Jim Mader 
Ken Ficara
Del Rey started playing guitar when she was four. At the age of fourteen she was introduced to the world of traditional acoustic music. Lou Curtiss, proprietor of Folk Arts Rare Records and artistic director of the San Diego Folk Festival introduced her to living artists like Sam Chatmon, Lydia Mendoza and Howard Armstrong, and to recordings, especially those of the great blues guitarist Memphis Minnie. Her guitar playing is influenced by country blues, stride piano, classic jazz and hillbilly boogie-all filtered through the sensibility of an autodidact trailor-park aesthete.
Thirty years later, when Del Rey became fascinated with the ukulele, she tried to play the same kind of complicated rhythmic blues and ragtime on four strings as she does on six. She expects a lot out of the little instrument, and usually gets it. "The 'ukulele taken to a new level of musicianship". (John Book)
Her live show is full of complex grooves and sly humor. "Virtuosic in just the right way, which is to say, in order to realize a musical idea. A very nice unlikely blend of things, accessible, slightly nostalgic, but fresh and thoughtful. " (CD Baby review, "At The Ukeshack #1)
Del Rey plays solo concerts world wide and also presents a concert/lecture on women musicians called Women in American
Music. She collaborates and tours frequently with
Austin guitarist Steve
James and with fiddler Suzy Thompson. She has contributed to projects in honor of The Mississippi Sheiks, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Johnny Cash. Del Rey has written about music for various publications, including Acoustic Guitar.
Her latest solo album, Four and Six came out in April 2012. She has recorded five solo albums, Blue Uke (Hobemian 2008), When The Levee Breaks (Hobemian 2006), X-Rey Guitar (Hobemian 2000), Hot Sauce (Hobemian 1995) and Boogie Mysterioso (Hobemian 1993). In 2003 she released a
collection of performances Del Rey:Live.
Del Rey recorded Hen Party with Suzy Thompson (Hobemian 2010) and the first project of 2011 was a 45rpm record, the proceeds of which benefit Transportation Choices Coalition.She recorded an album of uke 'n' bass instrumental duets with Matt Weiner At The Ukeshack #1(Hobemian 2007) and also on uke with The Yes Yes Boys she recorded Why Say No? (Hobemian 2002) With Steve
James, Tonight (Hobemian 2004) andTwins (Hobemian 2002). With Del Rey and the Blues
Gators she recorded Chartruese (Hobemian 1991) and Cafe Society (Kicking Mule 1985).
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Del Rey started playing guitar when she was four. At the age of fourteen she was introduced to the world of traditional acoustic music. Lou Curtiss, proprietor of Folk Arts Rare Records and artistic director of the San Diego Folk Festival introduced her to living artists like Sam Chatmon, Lydia Mendoza and Howard Armstrong, and to recordings, especially those of the great blues guitarist Memphis Minnie. Her guitar playing is influenced by country blues, stride piano, classic jazz and hillbilly boogie-all filtered through the sensibility of an autodidact trailor-park aesthete. Thirty years later, when Del Rey became fascinated with the ukulele, she tried to play the same kind of complicated rhythmic blues and ragtime on four strings as she does on six. She expects a lot out of the little instrument, and usually gets it. "The 'ukulele taken to a new level of musicianship". (John Book) Her live show is full of complex grooves and sly humor. "Virtuosic in just the right way, which is to say, in order to realize a musical idea. A very nice unlikely blend of things, accessible, slightly nostalgic, but fresh and thoughtful. " (CD Baby review, "At The Ukeshack #1) Del Rey plays solo concerts world wide and also presents a concert/lecture on women musicians called Women in American Music. She collaborates and tours frequently with Austin guitarist Steve James and with fiddler Suzy Thompson. She has contributed to projects in honor of The Mississippi Sheiks, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Johnny Cash. Del Rey has written about music for various publications, including Acoustic Guitar. Her latest solo album, Four and Six came out in April 2012. She has recorded five solo albums, Blue Uke (Hobemian 2008), When The Levee Breaks (Hobemian 2006), X-Rey Guitar (Hobemian 2000), Hot Sauce (Hobemian 1995) and Boogie Mysterioso (Hobemian 1993). In 2003 she released a collection of performances Del Rey:Live. Del Rey recorded Hen Party with Suzy Thompson (Hobemian 2010) and the first project of 2011 was a 45rpm record, the proceeds of which benefit Transportation Choices Coalition.She recorded an album of uke 'n' bass instrumental duets with Matt Weiner At The Ukeshack #1(Hobemian 2007) and also on uke with The Yes Yes Boys she recorded Why Say No? (Hobemian 2002) With Steve
James, Tonight (Hobemian 2004) andTwins (Hobemian 2002). With Del Rey and the Blues
Gators she recorded Chartruese (Hobemian 1991) and Cafe Society (Kicking Mule 1985). |