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The Delta Ladies, Roots, Americana, Folk, World, Blues

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Vicky Martin sings and plays guitar, banjo, Kandela and Irish Bouzouki. She is the writer of many the Delta Ladies’ original tunes. Vicky was interested in music right through the sixties and seventies and was initially influenced by the great players who were around throughout that period, Clapton, Hendrix whom she met, The Stones, and the music of Miles Davis and Bob Dylan have remained constant favourites.

After a time away from music in the mid eighties and was inspired to renew her interest after being introduced to the tradionally influenced music of Dick Gaughan, Dougie MaClean and Martin Simpson. At that time, having had lifelong interest in jazz Vicky decided to get serious about music and took lessons from ex Berklee College graduate Ivor Goldberg (of the band Shir). She studied theory, chord structure and harmony which left her well placed to start the musical venture that led to the Delta Ladies.

The Delta Ladies duo came out of the quirky North London original R&B band Elephant Shelf. They had done lots of gigs & festivals in between 2003 and 2010 but the band having run its course Vicky & Dee formed the duo intending to be fully independant not reliant upon other musicians. As the duo became more established they started to work with a team of highly competent and creative players - Alan Glen on harmonica, Tali Trow or Glynn Evans on bass and Lee Collins on percussion .Occasionally Danny Bryan also joins on percussion. The result is a very flexible line-up that has enabled the ‘Ladies’ to develop a unique sound that draws on American & European Roots music, folk, world and bluegrass influences and retains just a shade of blues to create a highly individual and exotic style.

 

Dee Stone - plays violin & piano - contributes to many of the Delta Ladies’ original tunes.  She started in the music business working on the Sound Team at Hammersmith Odeon and met many famous names of the day including Elton John, Johnny Winter, Ry Cooder and Bill Munro.

 

Her playing and writing style draws on a wide range of influences from Ray Charles through the Western Swing of Bob Wills and the stride piano of Fats Waller to the prog sounds of Gong & King Crimson. Along the way the Jazz influences of Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly (piano) and Stephan Grapelli (violin) are apparent to the discerning ear. Dee is also influenced by the New Orleans piano stylings of Huey Lewis, Professor Longhair and James Booker. She was particularly inspired to listen to these players by the playing of Dale Storr who is Sheffield based and one of the leading UK exponents of New Orleans style.

 

Dee‘s eclectic taste, like Vicky’s, includes Vaudeville and Music Hall. It ensures some very colorful musical stylings that are also reflected in her own own musical venture, Diana Stone’s Glass Cage.  This has been very successful with digital hits in South America and Russia. The latest Glass Cage solo piano offerings reflect late 19th Century French impressionistic music of the likes of Faure, Berlioz, Satie and Godentot.