs, Drive-Invasion, the Inman Park Festival and Music Midtown. A frequent guest on local and syndicated radio, he has appeared on CBS and Air America.
He has worked with the Hollywood Walk Of Fame committee, partnered with New York, Nashville, Memphis, Branson and Georgia Tourism Commissions, created promotional and branding campaigns, managed hard rock, pop and folk artists and produced a number of live performances and internet broadcasts.
He is also a visual artist. His photographs, paintings and prints have shown in galleries across the United States and featured in international publications. He was Art Director, curator and author of extensive liner notes for the Go-Go’s Beauty And The Beat, 30th Anniversary Edition LP/CD/digital worldwide release on IRS/Capitol/EMI.
This summer he’s scheduled to participate in a number of events to benefit national human and animal rights organizations. He actively supports gun legislation as well as environmental and health care reform.
Lee Valentine Smith 