Neil Sharpe: Saxontheweb.net- Sonny Del Rio Link: Most Notable Sax Players

Hello Mr. Del-Rio:

Just thought you'd like to know that I've posted a link to your website on Saxontheweb.net, the world's largest online Forum for the sax community, with nearly 15,000 registered members.

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?p=552616&posted=1#post552616

 

We're currently posting a teaching resource for the Blues, R&B, and Rock n' Roll (including jump and swing) sax styles with contributions from many pros including Johnny Ferreira and Pete Thomas (who played and produced Lee Allen) to name just a few.

http://www.saxontheweb.net/Rock_n_Roll/

 

In the Intro to this resource, we conducted an international survey of the most notable saxophonists from the past twenty five years, and I'm pleased to advise that you have been included! You're listed in the fourth paragraph down in Part Two of the Intro. Congratulations!

http://www.saxontheweb.net/Rock_n_Roll/RockSax02.html

 

Cheers!

Neil Sharpe

saxland@gmail.com

Hi Y’all...

I hope you are doing some of the same things I’ve been doing, cause I sure am havin’ fun! The weather is terrific and the music is hot!

I just love outdoor concerts, the way the music drifts on the breeze. We are very fortunate here in Hamilton to have so many free summer concerts and festivals and bands playing in the park. Our beautiful harbor-front, Gage Park or The Royal Botanical Gardens, just to name a few, are host to free, live music pretty much every week-end of the summer. So enjoy yourself, get out to some of these free shows.

I love going to Van Wagner’s beach! There is lots to do there, walk along the water on that new walkway that they have, everybody is friendly, people say hello, the girls look so pretty in their summer frocks , maybe get a “sportsman burger” and some fries at Hutch’s, or a drink at Barranga’s. You can take a spin on the go-carts. Did you know that Lou Fermi has been operating Lakeland Go-carts since 1954, that’s 53 years! And then there is swimming, in one of the greatest, largest, most clean lake in the entire world! Lake Ontario! Man, what a great time.

I love my backyard! Barbeques, friends coming over, sunshine, all the beautiful flowers in full bloom right now. My wife Faye has a green thumb and loves gardening. I like to help. Mostly she does the flowers and I take care of the veggies. I especially love to sit quietly in the early morning or at twilight time and watch the birds at the feeders; we have 6 of them and 3 bird baths and a squirrel feeder too. It’s a riot.

I have played some interesting gigs lately, with the Del-Rio Band and as a special guest. I have included some photos from the Tranzac Club in Toronto, where I performed with Floyd Factor, a Pink Floyd tribute act out of T.O. I love Pink Floyd music so it was a real treat. Tony Furtado, who runs Jamhouse Studios, was filling in on drums, because their drummer was on the injured list.

Have a wonderful summer!

Cheers,
Sonny

Canada Day Weekend

Well I hope everyone is having fun in the summer sun!! I have been having a ball! I played an interesting gig over the Canada Day weekend, on the roof of the Stoney Creek Dairy Bar. That's right, the roof. Stoney Creek Dairy, does that bring back memories for you? If you grew up in Hamilton then I'm sure it does, because they have been there, serving ice cream for 78 years!

As a kid it was one of our favorite treats, to take a ride out to Stoney Creek and get a banana split or a double fudge sunday, or just a huge cone of the finest ice cream ever. With about 119 different choices it was always a difficult decision as to which flavor to get. You could choose 3 scoops of different flavors on the same cone if you wanted. It seemed like a long drive in those days. We would usually sit in the car in our pajamas and eat our treat and watch the movie that was playing at the drive-in, just a couple of farmer's fields over. The drive-in theatre is long gone, so are the farmers fields,but the memories will never die. My Dad took me and I took my kids and as I looked down from the roof on Canada Day, I could see hundreds of young families creating their own happy memories. Thank you Stoney Creek Dairy for 78 years of family fun and great ice cream! It would be interesting to know how many folks still have one of those trays that say "stolen from Stoney Creek Dairy" on them. They were made of metal and were just perfect for making those home-maid pizzas that came in a box. Do you remember making those pizzas? They changed the trays to plastic around 1970. Those trays didn't work so good in the oven!

Playing on the roof was like a step back in time for me, because on the May 24th long weekend in 1959 I was playing on the roof of the snack bar at the Starlight Drive-in Theatre, with a band called "Jerry Warren and The Tremblers" and it was snowing! The Tremblers had a hit record out at the time called "Tremble". They opened Lakeland pool that summer by playing a record-breaking rock & roll marathon, playing non stop rock and roll for 87 hours straight (or something like that)! I remember they took away the piano player in an ambulance! Those were the Days.......... Cheers Sonny

OH WHAT A FEELING!

Oh, What a Feeling, What a Rush!! A big thank you to The Friends Of Richard Committee who once again put on a really fantastic show at the Leander Boat Club last Sat. night! Committee members, Paul Cronkwright, Rob Platsko, Larry Feudo. Gary Curtis, Paul Panchezak, Neil Nickafor,and Myself, worked especially hard this year, having lost our leader, Mr. Tom Basciano, who died much too young a few months ago.

The Leander is a great blues venue and was one of King Biscuit Boy's favorite places to play. It was a sold out evening and the talent was absolutely outstanding!! Steve Strongman and his band kicked off the show in high gear with a stunning set, followed by Mark LaForme, who's brilliant vocal styling's went extremely well with the eclectic selection of blues tunes that he chose to perform. Headliner Kelly Jay took the stage at about 10:30 with an eleven piece band featuring King Biscuit Boy's # 1 back-up unit Trickbag, who were joined by Hamilton piano virtuoso,Jesse O'Brien, Ray (Rabbit) Harrison with that big Hammond B-3 sound, John (ghetto) Gibbard, original Crowbar guitarist who did that famous solo on Oh, What a Feeling, or as Kelly likes to call it "bop-ba-da-ba" and in the novelty instruments section, on tenor sax Sonny Del-Rio and Darcy Hepner.

Kelly entertained the standing room only crowd with his humorous antidotes, poignant stories and Rockin' Blues, for almost 2 hours and ended his set with Oh, What a Feeling,What a Rush, for which he received a standing ovation!!

And what a treat to close the show! Zark and The Sharks, from Buffalo New York were joined on stage by 3 of the finest guitar players this area has ever produced, John Lewis, Mike Eastman and Jack DeKeyzer.

It was a beautiful evening and I was honored to be a part of it! Thanks also to our many volunteers, The Hamilton Spectator, Y-108, View Magazine, and Chedoke Flowers and Gifts. We could not have done it without your help! See you next year!

Speaking of Trickbag, harp player/guitarist Les Smith recently put out a solo cd titled "Piece By Piece". I can't stop listening to it in my car stereo. I love it! And you will too! Try and get yourself a copy. Jack Pedler is soon to release yet another outrageous cd. This one is called "Clown School" but belive me it is not for kids to listen to.

peace, love and music Sonny

[click to view the flyer better]

April 14th, Bannister's - Canada Jams Video Shoot

Are you ready to rock! This is your special invitation to come out to Bannister's this Sat. night April 14th and see the Sonny Del-Rio Band with Mike Williams on the "dog-house" bass, Jack Pedler on drums and Danny Thomas on guitar. It's going to be a great show, and the folks from Canada Jams are coming to video tape the evening! If you have never been to Bannister's, it is on the corner of Kink and John St. (whoops... Freudian slip there..... that's King and John St.). It really is a cool room to see live bands, with balconies all around and a big sound system. My son Tommy and his new band "Tommygunn" will open the show at about 9:20 with Del-Rio hitting the stage at 10pm. So get off the couch, put your glad-rags on and come on down. You might get in the video! You will have a good time!

see you there,
Sonny

HAPPY EASTER

The Easter Bunnie came by my house this morning. He left some chocolate eggs and smiles on all our faces. My wife Faye is busy preparing a wonderful Easter dinner and we're surrounded by kids and grandkids. Our health is good and we live in Canada, the greatest country in the world. Our Home is in Hamilton, Ontario, “up on the mountain”. I'm proud of that. I was born here. My Mother and Father were born here too. My Father, on the kitchen table in the north end. We have some steel in us. Our heritage is tempered in the steel industry. Stelco and Dofasco are part of what makes this city great. I would like to be able to say “these, are the cleanest, greenest, steel mills in the world.” Whoever is responsible, can you make that happen? I will help in any way I can. I like councilman Bratina’s idea of a beautiful fountain in the middle of the Bay. Can you make that happen Bob? Bob joined us on stage last week at the Wellington Tavern with his saxophone. He belted out two or three tunes and shook hands with everybody in the joint. I can picture it now, the view from the Skyway Bridge, with the giant fountain and the skyline, all those steel mills and smokestacks. We could paint the buildings dark green and have artists create fantastic murals or something. Oh well, I digress.


More notes from the “back on the bottom where they know me best “tour; we got a last minute call to play the Da-Nite on Sat night. The marquee advertised us as “Surprise”. The Sonny Del-Rio Band is really smokin’ with the addition of Mike Williams on “dog-house” bass. You know, that’s that great big thing that looks like a giant violin. You can come out and enjoy the show, with Mike and Danny Thomas and Jack Pedler and myself, at Bannister's this Sat. Night April 14th. They will be shooting some video. This could be your big chance. Maybe you should wear a disguise.

Happy Easter,
Sonny

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Spring has sprung, the grass is riz,
Some good things are poppin' up,
In the world of Showbiz.

"For all you Houndoggers out there", The 5th Annual Blues With a Feeling, King Biscuit Boy memorial concert has been set for Sat. June 2nd at The Leander Boat Club, one of Richard’s favorite rooms to play. Located at the foot of James St., overlooking the harbor and picturesque Hamilton Bay. This years stellar line-up will be headlined by the one and only Kelly Jay, (Captain Canada), who will be flying in from Calgary. Kelly, as I'm sure most everybody knows, was a member of the legendary Canadian rock band Crowbar, as was King Boy. Crowbar's big hit "Oh What a Feeling, What a Rush" was written at Paddy Greens, a rather infamous West Hamilton watering hole. Also featured will be Zark and the Sharks from Buffalo New York, Mark LaForme with his Blues All-stars, Trickbag and others as yet not confirmed. This is guaranteed to be a wonderful evening of Blues and Booze!

Trickbag drummer, Paul (Stickman) Panchezak, tells me their long awaited studio album is just about finished, with 14 original tracks in the can. Great news!
Ray Materick is putting the finishing touches on his new cd at the Jamhouse Studio and Tommygunn are working hard on their first cd "No Justice, Just Us", proudly produced by yours truly.

Long time friend and winner of the Hamilton Music Awards Drummer of the Year (2004), Jack Pedler, has a new cd “Lets Get Nervous”. It’s hard core Jack and absolutely outrageous! The cd release party will be held at The Casbah on Sat. April 21st.

April is going to be a strong month for entertainment in the Hammer with a lot of quality shows coming our way, including guitar great Buddy Guy, at Hamilton Place April 22nd and Alannah Myles at Bannisters April 20th and 21st. Speaking of Bannisters, I had the pleasure to play there Friday night as a special guest with Trickbag. The place has not changed one bit since I last performed there in 1982. It is a wonderful venue for live entertainment, with balconies all around and great views of the stage everywhere. Not a bad seat in the house! The management and staff are working very hard to bring back a unique and classic Hamilton landmark for live music in our downtown core. Good sound too! The Sonny Del-Rio Band will be Rockin’ the joint on Sat. April 14th, so mark that on your calendar and come on down to Bannisters, at the corner of King and John St. for a very entertaining night on the town!

See you there,
Sonny

Saturday March 10th

Hey everyone, I would like to invite you to join Jack Pedler, Dan Thomas, Garth Vogan and myself at COOK'S CORNER BISTRO this Sat. night for good food, good music and cold beer!!! The club is at 246 Governors Rd. in Dundas. Show starts at 9 pm. Come early and have dinner This is a really nice room with great ambiance.

Hope to see you there!!!

cheers Sonny

Bannister's is Back!

Feb. 17 Hamilton

Bannisters is back! That’s right, live bands have returned after a seventeen year absence. The inaugural gig was Friday February ninth and featured Hamilton’s “Up Front” with the vivacious and sultry Suzanne O. The entertainment is being handled by Cathy Richardson of Blue Angel Productions, who is aiming to book the room Thursday to Saturday. I think this is terrific news! Hopefully, it will be a big shot in the arm for our downtown core!

I can remember the “daze” when we would go downtown and hop from bar to bar checking out the different bands. We would start out at the Grange Tavern where one might see Robbie Lane & The Disciples, Ray Nichols & the Five Pennies or Sweet Daddy Siki. Then around the corner to the Flamingo Tavern on Macnab Street where Conway Twitty often played and as a matter of fact wrote the huge hit “It’s Only Make-believe” while here in Hamilton to play the Flamingo. He was staying at Fishers Hotel at the ime. Or maybe we would go to the Downstairs club which was just across the street. There you would be entertained by the ery best in blues and jazz. Oscar Peterson played there regularly. On any given night you might catch the Bishops or Bobbie Washington & the Soul Society. Walk a short block to the east and enter the subterranean world of Duffy’s Tavern for a “Rock Pile” burger and a set by Rush, Max Webster or Tranquility Base with Ian Thomas. Next, another block east to The Golden Rail Tavern, where Rock ‘n Roll first came to town in the person of Ronnie Hawkins in 1959. Ronnie, Levon Helm and the boys drove all the way here in one car from Arkansas and they had better be successful because they didn’t have gas money to get home! I saw Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee there in 1963.

These joints were jumpin’ with live music six nights a week. As it happens, I had the pleasure of playing all of those rooms. ( the last time I played Bannisters I made my entrance by leaping on to the stage from the balcony!) Then there was the Torch, also called the Hotline, each table had a telephone so you could talk to the girls across the room. And what about the Elmar, Paddy Green’s and the Red Lion? Boy, those were the days, eh. “Drop another tray of draught”. Twenty glasses for two bucks, and a salt shaker on every table!

The Golden Rail became Diamond Jim’s and then evolved to Bannister’s and here we are! So go downtown, have fun and support our local clubs and musicians.

Cheers ...Sonny

Hamilton Happenings Feb. 14th

Happy Valentines Day!! Love is in the air and so is 70 centimeters of snow here on Hamilton Mountain. Well, it’s not in the air anymore, it’s in my driveway. So my wife and I have the day off work and she has me busy on the “Honeydo” list.

I am very happy to report that my son Tommy and his band “Tommygunn” have asked me to produce their first cd. We will be recording with Georgie Fab at his Cellar Full of Noise studio and in fact have already begun. I will be playing on one track with my grandson Jeff on drums. Imagine that, 3 generations of Grasleys playing on the same song !! It makes me proud!

I have recently recorded 3 tracks on Ray Maverick’s new, soon to be released, cd (as yet untitled). I have heard most of the tracks and I will be the first to tell you this is some of Ray’s best work ever! I am sure it will be hugely successful! The cd is being recorded at Tony Furtado’s Jamhouse Studio, with Tony and Caleeb Cromb engineering. Produced by Ray Materick. Keep your eyes open for this one because you’re really going to love it!

I asked Ray to comment and he said “things are going beautifully. We are blessed to have so many gifted musicians and singers in this town and I have a number of them joining me and performing on this project. This is something truly special, I mean it’s not like you’re asking them to help you move or something. I am asking them to bare their soul on my canvas. And each one, generous of spirit, time and talent did so”.

Please check out my web site sonnydelrio.com. You can look at video clips or listen to my new cd “Welcome to Saxland.” The calendar is there for upcoming gigs and then come out to see my new band. We are really rockin’

Peace, love and music ...Sonny

NEW PIX

Check out the latest pix in Sonny's photo album!

http://www.sonnydelrio.com/PHOTOALBUM/html/healey_s.htm

Pauline

(webmaster and wall monitor)

DECEMBER 2006

I'm sitting by the fire in my house-coat and slippers, a glass of eggnog in hand. The lights on the Tree are cheerfully twinkling and my Hamilton Hometown Christmas CD is playing softly on the stereo. A warm contentedness fills my heart. There is no place like Home!

The last few weeks have been somewhat exhausting, but oh, so exhilarating. First there was the Hamilton Music Awards, dedicated this year to Mark Severn, who died so tragically in an auto accident on July 2nd. Mark was a gifted musician who played guitar on all of my recordings and was loved and greatly respected in our musical community. Richard Newell, a.k.a. King Biscuit Boy was given the Lifetime Achievement Award and as you probably know, he was a great friend of mine and I proudly serve on the Friends of Richard Committee. That weekend, as part of the festivities, I played a wonderful gig at the Westdale Concert Theatre with my old friend Kelly Jay (who turned 65 on the first day of December) where I was 1 of "The Three Tenors", not the singers, the saxophones, with Darcy Hepner and Bob Bratina. Then there was the rockin' show with Teenage Head at Healy's in Toronto (they call me Hamilton's oldest teenager), followed by a showcase performance with my new 8 piece band at the refurbished Corktown Tavern, and lastly on Sunday December 3rd we put on The 5th Annual Sonny Del-Rio and Friends Hamilton Hometown Christmas concert. 17 fabulous acts, featuring more than 65 Hamilton musicians, who all donated their time and talent absolutely free in support of the 900CHML/Y-108 Christmas Tree of Hope! If you missed it, you missed-out on something very special and you better make sure you get your tickets early for next year's extravaganza. I would like to give a huge thank you and a big Christmas hug to everyone involved!! I especially want to thank my beautiful wife Faye, our team of volunteers and my good friend Cueball (Rob Platsko). I could not do it with-out your help.

Merry Christmas. God bless us everyone.

peace, love and music
Sonny

HAMILTON HOMETOWN CHRISTMAS

November 29, 2006

Ho, Ho, Ho ‘tis the season once again and there’s no better way to get in to the spirit of Christmas than to come out to the 5th Annual Sonny Del-Rio & Friends Hamilton Hometown Christmas. 15 great bands for only $20.00 and the proceeds go to those less fortunate in our community who need a helping hand, especially at this time of year. Isn't that what Christmas is really all about? Details and all star line-up at sonnydelrio.com This year’s concert will be held on Sunday, December 3rd at the Essence Banquet Centre, 422 Barton St. E.. Show starts at 7PM (licensed 19 +)

I want to give a huge thank you and a big Christmas hug to the more than 70 musicians and 20 volunteers who give their time and talent absolutely free to make this show happen! I love this city! You guys are the best!

Sonny

[more info or reserve tickets online]

Hey you Cool Cats

SURF'S UP!

I am still riding that huge rock & roll wave we set up last weekend at the Hamilton Music Awards and I am going to hang 10 all the way to the NEW and IMPROVED CORKTOWN TAVERN in Hamilton TONIGHT SAT. NOV. 25th. The show gets underway @ 9PM with Famous Framus and Sonny Del-Rio will hit the stage about 10 PM with an 8 piece band featuring Darcy Hepner on sidekick sax. I will be performing my new cd Welcome to Saxland in it's entirety in the second show. It is going to be a lot of fun and we can all use a little more fun! I would love it if you could be there. The new owners of the CORKTOWN have spent a bundle on the place and it looks terrific (just like the original 1860). In doing so they have beautified the quaint historical area and our city as a whole. So lets support them.

Get your ass off the sofa and come out to a great night of live music at a hot new venue.

peace, love and music Sonny

[more info]

Hamilton Music Awards

Hey you cool cats .....a few people have asked me to do a blog for Jamilton. I am into it. Here is my first installment. Let me know if you are interested.

Sonny

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

HAMILTON NOVEMBER 22 2006 WOW! what a wonderful weekend of great music and camaraderie! Kelly Jay was in town for the presentation of The Lifetime Achievement Award to Richard Newel a.k.a. King Biscuit Boy at The Hamilton Music Awards on Sunday Nov. 19th. We played an absolutely magical gig at Loren Lieberman's newly renovated Westside Concert Theatre on Friday night, together with Trickbag and special guests Darcy Hepner and city counselor Bob Bratina sitting in on tenor saxes. Also joining in on keyboards were Rockin' Ray Harrison of the Cameo Blues Band and local legend Jesse O'Brien. As if that is not enough, guitar great John (Ghetto) Gibbard capped the evening with a blazing solo on the Crowbar classic Oh What a Feeling, just like he did on the original recording.

Basically the same rockin' band with,(are you ready for this) Garth Hudson (The Band), Tom Wilson, Jude Johnson, Dave Rave, Tim Gibbons and Rick Andrews (I hope I didn't forget anyone), were all on stage for the Grand Finale of the Hamilton Music Awards on Sunday eve. at the Doffasco Centre for the Arts. Led by Kelly Jay we did a rousing version of Oh What a Feeling. What a rush! You can check out the whole awards show on CHCH TV Sat. Nov. 25th

While attending the numerous performances and awards ceremonies around the Hamilton Music Scene this past weekend I was excited and energized by the strong sense of a true Hamilton musical community. An emerging, vitality, fired by our hugely talented young people. Musicians with passion and commitment, whether young or old, joining together in celebration of our city's great musical history and guaranteeing a very bright future.

Hats off to Jean-Paul Gauthier, our corporate partners and all the volunteers who worked so hard to make this year the best ever! Thank you Jean-Paul for your dedication and ongoing effort!

I thought it said best by rising young star Matt Paxton, who, when referring to the Hamilton Music Industry said, " it may be small, but it's made out of Steel". Matt then performed a great new song he had written about Hamilton called City of Smoke.

Well done Hamilton!!!!

peace, love and music

Sonny

great video sonny.Had a great time at your cd release.Fantastic record!

 

                                          M. C.

Rockin' on Nov 25

 

Check out Sonny and his band at The New Corktown on Nov 25, 2006

 

[more info]

 

 

. . . . . . . . .

webmistress

Congrats Sonny!!!

Congrats Sonny on your two nominations for the 2006 Hamilton Music Awards...

• Special Instrumentalist of the Year
• Music Video of the Year (7th Avenue Blue)

Get more info
--------------------
Pauline

(webmaster and wall monitor)

New CD Released!!

Welcome to Saxland is released and ready for purchase.


Get yours today!!

buy the cd

official website

-------
Pauline

(webmaster and wall monitor)

Groovecorp appears to be a GO for Dec. 3.

Hey Sonny and Cue…

 

The guys are a go for Dec. 3^rd. I’ll put it on our website. Let me know when you have more info. Is it at the Essence Banquet Ctr. again?

 

Lily

www.lilysazz.com
www.groovecorporation.com
www.torontobluessociety.com/wbr

 

MUSTARD FESTIVAL

HEY SONAR .......... I WILL BE THERE AT THE MUSTARD FESTIVAL SEPT. 1ST................ ROCK ON!!!!!

CUEBALL


link for more info:
http://www.sonnydelrio.com/html/upcoming_events.htm

Sonny's Photo Album

Check out the latest photos...

...from the 2005 Hometown Rock & Roll Party or the archives of Sonny's career...

http://www.sonnydelrio.com/photoalbum/index.htm

-----

Pauline

(webmaster and wall monitor)

Rockin' the Blues in Hamilton

Hey, Sonny - great benefit party at Essence in December! Unfortunately I couldn't stay very long, as I had to do my CFMU blues radio program so "early in the morning"...

Thanks very much to you and Cueball for the guest invites (and for sneaking me into Pepper Jack's for the HMS pre-launch party - teehee).

Although I've already played several tracks from "Two-Hound Blues" and "40 Years of Rock'n'Roll", there will be more to come in the near future (remind me, please!).

Great site - it's not hard to see why you have so many friends and admirers!

Diane (a.k.a. Misty Blue, D.D. Rocker, Redqueen17, etc....)
"Patchwork Blues"

CRACKERS

Great wall, great friend…all the best Sonny, love, Reg Denis and Patti Warden, CRACKERS.

Big Thanks from Sonny

Dear Friends ... Thank you so much for your Birthday Wishes and wonderful support of my winning the Hamilton Music Awards Special Instrumentalist of the year 2005.

Your words of encouragement are precious to me and inspire me to greater accomplishment.

I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to all of you who came out to our Hamilton Hometown Rock & Roll Christmas party. It was a fantastic night of friendship and music.

It would not be possible without a huge Team Effort!!

With the help of my wife Faye, our team of volunteers and our great Hamilton Musicians we were able to give the folks a night to remember.

On behalf of my wife Faye, Rob and Gwynneth Hawes Cook (Northend Children’s Centre)

MERRY CHRISTMAS
and a HAPPY NEW YEAR

Your pal Sonny Del-Rio

Merry Rockin' Christmas!

What a blast at the Christmas party! Good music, good friends, good cause and a good time had by all - you sure know how to throw a bash!

Thanks again for inviting the Jamhouse band, we all had a great time, hope to do it all again next year.

Tony, Jim and Mike - The Jamhouse Band
http://www.jamhouseband.com

WHAT A SHOW

The christmas show was off the hook...unbelievable talent... tooooo much...great show sonny!!!!!!

Legendary Saxman

Belated first anniversary wishes, belated birthday greetings but current all the best platitudes to the Hamilton Tourist Attraction, The Legendary Saxman and one of the areas most talented golfers.

From Johnny & Vivian Velvet

NEW STUFF!

New section added to the website for AUDIO & VIDEO clips

Pauline

(webmaster and wall monitor)

eh sonny

congrats all around, you're awesome! see you soon. kevin, without her....

Yo, Sonar!

Seriously, Sonny. Great to see you rockin' the Hammer. Congrats on your award. Thanks for including Groove Corporation among your "Friends" this year on Dec. 4th. We're looking forward to it.

Your friend (for only 20 years so far),

Lily Sazz

www.lilysazz.com
www.groovecorporation.com

Please visit the www.groovecorporation.com website and join our mailing
list and/or sign our guestbook.

Lily's blog: http://www.lilysazz.blogspot.com

WOW!!

What a line up at this year's christmas show!! SEE YOU THERE.....

Birthday

Hey Sonny

Happy birthday and many more – never let your chops get rusty.

Silvio

happy birthday!

Hey Sonny, have a great birthday and have many, many more!

Carl Horton

 

Happy "B" Day!

Nice to see you still upright my friend. All the best. This calls for a "Selmerbration" drink for your big day.    SEEYA!   Russ McAllister

great video

scroll down to videoprom...this is a great video ....truely hamilton....young duke

[link to videoprom]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Hey Sonny,

 

I hear it's your birthday. Here's to the Pops of Punk, still rockin' after all these years. Don't stop blowin' til it's time to be goin'!

 

Pickin' & Grinnin' on the West Coast,

 

Falcon

Happy birthday

Happy Birthday!!  (Jeez, you still alive?)

 

Glad to see yer still kickin' an' blowin'

 

Congrats on your nomination, also!

 

I'm priviledged to know one of Hamilton's legends.

 

Dan Elliot

Happy Birthday!!

Happy birthday to you, etc!! (ha ha)
Steve Negus

Fans from Afar

Hey Sonny :

 

the stars and celestial have aligned .....  Happy Birthday  !!

 

Randall Cousins

http://rotonoto.com/murder.htm

 

 

 

 

Sonny's birthday

Hey Sonny, Happy Birthday! Great fun rockin' at the Westtown Saturday night with Trickbag. All the best and many more.

Larry & Cheryl Feudo

Happy Birthday Sonny

Happy Birthday Sonny,

 

You’ve still got it!

 

Congrats!

 

Les

Sonny - Singing the Blues on his Birthday

Birthday? I thought you stopped counting 50 years ago.

Remember those sleepless nights at the editing booth?

This one is for you Sonny. Check it out. http://videoprom.com/video/

Happy Birthday,

Your buddy,

Jim Unsworth

Video-Prom Inc.

from Ray Materick

 All the best ...... your pal Ray Materick

 

Have a Good One Sonny...Shelley Gravelle  

Sonny's adding a year but he's not necessarily older

Hi Sonny

Happy Birthday and many more to come. By the way if your youthful enthusiasm gets the better of you and you're tempted to celebrate by leaping up on a bar table like the old days, make sure Fay's around to help you get down. Peace and music.

- Paul and Donna Panchezak

Happy Birthday Sonny!!

Happy Birthday Sonny!!

 

Its been a pleasure to know and work

with you over the years. You set a fine 

example of excelling in music, friendship

and giving back to the community.

Happy Birthday and many more.

Rock On!  

 

Terry Bramhall

Happy Birthday Sonny

Hi Sonny,

It's a great honour and priviledge to work with you!
I'll see on 04DEC05!

Happy Birthday from Joe Allain, The Bareback Riders and St. Patrick's Folk Group!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,DAD!!!

Happy birthday,dad...hope you have a wonderful day!!! You are right...You are never too old to Rock and ROLL........Tommy

Hey Dennis (Sonny),

All the best from Vancouver.

Roy

http://www.visiphor.com/

Happy Birthday Sonny! you are the best! it is a pleasure to know such a one as you! just keep blowin' that horn and lovin' life and ya can't go wrong...much love Jude Johnson

Slap Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Sonny

We wish you a Buckn’ good time

With love from your friends

The Bareback Riders

 

 

 

 

You're still the oldest teenager I know!

Happy Birthday Sonar

Happy Birthday Sonar

 

Happy Birthday and congrats on your "Instrumentalist of the Year" award. After over 40 years of Rock & Roll you've finally got more than Just The Blues!

                                             Cueball & Carolyn

Oh To Be Fifty Again!

Happy Birthday Sonny

Happy Birthday Sonny you big award winner & birthday boy! You still got it!

 

Love the third in your threesome from Thursday night... Bullseye Lisa

Sonny's Birthday

Happy Birthday Sonny!
Keep rocking and look forward to making some beautiful Christmas music together on Smith & Hayes!
Connie Smith

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Sonny and congrats on your Hamilton Music Award "Special Instrumentalist of the Year".....and now on to another 40+ years of Rock N Roll

See you on Stage!

Michael Hickey
Bassist
TRICKBAG

Happy Birthday

Hey Pal: All the best on your Birthday Day & Congrats on the award. You must be happy you finally made the big "50"...................... Or is that next year..Cheers Jay

Happy Birthday Gramps..

You are a humm dinger...
It's always fantastic seeing you brother...
and congrats on you HMS award...
PEACE
>>>tom

Happy Birthday Sonny!

You're a class "A" guy that makes others feel bigger for having been in your company. You give of yourself through all the charitable events -- and when you play that sax, you give people a moment of "joy and escape".

You're just about one of the coolest dudes I've ever met - every bit "born to perform" - and somehow through all that coolness, you manage to treat others like "they" are special.

When I was just a kid slinging beer at the Queens Tavern back in the 80's, you were the kindest and most generous musician that I ever had the pleasure of serving a cognac to. Man could you and Crowbar ever FILL THE PLACE! There was not an inch to move in a packed house. And it only happened when you were on the stage. Thanks by the way for filling the place, because my tips on those nights nearly covered half a month's rent!

Now don't get a fat head with all these compliments in one sitting. You won't catch me saying such nice things again for at least a year! LOL

Happy Birthday and hope you get to spend the day your way.

Cheers!

Pauline

hey everybody

i think if you look at all the pictures on this sight and you remember seeing my father on tables rockin weekend in and out year after year and i mean ROCKIN....this award is long overdue...congratulations Dad, i love you..Tommy

Hamilton Music Awards

Congratulations to Sonny for being awarded
"Best Special Instrumentalist of the Year"!!

Here's a list of some other winners at the 2005 Hamilton Music Awards

Pauline

(webmaster and wall monitor)

Memories of the Haunted Mansion Bash

I was rooting around last night in Lily's Blog ... now get yer' mind outta the gutter... Lily's Blog is a nice little spot on the web much like "Sonny's Backstage Wall".
Anyways, she had some cool pics from the haunted mansion bash that Sonny played back at the end of October. That was the night that he did a triple-play ... starting the night off with Ronnie and the Rockets, then a midinight set with Teenage Head, and finally a third performance down at the mansion for a private fund-raiser. You can check out the photos HERE and there's an article from the Hamilton Spectator about the event right HERE (483Kb PDF File).

Thanks to Lily Sazz for posting that info on the web.

Pauline

(webmaster and wall monitor)

Rock & Roll Christmas

Sonny Del-Rio and Friends - December 4th fundraising concert in Hamilton... only $20 to see 16 great bands... proceeds go to local children's charities.

For more info and ticket purchasing visit: www.sonnydelrio.com/html/20051204.htm

Ooops!

Did you write something on the wall that you didn't mean to? If you really need something changed or removed, you can send a private email to the webmaster.

send your OOooops! to webmaster@sonnydelrio.com

Pauline

(webmaster and wall monitor)

Official Website

www.SonnyDelRio.com