John Valenti -

John Valenti is an American vocalist and drummer from Chicago who played in the Motown brass-rock act Puzzle. As a solo artist, he released the 1976 soul-pop album Anything You Want on Ariola America. In 1981, he resurfaced with I Won’t Change.

Background

John Valenti was born John LiVigni in Chicago, Illinois. He joined saxophonist Larry Klimas in the Outfit as a teenage singer-drummer and worked Chicago and Detroit clubs.

Valenti carried that South Side club background into Puzzle, a Chicago group that developed from the same band circuit. He fronted Puzzle on two Motown albums in 1973 and 1974. After Motown canceled a planned third Puzzle album, Valenti moved into solo releases.

Valenti returned to the John LiVigni name for two 1975 singles on the LA-based Raintree label. In June he released “Gimme Some Lovin’,” a cover of the Spencer Davis Group classic backed with “Driving Back to You,” an original co-written with Broadway veteran Danny Meehan. Raintree founder Phil Jones engineered the single and co-produced its August followup, “Machines,” another LiVigni/Meehan track with the same B-side. “Machines” reached the Billboard Hot 100 in October.

LiVigni reclaimed the John Valenti name for his subsequent Ariola America deal.

Anything You Want

John Valenti released his debut solo album, Anything You Want, in 1976 on Ariola America.

The album presents vocal soul-pop with funk and disco material, performed by Valenti with roughly a dozen session players, including bassist Jim Hughart, drummer Jim Gordon, keyboardist Mike Melvoin, and guitarists Dean Parks and Jay Graydon. Valenti also recorded covers of songs associated with Frank Sinatra (“Time After Time”) and Jackie Wilson (“Higher and Higher”).

Musically, “Anything You Want” asserts dance orientation while “Why Don’t We Fall in Love” adopts smoother tones and broader chord movement.

A1. “Anything You Want” (3:16) – Valenti–Spinazola
A2. “Was It Something I Said” (3:23) – Valenti
A3. “I Wrote This Song For You” (3:16) – Valenti–Spinazola
A4. “Morning Song” (3:10) – Valenti–Spinazola
A5. “Time After Time” (3:52) – Styne–Cahn

B1. “Why Don’t We Fall In Love” (3:34) – Valenti–Spinazola
B2. “Higher And Higher” (3:08) – Jackson–Miner–Smith
B3. “Save Me” (3:05) – Janning–Peters
B4. “The Day After You” (3:30) – Meehan–Valenti
B5. “I Love Her Too” (3:30) – Brourman–Rainer
B6. “That’s The Way Life Goes” (3:24) – Valenti

Sessions occurred at RCA Studios A and B in Hollywood with producer Bob Cullen, executive producer Phil Jones, and engineers Grover Helsley and Richie Schmitt. Artie Butler arranged “Was It Something I Said” and “I Love Her Too,” and Mark Peters arranged the remaining album titles. Ruby Mazur created the album artwork. Paul Levy provided sleeve photography.

Ariola America issued “Anything You Want” as a May 1976 single (b/w “That’s The Way Life Goes”), which reached No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. The label followed with “I Wrote This Song For You” (b/w “Morning Song”) in October 1976 and “I Love Her Too” in January 1977 as later Ariola America singles.

I Won’t Change

John Valenti released his second solo album, I Won’t Change, in 1981 on RCA in Japan.

The album contains three Valenti songs, one David Garfield–Valenti song, and six Gary Goetzman–Mike Piccirillo songs. Valenti recorded the album with roughly a dozen players, including bassist Keni Burke, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, trumpeter Chuck Findley, and backing singers Darlene Love and Edna Wright.

I Won’t Change uses modern keyboard surfaces, brass accents, and clipped rhythm figures around Valenti’s cleaner lead placement. The arrangements favor mid-tempo control over wide dynamic shifts, with short song forms and softened ensemble edges.

A1. “Who Will It Be” (4:29) – Goetzman–Piccirillo
A2. “Did She Mention Me” (2:46) – Goetzman–Piccirillo
A3. “I’ll Take You Back” (4:29) – Valenti
A4. “That’s The Way Love Goes” (3:11) – Goetzman–Piccirillo
A5. “Best For You” (4:09) – Valenti

B1. “I Won’t Change” (3:07) – Goetzman–Piccirillo
B2. “Stephanie” (3:57) – Valenti
B3. “Runnin’ Scared” (3:41) – Goetzman–Piccirillo
B4. “Make It Up To You” (3:44) – Garfield–Valenti
B5. “Fight For Love” (3:23) – Goetzman–Piccirillo

Sessions occurred at Studio Sound Recorders in North Hollywood with producer-arranger George Tobin and engineers Howard Lee Wolen and Mark Wolson. Tobin and Mike Piccirillo mixed the album at Studio Sound Recorders. RVC Corporation manufactured the Japanese edition under RCA copyright.

Discography: