Valerie Wellington; Blues Singer Portrayed Vocalists of the Past

Valerie Wellington, 33, a blues singer known for her raucous vocal style and for her portrayals of vocalists from the past. Miss Wellington was a graduate of the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago and performed regularly at clubs in that city. She portrayed Ma Rainey in the 1984 stage production “The Heart of the Blues” and later played the title role in “The Little Dreamer: A Night in the Life of Bessie Smith.” In 1989, she played 1950s blues singer Big Maybell in “Great Balls of Fire,” a movie based on the life of singer Jerry Lee Lewis. In Chicago on Saturday of a brain aneurysm.