Val Young
Young was discovered in the late '70s by George Clinton, who incorporated her into the Brides Of Funkenstein, one of the many acts in his Funkadelic stable. After performing on the US hit Disco To Go, Young joined the Gap Band, where she was featured on the funk classic Oops Upside Your Head. She recorded five albums with the group before being spotted by another black music notable, Rick James. Impressed as much by her striking physical appearance as by her musical talents, James promoted her as the ‘black Marilyn Monroe’. He also produced her 1985 hit Seduction, a blatant attempt to capitalize on her erotic image. If You Should Ever Be Lonely was a successful follow-up in 1986, before Young left James's stable to forge a solo career on Amherst Records.