Randy Velez

Many people have called Randy the “Rich Little of Music” over the last decade due to his vocal range of several octaves and the eclectic variety he performs for his audiences. The music spans generations and genres and includes a full selection of diverse Spanish music. There’s usually someone in the audience at any given performance that believes Randy is lip syncing or pressing buttons to change his voice. No auto tuners or harmonizers are used.

Randy may begin a performance as Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson and five minutes later become the voice of Louie Armstrong, Enrique Iglesias, Elton John, Tom Petty, John Cougar Mellencamp, Freddie Fender, Bon Jovi, Roy Orbison, Stevie Wonder, Rick James, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Josh Turner, the Big Bopper, Kid Rock or even Rob Zombie! Almost every show includes a performance of one of Randy’s most requested songs, Jay & the Americans’ “Cara Mia”! Randy keeps his audiences engaged with an unbelievable mix of top 40 music and changes it up to fit the crowd and the venue.

His solo act became extremely popular and was regularly heard at Dutchman Hospitality’s renowned Carlisle Inn hotels in the heart of Ohio’s Amish tourism district for nearly a decade. Randy has been featured as an opening act for Sonny Geraci & the Outsiders, Donnie Iris, Warrant, & Fire House. Currently, Randy’s schedule is filled with both private and public performances in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. The public venues range from restaurants, wineries, and pubs to amphitheaters, festivals, fairs, flea markets and summer events.

"Ever since I was a little boy, I mimicked the voices of my favorite cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny. During my teens I couldn't resist paying close attention to how people spoke and I loved to impersonate even my own parents.
Spending much of my time playing bass and singing both lead and harmonies in bands during the 80's was a valuable experience. As someone who paid close attention to pitch, tone, and key, I wanted to cover songs very close to the original versions. When I became a solo artist, I began to combine my childhood talents of mimicking voices with my love for many years of music I heard. Melodies that were soundtracks to our lives playing from 8 tracks, turntables, transistor radios, cassettes, music videos and CDs now ring out from my own mic. The gift of music given to me, I’m able to give to others. I love bringing back memories and helping make new ones by replicating musical voices from the past and present. There are no magic buttons and no audio ‘illusions’... just a simple formula: my voice combined with my love of music, accompanied by the best quality background tracks."

80s
Randy Velez rocked the NY and NJ circuit, supplying the bass lines for The Hellcats during the 80s. With their own spin on the hype of hair band metal and punk, influences of The New York Dolls, The Ramones, and The Cult bled into their originals which were backed by the drive of Bonham’s heartbeat on drums. The Hellcats graced the stages of CBGB’s, The Chance in Poughkeepsie, Billy O’s, Murphy’s Law, The Cat Club, L’Amours, The Class, The Kitten Club, The China Club, Zone DK, Connections, Escapades, The Sanctuary, the infamous Nutshell of the original Woodstock era and many more. This opened the opportunity to shoot a music video that was featured in MTV’s Underground USA series featuring a Hellcat original, “The Girl’s Got Too Much,” and then Randy laid his bass to rest. Log onto the Hellcats Facebook page at facebook.com/HellcatsRock to check out Hellcat history and get the latest news on what Randy and 2 of the original Hellcats are sinking their claws into!

In 2008, after a 15 year hiatus, Randy had restrung his bass and accepted an invitation to join the boys of the very talented blues and rock trio Shady Drive from west side Cleveland, Ohio for a year. Shady Drive has shared the stage with well-known artists such as The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and The Buckinghams.

Find Randy on Instagram and Randy’s albums ‘the Many Voices of the Season’ and 'On a High Note' on Apple Music and Spotify!