JVA Artists Corporation, the largest booking and management talent agency on the West Coast and in Northern California, recently celebrated its 28th year in the music business this year. Jess Vielma, who founded JVA in 1982, and is the President, Founder, and Senior Agent of the company, spoke about the anniversary earlier this week.
"When I started this agency, I knew that all my hard work would pay off someday," he said. "I know that not many major artist management agencies can say that they've been open for business for a quarter-century, so I consider that a major milestone in my life and the music business in general."
JVA Artists Corporation, is one of the longest continuously operating management and talent agencies wholly headquartered in California, and specializes in a variety of genres and styles. They include Classic R&B, Funk, Soul, Motown, Disco, Urban Contemporary, Smooth Jazz, Latin-Rock, Latin-Jazz, Adult Mainstream Jazz, Vintage Rock, and Classic Rock.
Legendary national and celebrity recording artists that JVA has booked in its 28-year long history consist of such big-name acts as The Marvelettes, The Shirelles, Slave, Heat Wave, The Dazz Band, James Brown, War, The Four Tops, Rose Royce, The Temptations, The Gap Band, Eddie Money, Foreigner, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Kool and the Gang, and many other established artists. In addition to national recording artists, JVA also books local and regional acts.
"I have had the pleasure and distinguished honor not only to have booked such legendary acts," Jess said, "but also to have met them and discussed their careers on a personal level." Jess continued to say that although some of these acts may not be as wildly popular as they were 26 years when JVA started, they still hold a special place in the agency, recalling nostalgic memories of an earlier time.
As a professional musician, entertainer, producer, agent, talent buyer, and national musical director before he founded JVA, Jess said that he can relate to those acts and the different hardships they faced when touring on the road. "It's tough," he said, "trying to meet those unexpected challenges when performing live on the road, but once you've beaten them, you come out feeling stronger and more experienced."