Valerie Day (born November 20, 1959) is an American pop and jazz singer. Born in Portland, Oregon, she is a fourth-generation Oregonian, and grew up in a musical family.[1] She was the lead singer and a founding member of the 1980s dance band Nu Shooz, with her husband John Smith.[2]
Day's performances with Nu Shooz had mixed reviews. She and Smith were credited with "rewriting the book" on Portland's R&B sound.[3] One reviewer at the Seattle Times described her as having a "tough but perky wholesome image," and praised her dancing and conga playing, but opined that she over-used a certain vocal hook, and was reluctant to step out as the star of the group.[4]
Day has taken on other musical genres. In the late 1990s she was a featured singer in the Woody Hite Big Band. She recorded an album of duets with pianist Tom Grant in 2005.[5]
Also in 2005, Day won a contest to have an image of her lips used in the new corporate logo for Portland's Hot Lips Pizza as part of the company's 21st anniversary.[6]
From 2010 to 2014, Day was an adjunct professor at Portland State University, where she taught Contemporary/Jazz Voice.[7]