Courtney Daly Band
photo by DCashman
I have had the pleasure of hearing the Courtney Daly Band a couple of different times in the past few weeks and in different configurations. No matter what the lineup of the band, they are always entertaining.
Somehow or another, Courtney was able to snag Jimmy Dormire to play lead guitar with the band. Jimmy’s name may be familiar – he played with Confederate Railroad, Col. Bruce Hampton, and many more. Jimmy adds a dynamic to the band that most groups only dream about – quality guitar playing, with innovation and style.
On Rhythm guitar, long time Chattanooga musician Ivan Wilson plays six strings, instead of the four he used to play on his stand-up bass from many years in blues bands. Dave Dowda keeps the beat on drums, with Dave Wheaton keeping the bass line on target.
A special guest that sits in with the band often, Carle Vickers, was present for two of the performances I had the chance to see. One just can’t over-estimate the impact Carle’s sax has on a band. He has toured or recorded with the likes of the Temptations, Sam & Dave, LL Cool J, The Impressions, The Stylistics, and MC Hammer. He is a founding member of the band LTD. And just think, you can often catch him, along with Jimmy Dormire, right here in the Chattanooga area with the Courtney Daly Band!!
With talent as deep as this band has, they can pretty much play anything. Courtney’s vocals are strong and her stage presence is excellent. They do a wide variety of blues, rock, and pop standards – enough to get the audience up and dancing to the beats. Even my two left feet were dancing to the band.
Here is another thing I like about Courtney – she markets the band very well. If you don’t know where they are playing next, it is not because of her efforts. She keeps her schedule up to date and posts all of her events. So many bands could take lessons from Courtney Daly in this area.
I highly recommend that you catch a live show and that you do it soon. They will be in Dalton at Los Reyes on Friday night and at Puckett’s on this Saturday night. For more information, just click https://www.facebook.com/courtneydalyband/events.
I’m back!
Bob Payne is the Entertainment Editor for the Chattanoogan.com and talent buyer for Friends of the Festival/Riverbend. You can follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/davrik2000 or email me at davrik@aol.com.