VICKI VICTORIA

Twin Cities local Vicki Victoria started singing professionally as a teenager with The Fore, a jazz quartet working supper clubs along the Wisconsin side of the St. Croix River, with extended engagements at The Terrace in Somerset and the Steamboat Inn in Prescott. Vicki recorded a 45 at Kaybank Studio in Minneapolis with The Fore, and the 1,000 copy pressing sold out during the time she appeared at The Terrace.

Vicki was the first female pop/rock singer in the Twin Cities. She first appeared at the Belmont Club in St. Paul, MN, in 1964 when she sang with Denny and The Tornados, who were billed as “The St. Paul Beatles.” The Tornados, who started performing in 1959, were one of the first rock bands in the area. Vicki and The Tornados went on to play extended engagements (several months to a year) at nightclubs in St. Paul and Minneapolis during the 1960’s.

In mid-1966 George Schaumburg opened The Red Carpet, a nightclub on 7th and Auditorium (behind Mickey’s Diner) in St. Paul. Vicki and The Tornados performed there four nights a week for about one year. The group was featured in a full-page ad for the establishment in the July 7-13, 1967 issue of See Saint Paul, a magazine telling visitors where to go and what to do. Next, Vicki and The Tornados went on to open Schaumburg’s newest bar/restaurant, George’s in the Park, in St. Louis Park, MN, where they performed six nights a week, until sometime in 1968. George’s became so popular, so fast, that at one point it was named one of the hottest nightclubs in the U.S. by Playboy Magazine.

During a trip to San Francisco in the Summer of Love in 1967 Vicki purchased several costumes by upcoming designers from The Velvet Underground, a shop located above the Jazz Workshop. Outfitted in these cutting edge designs and her Sassoon haircut (from the Horst of Austria Salon), Vicki was a sensation on stage for her look and performances.

Other long engagements in clubs of note were at The Manor Restaurant in St. Paul, 1968-1969, and at The Rusty Nail, 1969-1970.

In 1986 Vicki recorded an album of original material co-written with Minneapolis drummer Fred Masey, titled Victoria's Bullets. She became a member of ASCAP.

In 1997 Vicki released a CD of jazz and blues tunes produced by Willie Murphy. It features Murphy and Don Stille on piano, with a guest vocal by Murphy. The CD is titled I’m Having a Good Time! It received international air play. Locally it was played on KFAI-FM and KBEM-FM, where Vicki gave an on-air interview to promote the disc. It was sold at Best Buy, Musicland, Border’s Books, the Electric Fetus, and all independent record stores.

This dazzling “newcomer” and rockin’ romantic blues and jazz singer’s CD was listed as one of the top ten local discs in the Twin Cities in 1997 by Jim Meyer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, who wrote, “Jonny Lang gave hundreds of bar bands renewed hope, but Victoria came back from hiatus to give vintage blues and jazz new vitality.”

“Classic barrelhouse, barroom and bawdy blues dominate this entertaining effort from singer Vicki Victoria…the band is terrific…,” Bob Protzman, Saint Paul Pioneer Press.

“The songs Vicki Victoria sings are deliciously authentic, soulful and straight from the heart,” Jean Verstraete, Twin Cities Blues News.

Vicki’s CD release party was held at the historic Commodore Hotel in St. Paul. She then appeared at many Minneapolis clubs, including The Dakota, the Minneapolis Cafe, the Times Bar and Cafe, the Cafe Lux, the Calhoun Beach Club, The Minikahda Club, the Lone Oak Grill, and Hell’s Kitchen. She performed several summer concerts at the Lake Harriet Bandshell.

Private parties at which she entertained included a large corporate Christmas party, which was held in the ballroom of the Hotel Sofitel in Bloomington, and a New Year’s Eve Party at the Modern Cafe in Northeast Minneapolis.

In April 1999 Vicki sang a song she wrote titled Take Back The Night at the Take Back The Night rally on the University of Minnesota campus. She was interviewed on KFAI, where the song was played, to help promote the event.

On March 5, 2000 Vicki was one of the showcased singers at the KBEM/Twin Cities Jazz Festival at the Regal Hotel, Minneapolis.

While spending several winters in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Vicki sang with a group of Mexican musicians in front of the Marisol Hotel, overlooking the Bay of Banderas. The band excelled in Latin music but was well versed in American standards. Occasionally a Twin Cities’ tourist would be surprised after recognizing Vicki as the singer on stage. A particularly good evening would end with “bravos” from the audience and roses being tossed on stage.

Vicki recalls a fond memory: During a winter vacation in Palm Springs, California, Vicki gave an impromptu performance at a New Year’s Eve party for guests of the hotel at which she was staying. There was an open bar, a lovely buffet, and a room full of wonderful people, but no entertainment. After the crowd settled in, Vicki stood in the center of the room and started singing “Satin Doll.” She continued with a string of Tin Pan Alley tunes, finishing the set to a round of appreciative applause.

During the next set she was joined by a tall, distinguished gentleman in a fine silk suit. In his rich, beautiful voice he sang duets with Vicki, and they took turns singing. The mystery man started the third set by doing standup comedy. He had perfect timing and delivery. His jokes were hilarious and had everyone doubled over with laughter. He and Vicki did a fourth set, singing together again, ending the night in a round of thunderous applause. This delightfully entertaining man was a retired vaudevillian, who had had a career on the East Coast, had worked the Borscht Belt, and had appeared in all of the Three Stooges’ movies. He was living in Los Angeles and had come to Palm Springs with two lady friends for the New Year’s weekend.

Vicki often sang with Willie Murphy at his Blue Monday jam sessions, held at the Viking Bar on Cedar Riverside, and at the Richfield American Legion. Vicki was singing with Willie during his last performance, which was at the Legion on December 10, 2018.

Although The Fore disbanded after their long, successful run at The Terrace, Vicki joined them for annual band reunion performances at a popular locals’ bar in Wisconsin.

Vicki’s recordings are catalogued in the library of the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Also, her recordings are on Apple iTunes, Spotify, and Sound Cloud, which streams music to listeners in countries throughout the world, such as on Amazon Echo in Spain and the UK. A recording and two of her videos are featured on the Twenty First Century Minnesota Music History Channel, and she is a spotlighted artist on
FreeAudioPlayer MN, which is a cyber community of indie artists in Minnesota.