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Saturday 3:30pmIn a generation that has forgotten its musical roots, Delta Highway Bkues breathes youth and energy back into the blues. With strong guitar sounds reminiscent of Muddy Waters and R.L. Burnside, combined with a progressive harmonica sound, this Memphis band has developed a style that is all their own and sure to please new and veteran blues fans alike.
Delta Highway Blues was born in the piedmont region of North Carolina, founded by vocalist / harmonica player Brandon Santini and guitarist Justin Sulek in 2003.
The two moved to Memphis later that year to absorb the sounds and history of the delta region where the blues runs wild. The Delta Highway Blues sound is similar to a massive freight train splitting the tracks left behind with an engineer and brake man high on Jack Daniels’.
Frontman Brandon Santini was inspired while in his mid-teens by the sounds of John Popper’s harmonica but quickly learned about the real blues from heavyweights such as Paul Butterfield, Little Walter, Kim Wilson, and Junior Wells. His playing style is a bit more progressive some might say. Santini brings youth to the instrument and presents his thick, distorted tones with his fiery quick runs that seems to grab the attention of younger music fans as well as satisfying traditionalists. He has also developed into a very soulful vocalist while he brings a rather unique but traditional style to the mic.
Guitarist Justin Sulek began playing guitar after hearing his father’s blues records throughout his childhood. He remembers hearing the blues played by legends such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, and Lightnin’ Hopkins and becoming inspired by the pure honest playing styles by each of the bluesmen. Speaking of pure, that’s what you get with Sulek’s playing style. He delivers fiery licks and continues to amaze audiences with his bottleneck solos.
The band’s rhythm section consists of Paul Chase (Jon Short & The Barrelhouse Ramblers and Brotherhood of Groove) on bass and Keven Eddy (Mojo Buford Band, Blind Mississippi Morris & The Pocket Rockets) on drums. The two are the perfect fit for a rhythm section and were seemingly tailored to handle backup duties for Brandon Santini and Justin Sulek.
These four men are well respected by veteran musicians and lay down one of the freshest blues sounds in years. Currently a favorite on world famous Beale St. in Memphis, TN, the band represented the Memphis Blues Society in the 2006 International Blues Challenge by winning the Memphis Blues Society’s Battle of the Blues.
Delta Highway Blues's Website
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