Music
Press
"For a bluesman, and he's a great one, Paul deLay has the most infectiously bright spirit you're likely to hear...deLay doesn't pull any punches, and, like the best blues, his songs have the ring of truth that comes from real-life experiences." - Philadelphia Enquirer
"If Little Walter had lived another 20 years, we might have heard similar sounds. You could take the other top five harp-playing bluesmen active today and, even combined, their talents couldn't match deLay's." - Real Blues Magazine
"One of the finest blues songwriters around...easily outclasses most of the the competition when it comes to songcraft and spirit." - Washington Post
"deLay’s insights into the human condition, sung with soulful gusto against a back-drop of tenor sax, Hammond B-3, harmonica and rhythm section, is what makes Ocean of Tears seem fresh compared to the ocean of mediocre blues records churned out with seeming indifference each month." - Jazz Times
“I gotta say it, man—For my money, deLay’s the best harp player in the world!” - Hubert Sumlin, legendary guitarist with the late Howlin’ Wolf
Q: Which musician have you ever wanted to be?
A: I guess I would imagine myself as this amazing blues harmonica player, Paul deLay...
- Actor Bill Pullman (Independence Day, Zero Effect), quoted in British music magazine Mojo - British music magazine, MoJo
"This guy’s gotta be heard!" - Billy Gibbons, of ZZ Top - Two Louie's Magazine, Portland OR
"These two played off one another so well that it was like magic. A very cool set that was sometimes comical and sometimes awe inspiring. The act was put together originally at Bumbershoot last year to fill in when Bo Diddley had to cancel, and it worked so well they decided to do it again at the Waterfront. Easily the crowd favorite...at any other Northwest festival they could have been the headline act." - Walla Walla Blues Society, Blues News
"Perhaps the most inventive and innovative harmonica player since Little Walter." - Billtown Blue Notes (Baltimore MD)
"David Vest is the real thing!" says Tom D'Antoni of Oregon Public Broadcasting.
"If there's a better (or smarter) blues record released this year I haven't heard it." - Jeffrey St. Clair, CounterPunch, reviewing David Vest's CD, "Serve Me Right To Shuffle." - None
Discography
Heavy Rotation, the Paul deLay Band's 2001 release on the Evidence Music label, climbed to #1 on the Living Blues magazine radio charts, and hovered in the top ten for four months. deLay's earlier releases on the Philadelphia-based label (Ocean of Tears '96, Nice & Strong '98, deLay Does Chicago '99) all charted in the Living Blues top 10. The Memphis-based Blues Foundation has nominated deLay three times for W.C. Handy Awards - Best Song and Best Harmonica - one of only four Northwest artists to be nominated for the blues world's equivalent of the Grammy.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
In over two decades of touring the West Coast blues circuit, playing major festival stages far and near, and releasing chart-topping recordings, The Paul deLay Band has earned its reputation for hard-hitting blues and R&B.
A couple of years back, Paul and longtime guitarist Peter Dammann decided to take the band in a new direction, joining forces with two-fisted barrelhouse piano player David Vest and a new rhythm section for a more classic, Chicago-style sound.
Band leader Paul deLay ranks among the greatest blues harmonica players, songwriters and vocalists. His work on the chromatic harp is considered by many to be unrivaled.
Piano man and boogie woogie master David Vest brings a wealth of experience and down-home originals from his solo CDs.
Guitarist Peter Dammann, a Chicago native, has been called "one of the unsung heroes of contemporary blues." Minnick and Kahl on bass and drums are rock-solid blues veterans who love to groove, and it shows.
With Paul leading the charge, and his bandmates urging him on, this group can be counted on to cut to the chase and go for it, every time out.
In the past five years, the Paul deLay Band has appeared at prestigious festivals and venues throughout the U.S. and Europe, including: Notodden Blues Festival (Norway), South Blues Blues Festival (Belgium), Telluride Jazz Celebration, Ann Arbor Blues Festival, Pocono Blues Festival (Blakeslee, PA), Monterey Bay Blues Festival, Louisville Blues Festival, Waterfront Blues Festival (Portland, OR), Tucson Blues Festival, Tampa Bay Bues Festival, Fillmore Ballroom, with Robert Cray Band (San Francisco CA), Peter Brit Festival, with Robert Cray Band (Jacksonville, OR), New York State Blues Festival, the Winnipeg and Saskatoon Jazz Festivals, and Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival...
The deLay band has been the backing unit of choice for Northwest tours by such blues legends as PINETOP PERKINS, HUBERT SUMLIN, JOHNNIE JOHNSON, SON SEALS, BO DIDDLEY and CAREY BELL.
Diehard deLay fans who've turned out to hear the band recently include actor/harmonica-blowers Bruce Willis and Bill Pullman. (The soundtrack to Pullman's '98 feature film, Zero Effect, includes deLay's "Bottom Line" from Ocean of Tears).
Raves for the Paul deLay Band:
"For a bluesman, and he's a great one, Paul deLay has the most infectiously bright spirit you're likely to hear...deLay doesn't pull any punches, and, like the best blues, his songs have the ring of truth that comes from real-life experiences." - Philadelphia Enquirer
"One of the finest blues songwriters around...easily outclasses most of the the competition when it comes to songcraft and spirit." - Washington Post
"If Little Walter had lived another 20 years, we might have heard similar sounds. You could take the other top five harp-playing bluesmen active today and, even combined, their talents couldn't match deLay's."
-Real Blues Magazine
"deLay's insights into the human condition, sung with soulful gusto against a back-drop of tenor sax, Hammond B-3, harmonica and rhythm section, is what makes Ocean of Tears seem fresh compared to the ocean of medicre blues records churned out with seeming indifference each month." - Jazz Times
"I gotta say it, man. For my money, deLay's the best harp player in the world!" - Hubert Sumlin, legendary guitarist with the late Howlin' Wolf
"This guy's gotta be heard!" - Billy Gibbons, of ZZ Top
Q: Which musician have you ever wanted to be?
A: I guess I would imagine myself as this amazing blues harmonica player, Paul deLay...
- Actor Bill Pullman (Independence Day, Zero Effect), quoted in British music magazine Mojo
"If you ever get a chance to see deLay, Vest and company, don't pass it up because it's a great show!"
- Walla Walla Blues Society Review
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