Nita Strauss Gets Engaged at Her Album Release Party
Nita Strauss and her longtime boyfriend/drummer Josh Villalta (Josh V.) are newly engaged.
Josh V. popped the question last night (July 6) during the record release party for Strauss’ new album The Call of The Void at the Whisky a Go Go. Video of the sweet moment can be viewed below. Plenty of rockers showed up in the comments congratulating the couple, including Lzzy Hale, Gary Holt and Orianthi.
Josh V. also shared a series of photos taken during the eventful evening. (Side note: The final photo in the Instagram post below includes Strauss’s father, who looks like a total badass.) Along with the photos was an incredibly touching caption. Josh V. wrote, in part, “I moved to L.A. 18 years ago. Twelve years ago, I was introduced to Nita in the driveway of the Rainbow Bar and Grill by Mike Taft. Fast forward 8.5 years of us being together and what a better way to top off this night.”
Josh V. also noted that his mother and Strauss’s parents and sister were all there to watch the proposal in person.
We send our best wishes to Nita and Josh on their engagement. If you want to get them a gift, consider picking up a copy of The Call of the Void. A variety of album formats and album-related merch is available at Sumerian.lnk.to/CallOfTheVoid.
Here’s hoping their marriage will be like the marriages below.
7 Classic Rock Marriages That Continue to Go the Distance
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo got married on February 20, 1982. They remain one of the longest-lasting marriages in classic rock. They’re also among the most successful.
Benatar and Giraldo were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 induction class. Interestingly, Benatar was asked in a 2021 interview with CBS Sunday Morning whether it bothered her to not be in the Rock Hall. She said then that it didn’t and noted, “Listen, when you win things, it’s really fun. But the point is, does this validate, not validate what we’ve done? No.”
Together, they’ve sold over 35 million albums worldwide. Benatar has also won countless honors, including four Grammy Awards. The husband and wife pairing even collaborated on a stage musical called Invincible — The Musical. As previously reported, Invincible — The Musical is a new reworking of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The production features versions of many of the songs Benatar and Giraldo have written and performed together for over 40 years.
In a September 2013 interview with the Arizona Republic, Benatar fondly looked back on meeting Giraldo. She said the first song they recorded together was the hit “Heartbreaker.” Benatar said she and Giraldo clicked instantly. Even though there was a definite attraction from the beginning, Benatar was still married, and Giraldo was also in a relationship.
” … We made [1979’s ‘In the Heat of the Night’] not romantically involved, which was a challenge,” said Benatar. “Which is what made it so much fun, and I think you can hear all that on that record.”
Needless to say, Benatar and Giraldo have more than defied the odds against them. However, Benatar and Giraldo are far from the only music marriage that has gone the distance. In honor of Benatar and Giraldo’s anniversary, here are some of classic rock’s other longest-lasting marriages.
Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights
