"DELTA" DAVE HANDELMAN

"Delta" Dave Handelman, whose new album is a homage to downtown Brownsville, is back in town after concluding his tour. The "Delta" Dave All-Stars initiated their western swing in Austin and played in El Paso, Tuscon, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Reno, Denver, Santa Fe before completing the circle in Austin.

"We played at several small blues venues, but we did have the honor of opening for Santana in Los Angeles and Boz Skaggs in San Francisco," said Handelman as he downed a dollar draft at the Palm. "It was a great experience. The people were wonderful. You can't beat the Pacific Coast. The weather was perfect. Next year we head east."

"Delta" Dave said that upon his arrival on the border, he headed downtown in order to reorient himself after his whirlwind tour.

"I've tried to convince my wife that we need to move downtown, but she looks at me as if I were crazy," he continued. "She prefers both the people and the amenities of the country club. I find that existence insipid. I can wander downtown streets for hours. I'll take downtown's edge over the staid lifestyle of the city's northside."

"Delta" Dave's new album, appropriately entitled Downtown, is scheduled for a fall release. Recording with Austin's Township Records, Handelman wrote the ten tracks. Each song reflects his love for downtown Brownsville.

These are the titles to the ten blues pieces: Elizabeth Took My Mojo; Washington Street Woes; I Lost Eve on Adams Street., The Market Square Blues; Cantina Nights; Jivin' on Jefferson; Gettin' My Kicks at the Cathedral; Pukin' at the Palm; The Half Moon Shuffle; Killin' Time at the Texas Cafe.

"I came to Brownsville in 1977," said "Delta" Dave. "My first marriage had hit the skids and I was driving taxi, but I was going nowhere. I had a degree in literature from UT that I thought was a key to opening every door. A surfer buddy working at the Harlingen Valley Morning Star told me The Brownsville Herald had an opening for a sports writer. I was raised on the Yankees and I could write a complete sentence. I decided to go for it. I've been walking these evocative and inspirational downtown streets for 41 seasons now. I figure I have a few good seasons left."

"Delta" Dave and Doc Scully have split on amicable terms.

"There are several bars opening in the near future," explained the retired history professor who confesses that today's students are so mesmerized by the present that they could give a damn about the past. "There will be plenty of work and I'm playing more bossa nova and jazz classics than I am the blues. And Doc could care less. In my opinion he is at his best solo."