James Valentine (journalist)
James Matthew Valentine (born 1961) is an Australian musician, and radio and television presenter. As a saxophonist he was a member of Jo Jo Zep (1982), Models (1984–87) and Absent Friends (1989–90). Biography James Matthew Valentine was born in 1961 in Ballarat. His father was a car salesman and his mother taught elocution and was a part-time radio announcer. He has two older brothers. He attended Ballarat Grammar School where he learned saxophone, he described his performances in the local area, "a really bad jazz rock fusion gig." In the early 1980s Valentine relocated to Melbourne to attend university, he later recalled "First year I spent studying, and then I started getting gigs, and I didn't pay much attention to uni after that because I wanted to be a jazz musician." Valentine is also the author of a series of books for teenage boys, including the sci-fi novel trilogy JumpMan. Musical collaborations In 1982 James Valentine joined Joe Camilleri's group, Jo Jo Zep. Valentine, on saxophone, and Kate Ceberano (of I'm Talking), on lead vocals, were members of Diana Boss and the Extremes, a covers band which performed The Supremes material. Other members included James Freud (of Models) on bass