By Gale Stoddard
Seven years ago, popular singer and performer and Filipino recording artist Roland Valentino, who is part of the “Ultimate Musical Duo” performing group, was rushed to Kaiser Hospital after experiencing a second stroke within four months time.
He was immediately transferred to the Sunset/Hollywood Stroke Center where he lingered for a few weeks. Then it was home to recuperate, as there were still more shows to do.
After six weeks, he decided to do more shows for the Southland Retirement Communities as half of the Ultimate Musical Duo.
Doctors worried about his diabetes, which lingered at the 14-level function.
Now, his current reading is a dangerous 2-level, which has necessitated three-weekly kidney dialysis procedures that are painful, but he remains brave, continuing to perform. He has been on the waiting list for a kidney transplant for the last five years.
Every show performed by the Duo has been well-received throughout the hundreds of independent assisted-and-memory care facilities.
The current flier from a recent show reads: “The multi-talented musical entertainers whose repertoire of thousands of songs performed from memory always astounds. The Philippine-born artists who have an impressive musical background credits their success to God.” Residents who remember memories associated with the songs performed often cry unabashedly, hundred year old ladies and gentlemen confessing that his songs brought them back to a special place when they were in their youth.
In years past, God was not a big part of Valentino’s upbringing because he moved a lot, first, from his birthplace of Tondo a Manila suburb then to Hawaii and many homes thereafter. He developed very few friends and calls himself an introvert.
In the Filipino show business world his birthplace of Tondo is akin to a South LA where a lot of successful movie stars and recording artists were born.
Growing up, Valentino was surrounded with constant music by his father who was a professional nightclub instrumentalist and singer. From a family of eight children, Valentino is the only one who inherited his father’s musical genes. He was belting the song “Downtown” at age three.
At age nine, he was a singing sensation playing the ukulele and masquerading as a local Hawaiian boy, while serenading honeymooners on Waikiki Beach.
At 18, he was starring in musical theatre at LA City College. At 23, he was one of the singer/dancers of the Debbie Reynolds, “Thalians Group,” and when he turned 28, he won the coveted prize at the grand Philippine Vocal Talent show securing a much-coveted recording contract from Villar Records in Manila. He went on to record five more albums. The poignantly-mesmerizing lyrics Roland wrote for much-acclaimed “Christmas Without You,” is now in the 9/11 Memorial Museum at the New World Trade Center. He rewrote the lyrics and rededicated it to the 9/11 victims. It was also submitted for a movie project but was turned down because of its overly sentimental lyrics written after the loss of Valentino’s mother, Stella.
She was the one who was instrumental in his sojourn to America because she was working for the then Admiral John McCain, Jr. at Pearl Harbor.
After Valentino’s second stroke, he said he had an epiphany that God was working through him and that God had saved his life for a reason.
That understanding knocked him like a lightning bolt and that’s when he realized he was destined to do bigger things. He was going to clean up his act, attend mass, pray everyday, live for God and learn more about Him. He felt God gave him the mission to sing and spread Joy in the Lord’s name throughout the many retirement communities where he would continue to perform.
That was seven years ago; now he’s enjoying unheard of musical success, so much so, that the Ultimate Musical Duo is having to turn down shows when there are so many starving musicians looking for steady gigs in the dire musical landscape.The residents’ verdict? “The finest musical show we’ve ever seen and heard. It’s like watching a well-produced Vegas show.” The buzz started seven years ago and still today the residents swear up and down they are the very best the Retirement Community has to offer in terms of entertainment.
“What’s the secret to landing so many gigs?” he was asked. “We go out there in person and promote ourselves by doing a mini show and once the activities director observes the resident’s reaction, we get booked for the whole year.”
It is their humility, friendliness and unassuming presence and crediting God for their success that appeals to the audience. How many people can say you get applause by simply walking into a room ready to set up your PA system? That would make anybody’s head big.The Ultimate Duo takes it all in stride as they smile and say a grateful thanks. Hence their calendar is full into 2018.
Valentino walks with a limp; a reminder of the strokes; he gets tired easily and can’t socialize too much for fear of catching a virus but he keeps on singing. In his private moments, he keeps to himself, working on different recording projects. He’s also a professional audio engineer and owns his own recording studio. This added talent helps enormously in making the Duo’s BOSE PA system sound professionally awesome.
To date, Valentino has co-written dozens of songs that are receiving radio airplay all over the world including Germany, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Scotland, Austria and in the United States.
He admits doing back-to-back shows all week can be tiring, so downtime is mandatory.
His addiction is driving around to discover new and quaint restaurants for great foods.
He said he’s glad the audience doesn’t notice the painful and meticulously slow motions he has to take as he prepares to belt out his opening song. Doing stage patter is difficult.
Drinking an energy drink before a show to summon stamina is a must; breathing can be frustrating, and the long distance travel to and from the shows are tiring. But once the lights come up and he hears the sparkling piano twinkling in the background for his cue, he takes a deep breath, bows his head and prays for God’s help. He starts to relax and is able to breathe. The audience welcomes him with thunderous applause as he looks at the sea of faces waiting as they’ve done so many times before the strokes.
After a few piano intro riffs, his unmistakably soothing voice begins a familiar Route 66 opening song, the audience reacts by singing along and becomes one with the show.
The audience marvels as he reaches the high notes; residents cry openly and are in awe at what they are witnessing knowing he just came from another kidney dialysis session.
They ask themselves how can someone who suffered two major strokes, along with having a dying kidney sing so fantastically? Surely there is a higher power at work here.
Valentino smiles and looks in the distance, “Despite my health issues and my voice only working at 70-percent, life is great; the many thousands of people attending the shows are wonderful; love flows during all of the shows,” he says. “Lastly, I’m truly blessed; I have no regrets. It’s the way it is and I love my God. He gives me strength, His Own Magnificent Strength as He walks with me through this life’s treacherous journey. For He has plans for me. God’s generosity is not dampened by the loss of my two octave vocal range when I used to belt out operas and R and B with gusto. His eyes light up when he recalls a childhood dream that came true when he sang “Christmas in Brazil”(aka Santa’s Samba written by the legendary Ray Evans who wrote, “Silver Bells,” “Mona Lisa,” “Que Sera Sera” and other famous hits) on ABC World News Tonight with Brian Rooney on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 2006 and watched by 20 million viewers.
“Nobody knows the pain I go through before a show, low energy, pain on my left side,fingers cramping and the voice is weak. But miraculously once the lights come on and I am holding the microphone with the excited audience waiting for the first song, everything comes together. I come alive because there is only one person running the show and that’s God. The audience (fully aware of my health history) is in rapture and literally rejoice to what they are hearing. And I am singing to the world, ‘look at me; I am a miracle.’ At this time, I find my heart enlarged with love, my hope rekindled and my faith stronger in every show. The more I give of my talent despite the agony of a being a twice stroke survivor, the more I am blessed by God a hundredfold. The more I give of myself, the bigger the harvest God is planning for me.The ultimate goal is to spread Joy in the Lord’s Name through Music in gratitude for this God-given talent. I hope the multitude of listeners is aware of the Ultimate Duo’s goal and purpose – giving God the glory he so richly deserves by sharing our musical talents till He calls me home.”
