For over two decades, Tony Diteodoro, better known as Tony D, has brought the house down from coast-to-coast and internationally with his fantastic blues rock. Whether as the lead singer of the Juno-Award winning group MonkeyJunk or as a sideman to the likes of the late Dutch Mason and Paul Reddick, Tony D captivates fans of high-quality, Grade A blues anyone from the late Muddy Waters to the late Stevie Ray Vaughan would appreciate. Now, for the first time since 2004’s The Jook Joint with The Tony D Band, the musician is releasing a solo album Electric Delta on Cordova Bay Records, an eclectic mix of old-school blues, fine instrumentals, and brilliant guitar work from one of Canada’s best.
Electric Delta includes a who’s who of Canadian talent including MonkeyJunk band mates in guitarist/harmonica player Steve Marriner and drummer Matt Sobb, keyboardist Kim Dunn and drummer Geoff Arsenault (Matt Andersen’s band), singer Dana Wylie (Secondhand Dreamcar), bassist Greg “Fish” Fancy (Dutch Mason) and vocalist Stacie Tabb (who worked with Amanda Marshall). The album features a cover of Muddy Waters’ “Can’t Be Satisfied” and several Tony D originals, including the opener “There’s A Chance” and “Modern Times.”
“It’s a song about how we’re too reliant on gadgets in modern times and the way we live in modern times,” Tony D says of the inspiration behind “Modern Times,” one of the singles from Electric Delta. Here, Tony D delivers an exceptional shuffle boogie that is a toe-tapper from start to finish. Fans of Dire Straits’ “The Bug,” one of their deeper but more infectious tunes, would lap this gem up in a heartbeat as would “Toneheads,” the moniker Tony D gives to his fan base. It’s a song that “will get you movin’, groovin’ and boppin’,” the artist says.
The 10-track album, described as “an extension of who Tony D is as an artist and all of the influences that have shaped him along the way,” are often rooted in blues rock beginning with “There’s A Chance” which the musician co-wrote with Michael B. Brooker. It’s a great offering that recalls classic David Wilcox and definitely packs some hypnotizing boogie to boot. Aside from three instrumentals in the deliberate blues coda “Kings,” the beefy, heavier “Pueblo,” and the funky, swampy “NAS,” Tony D shines on Muddy Waters’ “Can’t Be Satisfied” with a bit of bottleneck blues thrown in which would already be a great live tune any audience would love.
Just as solid is “I Wanna Shout,” which features some great give-and-take moments with Tony D on guitar and Dunn on piano, taking the song down to its proverbial studs before bringing it back up for an excellent homestretch. “New Attention,” another single from Electric Delta, is a nifty slab of smooth blues bringing to mind Colin Linden or Robert Cray. And “Josephine,” recalls ’50s era greats Chuck Berry and Fats Domino as Tony D fully fleshes out the latter half of the song for a rollicking result.
Tony D was hugely influenced by those who came before him, including Muddy Waters, the late Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin wizard Jimmy Page, and Albert King, among others. In fact, he was playing in a band full-time by age 17. Two years later, Tony D saw himself playing rhythm guitar for the immortal Buddy Guy for three days. On August 16, 1984, Tony D, then with the group Saints and Sinners, opened for the late Stevie Ray Vaughan at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. “That was a tremendous night because Stevie was and is a huge influence on me, my music and the way I play,” Tony D said in an Instagram post Aug. 16, 2024, announcing the release of his single “Modern Times” and, 40 years to the date of the concert. Tony D also showed a vinyl copy of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble’s 1984 album Couldn’t Stand The Weather which the legend autographed “To Tony, Soul To Soul, Stevie Ray Vaughan.”
Having worked with Suzie Vinnick, Dutch Mason, David Gogo, singer-songwriter Lynne Hanson, and neo-flamenco artist James Cohen among others, Tony D independently released seven solo albums as The Tony D Band. In 2008, Tony D, Marriner and Sobb formed MonkeyJunk. Since then, they’ve released five studio albums and earned two Juno Awards for Blues Album of the Year. They’ve also collectively taken home 25 Maple Blues Awards.
Now with Electric Delta, the follow-up to his 2020 instrumental compilation Speak No Evil, Tony D, who describes himself as “Lightnin’ Hopkins with an electric guitar,” is back to attract fans of quality blues rock from far and wide.
