Born on December 18: Rosie Vela, a discreet passage in the music world

She was born in Texas in 1952 and is probably better known for her modeling career than her singing one. What a shame!

Interestingly enough, her Wikipedia entry compiles statistics that don't appear on those of Patti Smith or Olivia Rodrigo. We learn that she's 1.74 meters tall, with beautiful auburn-blonde hair and a pair of sparkling green eyes. But one look at the photo illustrating this article already tells you about these undeniable physical qualities. 

Rosie Vela is far from satisfied with her flawless plasticity, however, and she even has a degree from the University of Kansas - in art and music, if you please...

After the unexpected death of her first partner, she moved to New York, did TV commercials and ended up on the cover of the American edition of “Vogue” and even “Newsweek”. By 1975, Rosie Vela belonged to the very select circle of “super models”, even before the term was coined a few years later for Claudia, Carla, Eva, Nadia, Linda, Naomi and their girlfriends! She also appeared in films such as Michael Cimino's “Heaven's Gate” (1980) and Jack Nicholson's “The Two Jakes” (1990). Small roles, of course, but not in mushy crap...

As her modeling career was short-lived, Rosie's passion for music continued, and she had a recording studio set up in her home. She brought together Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (who had fallen out with her after Steely Dan split up) to help her write her first album, “Zazu” (1986), a summit of melodic goldsmithery that hasn't aged a day. Take a listen to “Magic Smile”, “Fool's Paradise” or “Interlude” to see for yourself.

 It would appear that a second album was recorded, and even has a title (“Sun Upon The Altar”), but is still gathering dust in the archives of the A&M label. “Zazu” therefore remains, to date, the only testimony to the undeniable talent of this young lady. She also collaborated with the Electric Light Orchestra on their 2001 album “Zoom”, and enjoyed a seven-year relationship with their leader Jeff Lynne. Together, they also wrote “A Woman Like That” for the 1998 film “Still Crazy”.

(Stéphane Soupart - Tr.: MH - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Portrait of Rosie Vela in the salons othe Hotel Astoria, Brussels, Belgium, October 1986.