[Harp-L] Re: Dale Spalding

["Tim Moyer - Working Man's Harps" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

A few months back, after the Katrina disaster, I was attending an Austin HOOT club meeting and pushing my harmonica business pretty hard, being otherwise unemployed.  Dale Spalding came to one the meeting, invited by a local friend who was also a member.  I talked a little bit about my harp business and gave Dale a card and a few weeks later he called me about doing some repairs for him, which I gladly did.  He came up to the house and we talked harp and music for quite a while.  He's a great guy, and very humble, despite his illustrious career.  
   
  I talk to Dale now and again -- he's living in and based out of Austin now -- and have built him a few harps (I still owe him a couple!).  One later HOOT meeting I had the extreme pleasure of jamming with Gary Primich on guitar, Dale on vocals, and myself on harp.  Talk about an ego boost!  That's a story for the grandkids, the time Gary Primich asked ME to play harp while he covered the guitar work!  
   
  -tim

Michael Polesky <m.polesky@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
  Tim said:

> Last month I went to see funk master Maceo Parker, and in the audience
> I bumped into my friend, harp player Dale Spalding, who
> commented "Man, these guys *live* on the 1".

Hey Tim,

Are you talking about the same Dale Spalding that lives/lived in Long Beach, 
CA and played on the recording of "Mary Ann" with Ray Charles and Poncho 
Sanchez on the album "Out of Sight"? Dale is a wonderful diatonic player 
who plays mostly blues and jazz. He studied with Sonny Terry and other 
greats. The story of Dale Spalding getting involved with Poncho Sanchez is 
rarely heard. I understand he met Poncho Sanchez when Poncho and the band 
were getting a drink at the club Dale played at every week. Poncho Sanchez 
loved what he was doing and, eventually it lead to a few recordings 
including the one with Ray Charles.

You can find out more about "Out of Sight" at: 
http://www.jazzitude.com/sanchez_outofsight.htm. Dale was also on the 
Poncho Sanchez album named "Latin Spirits". Apparently, Dale has also 
released a DVD of the Dale Spalding band that can be found at: 
http://www.aixrecords.com/catalog/dale_spalding.html.

I am not Dale Spalding's publicist. I am just a fan. I started to do an 
article about him for Harmonica Happenings - the SPAH magazine - but I never 
quite finished it. So, a quick search around the internet and I got the 
extra info.

Anyway, I think that, if it is the same guy, its pretty cool that he knows 
Tim ;-). Tim, anything to add?

Michael