Big Dez

The band Big Dez was founded in 1996 by guitarist Phil Fernandez. Together, they spent most of their time rehearsing in a shack in the Paris suburbs where they played a repertoire of English and American blues covers. Reinforced by Lamine Guerfi (bass), Marc Schaeller (harmonica), Archibald Ligonnière (drums) and Rodolphe Dumont (guitar), the combo scoured the bars of Paris and its suburbs for a few years, then traveled to the United States (Chicago, Austin, St Louis) where they made solid friendships with local musicians. Under the impulse of Phil Fernandez, the band started to compose and recorded its first album, Sail On Blues, in Austin Texas in 2003. 
Four others will follow : Night After Night (Austin Texas 2004), You Can Smile (Jamestown MO, 2007), Late Live "taken" on various European concerts in 2009, Lazy Star (Anjou, France, 2010) and Wet Paint (Anjou, France, 2012). In February 2009 the band, sponsored by Blues Sur Seine, goes to represent France in Memphis Tennessee for the International Blues Challenge. A regular at European festivals, Big Dez's electric blues is very tonic, full of humor and melancholy. Very varied, impregnated with funk, soul and rock'n'roll, his style is unique.