Nancy Dalessandro

Nancy Dalessandro comes from Rochester, New York, where she played guitar in her first band at age 16, along with her brother and two cousins. It was truly a 60’s garage band. She later attended Rochester Institute of Technology, earning her BFA.

She moved to Phoenix in 1973 and worked as a free-lance artist before meeting Susie Tarsha and helping to form a blues band. Since 1976 she’s been in several bands with Susie and they eventually formed the original Drivin’ Wheel. From there she and Susie joined the Rocket 88’s. With the 88’s she recorded four albums, including one with legendary sax player: Big Jay McNeeley, toured Italy, and was featured in an NBC TV Movie of the Week, co-writing a song for the movie. The band also performed at several major blues festivals in the West.

She’s had the wonderful opportunity to play with many Blues greats, among them, Charlie Musslewhite, Smokey Wilson, Joe Houston, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and Bo Diddley.

After leaving the 88’s in 1992 she played briefly with Chico Chism (and still does on occasion), then joined the Blue Dynamos.

Her current band, Sistah Blue, has been together since 1996 and took first place in the Arizona Blues Showdown of that year and placed second in the International Blues Competition in Memphis.

She’s writing more of her own songs, 3 of which are on the Sistah Blue CD and she has high hopes for this band to make a mark in the Blues world.