When Alan and I played the Bentonia Blues Festival this past weekend, we got a chance to cross paths with a NYC blues musician whose name was new to me: Tito Deler, aka The Original Harlem Slim. He's Dominican-American, the son of immigrants. Grew up in Washington Heights. He's got a vivid sense of style, sort of retro, and there's quite a bit of him on YouTube. Some of the videos are about him as a style-setter. Here are a few:
It was interesting to hear somebody from NYC play his version of the blues on a Mississippi stage. It was hot out there! Low 90s, sunny, humid. We followed three solo guitarist/singers, all white, all from places other than Mississippi, and all very strong players and singers. I only knew one of them: David Raye, who comes to the festival every year and has a great groove.
Tito writes a lot of his own material, and it's good stuff.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Jun 21, 2016 6:23 AM
