Hatch Chile Festival 2011
Saturday September 3rd found The Delk Band in Hatch, NM to play with Jim Tomlinson at the Hatch Chile Festival. It was an extremely warm day in Hatch with temperature in the 90’s.
I had been looking forward to playing with Jim for this event. As the date got closer, it looked like it would be Mark, Byron, Jim and me providing the entertainment. Boy was I surprised when Neal showed up with my grandson Tyce. I was very pleased that Neal made the effort to drive 350 miles to be with us.
We set up our equipment including grandsons Tyce and Caleb’s amplifiers because they are part of the Delk Band now. It was amazing to have my three sons and two grandsons on stage with me.
When we finished the first set, Jim and Joe Baker made preparations to recognize a few individuals for their help at the festival. To my surprise, Joe and Jim presented plaques to Neal, Mark and from the Western Swing Guild recognizing them for their continuing dedication and contributions to the legacy of western swing music. I caught Diane’s teary eyes and we both realized that this was truly one of the proudest moments ever.
Neal, Mark and Byron are all pretty close to 40 years old and they have been playing western swing music at dances in the southwest for 27 of those years.
Then, an even greater surprise. Joe and Jim called me to the stage and presented me with a plaque recognizing the legacy of three generations of Delk Family music and our continuing devotion to the legacy of traditional western swing dance music. What an honor it is to be recognized in this manner by The Western Swing Guild. The beautiful plaque we received is proudly displayed on my mother’s kitchen wall at the ranch east of Silver City.
However, it must be said that none of this would have been possible without the many, many people who have honored us by showing up and dancing to our music. Our hats are off to you!
And last but not least, I want to lift up Diane whom I affectionately refer to as the band’s “wardrobe manager”. It is her and hundreds of other musician’s wives across the country who are the most unrecognized and under-appreciated members of western swing bands. I can assure you that we would not be where we are today without Diane’s love and support.
--Joe Delk
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