Jeremy Lyons and The Deltabilly Boys

Fleet fingerpicking, stinging slide guitar, compelling vocals. Drums, upright bass, churning out rock-solid, caffeinated swing rhythms. Playful originals, standards, and the deepest swamp blues. A favorite of the Crescent City club scene, Jeremy Lyons & The Deltabilly Boys have toured the US and Europe. They have become a mainstay of the world-famous New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Lyons' albums, Deltabilly Swing , Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch , Live at Fribourg , Jeremy Lyons & the Deltabilly Boys , and Live at the Dragon's Den have received critical acclaim nationally and abroad. Jeremy Lyons' training and inspiration come from the streets of New Orleans. Born and raised in Ithaca, NY, Jeremy started out singing by campfires, in cafés and school hallways. Enthralled by blues and Appalachian music, he majored in ethnomusicology in college, spending hours pouring through music library stacks. Jeremy studied country blues guitar with virtuoso Martin Simpson, and in 1992 Lyons landed in New Orleans in his pursuit of roots music. Soon he was playing his National guitar in an established group on the streets of the French Quarter, performing acoustic blues, swing and classic country, making a living, and learning from some of the city's finest talent. Click here for more about Jeremy's days on the street. After five intense years, Lyons quit the street gig, recruiting veteran drummer Paul Santopadre (Steve Riley, Coco Robicheaux, etc.) and former fellow busker Greg Schatz (bass/accordion) into his trio. Hundreds of gigs a year in smoky New Orleans dives and international festivals solidified his new Deltabilly Boys' sound, with Jeremy, often featured on vintage electric guitars, also stretching out on surf and western instrumentals. The chemistry between these three and their playful attitude is infectious. As they blend styles, rockabilly, reggae and funk beats re-ignite old Delta and hill country blues. Classic country is reborn. Swing-dancers dare to try and keep up with the trio's relentless rhythm. Drinks flow. And a good time is had by all. More recently the band has returned to their acoustic roots, and recorded an album of Jeremy's songs inspired by his experiences on the New Orleans streets. Hurricane Katrina has temporarily put the completion of this record on hold, and scattered the Deltabilly Boys. Jeremy Lyons relocated his family to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and his band mates have made their way to various points in the North East. While devastated by personal loss (gigs and guitars), and the destruction of their beloved hometown, they are excited by the prospect of joining together once again, bringing their unique hybrid of American music to a new audience. "This is a great party band; you can't help but smile and feel good when they are playing. " -- Twelve Bar Rag (Florida Suncoast Blues Society) "A top-drawer interpreter of blues and rockabilly classics, an engaging storyteller in his own right, and one of the most mesmerizing slide guitarists on the circuit." -- The Times-Picayune, New Orleans "Jeremy Lyons is used to blowing people away with his deltabilly swing . " -- The Erie Daily Times, Erie, PA

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