Steeve Valcourt

Steeve Valcourt is the son of Haitian musical legend Boulo Valcourt a blues, jazz and roots musician who found fame in the eighties with the band Caribbean Sextet and has even played the White House. Steeve grew up partially in Haiti and partially on Long Island where he went to high school and college. Steeve grew up surrounded by the top stars of Haitian music and absorbed it all. He cites influences as varied as Carlos Santana and George Benson to Haitian protest singer John Steve Brunache. His love for Haiti runs deep and while so many Haitians are looking for a way out of the country, Steeve has tasted life in America and now wants only to be in his homeland. Steeve had some fame as an artist with his compa band Vod’k but found his niche working with his father producing young artists, often for free. The list of artists that Steeve has produced in Haiti reflects a who’s-who of the biggest stars of this generation. One can’t walk through the streets of Port-au-Pince with Steeve with- out people calling out greetings from a passing tap tap taxi, being inundated by people wanting to shake his hand or have their picture taken with him. But it’s through Lakou Mizik that Steeve is finally getting a real star turn of his own – coming out from his dad’s shadow and getting the popular respect as an artist that he deserves. Steeve is pushing the rediscovery of traditional Haitian music through Lakou Mizik while showing his deep appreciation and respect for those that he learned from. Steeve currently teaches music production and Haitian music history at the Artists Institute in Jacmel.