Proud to be a Del-Ray

I played the trumpet for 20 years, until I was in my late twenties. Symphonies, quartets, funk, jazz, blues, concert bands -- I enjoyed playing whenever someone gave me the chance. I enjoyed it, but it seemed to take so much work keeping my emboucher (that is, lip) in shape. I switched to guitar at that time -- it was more forgiving.

Not long ago, I subscribed to a musician's page in my area in order to find people with whom I could jam. I was surprised to be approached by the Del-Rays -- yes, that's right, the Del-Rays.


First of all, that is the coolest name I ever heard for a band. It reminds me of the surf guitar player Dick Dale. Jack, the former-bass-player-turned-keyboardist, contacted me and gave me their history -- they played the Baltimore circuit from the late 60s into the 70s, broke up, and recently reformed. They found all the original members -- Jack, Frank, Paul, and Dick -- except for the trumpet player and the sax player. He asked if I would play trumpet for them. I said, "Sure," and started practicing.


They played a great mix of music -- from Joe Zawinul to Sam and Dave to Wilson Pickett to James Brown -- it sounded great to me. I listened to arrangements and wrote out horn parts for me and the soon-to-be-found sax player. After a few weeks, we were ready for our first practice.


We had a great time, although the drummer Dick just had a cardiac catheterization. He wasn't allowed to drum, so we tried using programmed tracks from the keyboard. It didn't work so well, so Dick drummed with his good side -- he was not bad for a one-sided drummer. I learned that I was the youngest member at 55 years old. The others ranged in age from 61 to 72! I felt like a kid, and I knew who would be carrying most of the equipment.


We haven't been able to practice again. We set a date soon after Dorothy returned home from the hospital, but Jack's stomach problems got worse. We set another date, but my cancer treatments might get in the way. What a group we are!

I propose a new facility, called "The Del-Ray Convalescent Center and Concert Hall." We could all move there and get care for our ailments as we need it. When we are healthy, we could wheel over to the concert hall for practice. Everything would be set up for us. The entire facility would be funded by having big-name acts play at the hall -- Chicago, Hall and Oates, Simon and Garfunkel. It would be safe for them -- medical assistance will be readily available. (By the way, that's not Jack in the photo on the right.)

One day we will practice again. Who knows, we may even play a gig. Of course, it would need to start at 7:00 and end at 9:00 so we can get our rest. We're not getting any younger.