Blues Society of Western PA - Newsletter

It has been almost two years since Paul delay passed away. I still miss him. I miss him like too many friends who are no longer with us. The odd thing is: I have never met him. I only know him through his music. That is pretty powerful when you think about it.
I first discovered him on an Evidence sampler. It was his destiny to be a classic, “Fourteen Dollars in the Bank.” I was instantly hooked. It had a wry sense of humor to it that I find irresistible…not to mention great vocals, a top-notch band and oh yeah, that harp! The harp was played in a way that I’d never heard before. Totally unique! There after, I sought out anything that I could find by him. Paul delay was a triple threat...great vocalist, songwriter and awesome harpist. Nobody plays like Paul delay-nobody. His style was so totally his own. I can think of very few people who even try to copy him, let alone play like him. He had this humor about him, sometimes self-deprecating. That made you take an instant liking to him. He told about his life in his songs. Sometimes, he did it with a wink and a nudge. Sometimes he did it with deep heartfelt singing of regrets, joys and everything else life hands you. He certainly paid his dues. Reformed alcholholic, reformed coke head, Paul delay has lived a bluesman’s life. At one point, his drinking was so bad that when he went to the liquor store for a fifth of vodka, he would also buy a small airport bottle that he could drink on the way home. He quelled his drinking by turning to cocaine. He eventually was convicted of cocaine trafficking and served time in federal prison. He started turning his life around while he awaited sentencing. In prison he started writing more songs while his band continued on as the No Delay Band. Things really started to roll after his prison stint. He had a guge following in the Pacific Northwest. So good that he rarely left the area. He literally played on Saturday and died on Tuesday- of undiagnosed leukemia! I am writing this because I feel that more people need to discover him. Because he rarely left home, he seems to have flown “under the radar.” Harp players are aware of him but general blues lovers seem to have missed him. He was a great singer and his band is great. They play very “out of the box” blues. They are always throwing little surprises at you. To get your feet wet, I recommend any one of three CDs. “Nice and Strong” has “Fourteen Dollars in the Bank” on it. “Ocean of Tears” was his first post prison release. On the gospel tinged, “I Win,” listen to him hold that note to the end. Whew! “delay Does Chicago” is as close as he gets to “traditional” blues. (It has one of my all time favorite harp solos.)
Anyone of those will give you a good introduction. However, “Chicago” has a different band. I am really enamored with the band on the other two. Do not let that steer you away from “Chicago,” it has its merits, too. But wait…there is “Take it from the Turnaround” with “The Other One” and “Just This One.” Aw, I do not know if I could choose just one. Hopefully, you will feel the same way once you have heard, Paul Delay.

Selected Discography:


Ocean of Tears Evidence ECD26079-2



Nice and Strong Evidence ECD26091-2


Delay Does Chicago Evidence ECD26101-2



Heavy Rotation



Take It From The Turnaround Evidence ECD26076-2



Last of The Best


~Rich “Tuck” Majeran