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Written by Dan Goss, editor of Disco Museum
www.discomuseum.com/VictoriaWallace.html
Music legend Richard Barrett had an idea to take three teenage girls and groom them into a stylish ensemble that would represent Three Degrees of Excellence. THE THREE DEGREES, (known as Prince Charles Favorite Group after being invited to perform at his 30th birthday party at Buckingham Palace,) have recorded "When Will I See You Again" (..1 at the Tokyo Music Festival in 1974), "Maybe," "Dirty Old Man," "Love Is The Message" and the highly recognized "TSOP" (known as the Soul Train Theme) during their on-going 40+ year career.
The "Guiness Book Of World Records" hails the Three Degrees as "the longest continually performing female trio." Into this institution Victoria Wallace has made her mark as the youngest on-going member to record and perform with Valerie Holiday and Helen Scott. The trio of lovely ladies have delighted fans worldwide, from here in the U.S. to England and Japan.
Viki, who had done various projects with Richard Barrett prior to the Three Degrees, has musical roots that go deep. As a child in Grant Town, West Virginia she recalls being exposed to everything from classical music to rhythm and blues. As with many great singers her first musical performances were as choir director in her local church.
Upon graduation from high school she made the bold move to Pittsburgh and enrolled in the Barbizon School of Modeling. Her classic beauty, poise and grace made her a natural instructor when she later moved to Philadelphia. It was her move to "the city of brotherly love" that changed her life and set the path of her career. At an early age Viki was inspired to begin writing songs from the sounds emanating out of Philadelphia. One of the city's most prolific songwriters was Linda Creed.
Linda Creed penned the classics: "You Make Me Feel Brand New," "Then Came You," "Betcha By Golly Wow," "Old Friend" and hundreds of others with collaborator Thom Bell. After penning "The Greatest Love Of All," (with Michael Masser), Creed unfortunately died of breast cancer. Sadly Viki never got the chance to meet Linda, but ironically a few years later she was introduced to Stephen Eppy Epstein, Lindas husband and former manager of War. Their friendship has inspired Viki to carry on her idol's songwriting legacy.
Earning a B.A. in Music Education from Combs College of Music, has given her the unique ability to entertain worldwide singing in Japanese, Spanish, French, Italian and German. Quickly becoming one of Philadelphia's premier vocalists led to Bruce Hawes, (a producer/songwriter for Philadelphia International Records,) tapping Viki to be the lead singer with the group ION. George Carey, a well known Philly entrepreneur, managed the band along with his business partner George Dutton. They took Viki under their wing and welcomed her as part of their vision. Thru their connections ION found themselves showcasing for the legendary Stevie Wonder. Stevie was so impressed that Victoria and ION were invited to perform at the rally which led to the recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday. The event, held in Washington, DC, is a landmark in American history.
Over the next several years Viki collaborated on projects with Derrick Graves, Bobby Eli, Norman Harris, Donald Robinson, John and Danny Sembello, and Sister Sledge, to name a few. Then Viki received a call from Kae Williams, Williams best known as founder of the group Breakwater and producer of the disco hit "Catch Me I'm Falling" (by Pretty Poison). Kae simply said I have a recording session I want to hire you for, are you interested? The answer, an unequivocal yes, led Viki into Sigma Sound Studios. There she was introduced to George Howard who invited her to record the duets "Brand New" and "All Made Over" for his debut album "Asphalt Garden," released on Palo Alto Records.George Howard's 1985 "Dancing In The Sun," along with "A Nice Place To Be," "Reflections," "Personal" and "Love Will Follow" established him as a well-known artist in the Jazz community. The two became lifelong friends until Howard's untimely death from colon cancer on March 29, 1998.
Viki also credits Kae Williams for introducing her to Jacques Fred Petrus and Mauro Malavasi, the executive producers of CHANGE. Well-known guitarist Mike Tyler was across the pond working with B&&Q, another Kae Williams collaboration, when he recruited Viki to replace Change lead singer Debra Cooper on tour. CHANGE remains the most successful project of Petrus & Malavasi, was an early showcase for Luther Vandross' vocals. Best known for their hit songs : "A Lovers Holiday," "The Glow Of Love" and "Searching."
Victoria then had the pleasure of working as a singer/keyboardist for Freddie Empire at Atantic Citys Trump Castle. Freddies high-energy show is a staple of the Las Vegas music scene. Soon after Viki relocated to Allentown, at the request of Bussy Willis. Willis, manager of Kool & The Gang, coaxed Victoria in to performing as her alter ego Tori Rock. As Tori she performed with Bussy's group Gigolo. For the the next two years Victoria/aka Tori Rock toured with Gigolo in the Lehigh Valley, Canada and Eastern Pennsylvania as their featured singer and backup keyboard player.
Viki has enjoyed a long standing professional and personal friendship with Richard Barrett until his death in 2006. Richard is known as a songwriter, manager and producer of such talented acts The Valentines, The Chantels, Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers, and Little Anthony & the Imperials. Richard is also known for being the founder and manager of the world renowned female trio The Three Degrees . Without a doubt this is the most outstanding accomplishment in Viki's career.
After Sheila Ferguson decided to explore a solo career Viki got an offer to from Valerie and Helens manager to fly to Atlanta and take Sheilas place on the album THE THREE DEGREESAND HOLDING on Ichiban Records. One memorable event for Viki (as part of The Three Degrees) is singing at the request of The Duchess of Gloucester. Viki has also toured with Scott and Holiday alongside Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes and Bily Paul while recording the live album TSOP The Monument Live.
Viki can be heard on the song A Woman In Love which is featured on various Three Degrees compilations as well as the video for the single A Tender Lie on Youtube. After recommending friend and musical partner, Cynthia Garrison, as her replacement with the Holiday/Scott Three Degrees she continues with Barrett as part of his authentic and original Three Degrees. The group often appears at venues such as The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
Presently Viki is working in the recording studio with the legendary Philly bass man Derrick Graves. Theres no doubt that with her winning combination of beauty, brains and talent that Viki Wallace will be delighting audiences for a long time. For pictures, fan club information and a touring schedule log on to Mastermind Productions Entertainment at:
www.mastermindproductionsentertainment.com/victoriawallace.h
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