Paul Joseph deLay (January 31, 1952 – March 7, 2007) was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

vocalist and harmonicist.

Life and career

Paul deLay was born in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, United States. His musical career started in the early 1970s with a band called "Brown Sugar", which played numerous West Coast gigs. A picture sleeve 7" EP was released in 1974. In 1976, he and guitarist Jim Mesi formed the Paul deLay Blues Band, which performed well into the 1980s. The band also recorded several albums during that time. By the late 1980s, deLay was suffering from alcohol and cocaine addiction. In 1990, he was arrested for drug trafficking, and served a 41-month prison sentence. He performed in prison in Walla Walla with Michael Morey of Seattle's Alleged Perpetrators on bass. While he was incarcerated, his band continued without him, performing as the "No deLay Band" and featuring longtime Portland blueswoman Linda Hornbuckle as lead vocalist in lieu of deLay. Upon his release from prison, deLay (now clean and sober) rejoined the band and recorded a series of critically acclaimed albums. In 2002, deLay assembled the final version of his band, with David Vest sharing lead vocals and playing piano, Peter Dammann on guitar, and Jeff Minnick on drums, and Dave Kahl on bass. A live CD featuring this lineup was released in 2007, entering the Top Ten on ''Billboard'''s national blues chart. Paul deLay continued touring and recording until his final illness. In March 2007, after returning to Portland from a gig in Klamath Falls, Oregon, deLay felt ill and sought medical treatment. It was discovered that he was suffering from end-stage leukemia; he soon lapsed into a coma from which he would not recover. He died in Portland on March 7, 2007, aged 55. An outgrowth of the memorial concerts is an annual event, a benefit for a scholarship at Ethos, a non-profit, Portland-based music education program, in deLay's name.

Awards and achievements

Over his career, deLay received a W.C. Handy Award for best instrumentalist, a recording of the year award from the Portland Music Association, and several awards from the Cascade Blues Association.Krough, D. (March 7, 2007)
Portland bluesman Paul deLay dies
. KGW-TV. Retrieved March 9, 2007.

Discography

*1974: ''Brown Sugar Blues Band'' -inch EP*1982: ''Teasin' '' *1984: ''American Voodoo'' *1985: ''The Paul DeLay Band'' *1988: ''Burnin' '' *1990: ''You're Fired! The Best of the Paul DeLay Band'' (compilation of ''American Voodoo'' and ''The Paul DeLay Band'') *1991: ''The Other One'' *1992: ''Paulzilla'' *1996: ''Take It From The Turnaround'' (compilation of ''The Other One'' and ''Paulzilla'') *1996: ''Ocean of Tears'' *1998: ''Nice & Strong'' *1999: ''DeLay Does Chicago'' *2001: ''Heavy Rotation'' *2007: ''The Last of the Best: Live Recordings by the Paul DeLay Band'' *2017: ''Live at Notodden '97''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DeLay, Paul 1952 births 2007 deaths American blues singers American blues harmonica players Musicians from Portland, Oregon Deaths from leukemia in Oregon 20th-century American musicians Singers from Oregon 20th-century American singers