Bio / Picts:

Delta Blues Dogs are a San Diego duo bringing unabashed, straight ahead classic delta blues from the 20's and 30's to coffee shops and clubs today.

Spanish Village photos by Jeffrey Brian Photography

Neal Watkins hails from New York but lived too long a time in Boston then made the escape to SOCAL or Heaven as it is known by all Easterners

Neal has a great passion for the delta blues and studies the history and style of the greats.

Neal plays in a style that pays tribute to the best of the original innovators of the Delta Blues such as: Robert Johnson, Skip James, Willie Brown, Son House, Charlie Patton and many others.

Michael Kirby is a native of Phoenix, Arizona bands, from the dawn of time, and, more recently, Rufus Rex and the Lonesome Pepinos in San Diego. Bought his first Hohner Harmonica, in Agua Prieta, Mexico, at the age of 10, and has been playing the heck out of them, backwards, literally, ever since. Mike has eclectic musical interests with emphasis in the Blues, but also plays rock, folk, country and jazz. He is a singer, keyboard player, and occasionally, a Dobro player, when the real guitar players, in their infinite kindness, allow it.

We strive for:

Guitar and vocals that produce a feast of varied tones and emotions, creating a tension and release that is cathartic and satisfying.

Harmonica playing filled with expression that paints an emotional backdrop to each song as gritty and authentic as a Mississippi juke joint.

"The blues did not emerge from Africa; it was born out of two musical cultures - black and white - that were thriving and growing separately and together. The result of this large-scale mixing was music that was to be the basis of mainstream popular music for the entire 20th century." Mississippi Historical Society.