Fayetteville

resident Valerie Burroughs, A.K.A. Valerie B, was not always a singer.

In fact, her

singing career started in 1999, which makes it very surprising that she

has a CD, "New Life," gaining popularity in the gospel community;

is currently working on her follow-up; sings with the choir at New Hope

Baptist Church; and tours other churches on her own. In four short years,

Burroughs has found her voice.

Burroughs grew

up in Fairburn, attended Campbell High School and then Georgia State University

for a few years. She comes from a very musical background, as she played

violin and drums as a child and her father was a member of a popular local

rhythm and blues band.

Burroughs also

has good business sense. She has owned a boutique at Shannon Mall and

operated a pest control business with her husband, Larry. Burroughs has

lived in Fayetteville for four years with her husband and three children,

approximately the same amount of time she has been involved in her singing

career.

Her new direction

started when she picked up the violin again after a 15-year break. One

year later her mother told her, seemingly out of the blue, that she should

start singing. Burroughs laughed and her mother hung up on her.

Still unsure,

her mother convinced her to sing one song. She did and eventually joined

the church choir. Burroughs credits the encouragement of violin teacher

Barbara Hood and music teacher Phyllis Beatles for helping her along.

Burroughs went to Beatles for an honest opinion on her voice, determined

to stop singing if Beatles felt she would not be able to sing professionally.

"She made

sure I continued with it," said Burroughs. "I couldn't have

done it without her."

Her work with

Hood has also been instrumental, no pun intended. Hood arranged six of

the songs on "New Life" and has helped Burroughs with the writing

process. Burroughs wrote songs for a year before recording the album.

She started

with a piece of scripture and, as she says, "the words just poured

out." Some songs started with the chorus, while other songs started

with an idea. Burroughs knew the songs would find an audience when she

kept singing them to herself over and over.

Her favorite

song on "New Life" is "You See Me Now," which is also

a favorite of many of the audiences she has performed for, including the

many people she has performed for as part of her prison ministry program.

Burroughs is also a World Vision Artist, part of a missionary program

that includes sponsorship of children. Burroughs sponsors a child in Zimbabwe,

four-year-old Josphaht Sibanda. In addition to her sponsorship of a child,

Burroughs talks about the World Vision program at many of her appearances.

Among the places

she has performed since her singing career has begun are Colorado, Tennessee,

and North Carolina as well as numerous stops around the state including

performances in East Point, Newnan, College Park and Simpsonwood.

Burroughs states

that she listens to a lot of instrumental works, so as not to stifle her

songwriting, but she does cite the work of CeCe Winans and Bobbie Mason

as some of her influences. Someday soon, she will be among the influences

cited for an up and coming gospel artist herself. But that is not what

drives Burroughs.

"I am

doing what God wants me to accomplish, which is spreading the word,"

said Burroughs. "People give me good feedback about how these songs

make me feel and that is what drives me. I want them to feel strengthened,

hopeful and encouraged."

Copies of"New

Life" are available at Barnes and Noble, Circuit City, Berean's Christian

Music Store and wherever they sell music on the Web, as well as on her

own Web site, www.valerieb.com. Her Web site will also give interested

people future performance dates and locations. For those of you looking

for her follow-up CD, it is in the works and will feature a duet with

her brother, Reginald Jordan.