Bluesman Paul deLay died in a Portland hospital Tuesday March 6 from undiagnosed leukemia and liver and kidney failure. He was just 55 years old.  For those who knew the big man, this is a terrible shock and a devastating loss.  He will be missed by all.

“Paul delay was the last true blues player in the Pacific Northwest,” says “Little” Bill Engelhart. 

For nearly two decade the Paul deLay Band offered up some of the hardest hitting blues and R&B on the west coast. With deLay’s flawless chromatic harp playing and soulful vocals, the group was called upon to open for nearly every major blues act that rolled through town. 

If deLay didn’t have the blues before, he surely learned the true meaning of them following a well publicized drug bust in 1990. While spending nearly two years awaiting trial, deLay recorded two highly acclaimed discs, The Other Hand and Paulzilla.  After serving out a 41 month sentence in federal prison, he re-joined his band a new man with a new lease on life.  For the next 12 years the WC Handy Award nominee played nearly every blues festival, roadhouse bar and nightclub from Portland to Seattle with style, grace and authenticity.  â€" Tony Engelhart