Del Rey (born December 22, 1959) is an American blues singer and guitarist. Rey specializes in blues and jazz from 1900 to 1950. She developed a ''Women in American Music'' concert/lecture series to provide an historical and cultural look at the contribution of women to music in the early 20th century. She is recognized for her syncopated style of guitar and intricate finger picking.

Early life

Rey grew up with her mother, Eileen, and father, Stan. They lived a bohemian life, moving frequently, until settling down in San Diego, California. Rey became interested in the guitar when her mother bought one in 1964. She was just four years old. Her father bought a second, smaller guitar, and Rey and her mother would follow along to

Frederick Noad Frederick McNeill Noad (August 8, 1929 – September 13, 2001) was a classical guitar performer, educator, and a founder of the Guitar Foundation of America. Noad was best known for his popular instructional television series, ''Guitar with F ...

's guitar lessons on PBS in their trailer park's rec room where there was a television. Rey told a reporter, "I like to tell people that I approach music with an autodidact trailer-park aesthetic." By the age of 7, Rey performed in a talent show. In her early teens, Rey frequented a local music shop called "Folk Arts Rare Records" owned by Lou Curtiss, mentor to

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

. It was through Curtiss she met

Sam Chatmon Sam Chatmon (born Vivian Chatmon; January 10, 1897 – February 2, 1983) was a Delta blues guitarist and singer. He was a member of the Mississippi Sheiks. He may have been Charley Patton's half-brother. Life and career Chatmon was born in B ...

, performing with him onstage. Her other influences included

Bo Carter Armenter (or Armentia) Chatmon (March 21, 1893 or January 1894 – September 21, 1964), known as Bo Carter, was an early American blues musician. He was a member of the Mississippi Sheiks in concerts and on a few of their recordings. He also m ...

and

Memphis Minnie Lizzie Douglas (June 3, 1897 – August 6, 1973), better known as Memphis Minnie, was a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose recording career lasted for over three decades. She recorded around 200 songs, some of the best known being "Wh ...

. Rey gravitated toward 1900 to 1920s ragtime and 1920 to 1950s blues when, she said, music had "more regional accents" and was not so "commodified and mass-marketed." A huge fan of Memphis Minnie, Rey described her as someone who did not fit into a stereotypical cultural myth. She played "killer guitar" and was "a woman performer who was at her best in middle age and who chewed tobacco." Rey attended college in Santa Cruz, but dropped out to pursue her career in music.

Career

By 1980, Rey was performing in Santa Cruz with Bob Brozman. Tired of being drowned out by his resonator guitar, she purchased a '38

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Style O. She played the National until meeting Ron Phillips, a luthier, who custom made her a resonator guitar. In 1991, Rey met Steve James in Santa Cruz, California. Later becoming a couple, they started performing together at a Port Townsend Country Blues workshop in 2001. In the same year, Rey released a cassette-only recording "Chartreuse." By 1993, Rey had her own label, Hobemian Records, and released ''Boogie Mysterioso'', followed by ''Hot Sauce'' in 1995. Her music was a blend of country blues,

stride piano Stride jazz piano, often shortened to stride, is a jazz piano style that arose from ragtime players. Prominent stride pianists include James P. Johnson, Willie "the Lion" Smith, Fats Waller, Luckey Roberts, Mrs Mills and Mary Lou Williams. ...

, classic jazz, hillbilly boogie and

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

. In 2003, Rey released ''Del Rey: Live'', a collection of performances and followed up with ''Tonight'', a 15-track album with James. This 2004 release received European and Asian distribution. In 2004, Rey started performing with the ''Yes Yes Boys''. She played a Phillips resonator ukulele, an instrument she started playing at the urging of her friend and fellow musician, Sandy Hines. She describes her playing as a mix of

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and upper Mississippi styles. As her skills on the ukulele developed, Rey began giving workshops and lessons at festivals. In describing her experience with the ukulele, Rey said, "All the different kinds of experiences - whether it's a sad song or a dance piece or something funny or insightful - it's all there. You just have to digging and not go, 'Oh well, I can't play that because I don't have another string.' There are no excuses. It's all there." Rey has gone on to produce multiple solo and collaborative albums, including ''X-Rey Guitar'' (2000), ''When the Levee Breaks'' (2006), ''Blue Uke'' (2008), and ''Solo Del Rey'' (2016) Rey tours worldwide and also writes about music for Acoustic Guitar magazine and other publications.

Women in American Music

Rey developed a lecture series called ''Women in American Music'', featuring female musicians such as Memphis Minnie,

Lovie Austin Cora "Lovie" Austin (September 19, 1887 – July 8, 1972) was an American Chicago bandleader, session musician, composer, singer, and arranger during the 1920s classic blues era. She and Lil Hardin Armstrong are often ranked as two of the best ...

, Rose Maddox, and

Mary Osborne Mary Osborne (July 17, 1921 – March 4, 1992) was an American jazz guitarist and guitar manufacturer. She began performing at a young age and was featured on a radio program in North Dakota, where she grew up. In New York City during the 1940s, ...

. The series, which she calls her "Memphis ministry," is an historical and cultural look at contributions of women to the music of the 1900-1950s. The academic program includes blues, swing jazz, Hispanic and hillbilly music. In 1997, with a commission from the Guitar Festival in Dubendorf, Switzerland, she created a touring art exhibit called ''Women with Guitar''. The exhibit includes historical photos and archival film footage from the early 20th century of influential women pioneers in the early jazz, country, and blues movements such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Memphis Minnie,

Maybelle Carter "Mother" Maybelle Carter (born Maybelle Addington; May 10, 1909 – October 23, 1978) was an American country musician and "among the first" to use the Carter scratch, with which she "helped to turn the guitar into a lead instrument". It ...

Lydia Mendoza Lydia Mendoza (May 31, 1916December 20, 2007) was a Mexican-American guitarist and singer of Tejano and traditional Mexican-American music. Historian Michael Joseph Corcoran has stated that she was "The Mother of Tejano Music", an art form tha ...

and others.

Discography

* ''Cafe Society'' (1985) - Kicking Mule * ''Chartreuse'' (1991) - Hobemian Records * ''Boogie Mysterioso'' (1993) - Hobemian Records * ''Hot Sauce'' (1995) - Hobemian Records * ''X-Rey Guitar'' (2000) - Hobemian Records * ''Twins'' (2002) with Steve James - Hobemian Records * ''Snap Shot'' (2003) - Hobemian Records * ''Tonight'' (2004) with Steve James - Hobemian Records * ''Steve James + Del Rey'' (2004) - Hobemian Records * ''When The Levee Breaks'' (2006) - Hobemian Records * ''At the Ukeshack #1'' (2007) with Matt Weiner - Hobemian Records * ''Blue Uke: At The Ukeshack #2'' (2008) - Hobemian Records * ''Hen Party'' (2010) with Suzy Thompson - Hobemian Records * ''Four and Six'' (2012) - Hobemian Records * ''Artwalk'' (2014) - Hobemian Records * ''Rocket Red and Ruby Chard'' (2014) with Adam Franklin - Hobemian Records * ''Solo'' (2017) - Hobemian Records * ''Communique'' (2017) with Suzy Thompson - Hobemian Records

Instructional DVD

* ''Boogie Woogie Guitar'' (2005) - Homespun * ''Blue Uke'' (2007) - Homespun * ''Blues Guitar Styles of Memphis Minnie '' - Homespun * ''Memphis Uke Party '' - Homespun

Other appearances

* ''A Musical Doorway'' (2000) Produced by Seattle Folklore Society * ''Why Say No?'' (2003) The Yes Yes Boys featuring Del Rey * ''Things About Comin' My Way: A Tribute to the Music of the Mississippi Sheiks'' (2009)

References

External Links

Del Rey Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2021) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rey, Del 1959 births Living people American blues guitarists American folk guitarists American ukulele players Musicians from Seattle Guitarists from Los Angeles Guitarists from Washington (state) 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American women guitarists 21st-century American women