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As a boy Dale went to bed each night listening to Sam Cook, Ray Charles, Nina Simone, BB King and the like on a small transistor radio and was inspired by the music and the world that came through that small speaker. With some classical piano and by-ear guitar training Dale almost immediately played in bands with brother Dennis including The Prodigals, August, The Watson Brothers Band, Jack Of Diamonds, Washboard Bill Allman and Manhattan Transfer's Erin Dickins. They recorded at the famed Bearsville "The Band" Studio in Woodstock NY with Jesse Frederick as well as shows with him at various concert venues including the Beacon Theater NYC. The Melton Brothers Band with Alfie Moss soon came together recording and releasing an LP in 1979 that many years later became a world-wide collectors item in Australia, Japan, Sweden, England, New York, Chicago and L.A. In the early 80s after an appearance on Philadelphia's WHYY TV and USA Network they were regulars and headliners at The Main Point, Grendal's Lair, Guthries's, the Cabaret Clubs and John & Peters in greater Philadelphia and numerous colleges and regional concert events. They opened for BB King, Muddy Waters, The Chambers Brothers, Procal Harum and The Kingsmen among others. In recent years The Melton Brothers released three live CDs, one with Alfie Moss, one with Washboard Bill and a third with bandmates Fred Berman, John Lilley and Bob Beach, and performed at The Tin Angel, Kennett Flash, Puck Live, Chaplin's, Steel City Coffeehouse and WCL at The Queen.
Dale produced and played on an album for The Illumination Band, an American Roots group who crafted the poems of Rumi to music. The group has performed from Phoenix AZ to Baltimore MD including shows with Rumi translator and orator Coleman Barks.
At that time Dale performed and recorded with Beaucoup Blue based in Philadelphia. He then produced and played on three albums for Lili Anel the first of which was on Cassandra Wilson's Ojah label I Can See Bliss From Here. Another Place Another Time and Better Days followed. Dale has performed with Lili at WCL at The Queen DE; Steel City Coffeehouse, Burlap & Bean PA; Cornelia Street Cafe, Rockwood Music Hall, Cafe Bohemia, Chelsea Table + Stage NYC; Cassandra Wilson's The Yellow Scarf Jackson MI, Shapeshifter Lab Brooklyn; Exit O Jazz Festival, Ladybug Music Festival; Rittenhouse Soundworks, Chris's Jazz Cafe, South Kitchen Jazz Parlor, Underground Arts, The Jazz Bridge Project Phila., and Deer Head Inn Pocanos. The albums that Dale co-produced with Lili have been reviewed with accolades by All About Jazz, Jazz Examiner, Reviewer Magazine and Not Just Jazz and hit WRTI's Jazz Hot Eleven for 11 weeks and #1 for 3 weeks. Dale was included on the cover of Delaware Today magazine as one of Delaware’s rock legends and was one of the first to be inducted into the Delaware Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
Dale's own show The Dale Melton Trio is a tasty sonic and rhythmic stew of New Orleans funk and soulful New York jazz blended with early rock, blues and bossa nova reminiscent of Dr. John, Mose Allison, Fats Waller, Taj Mahal, Boz Skaggs, Lyle Lovett and Randy Newman. Throw in Dale’s one-of-a-kind Hammond organ style and punch the rhythm piano along with his "it's never the same twice" delivery and everything takes on a unique twist. Along with several original compositions Dale's forte is his ability to foster unique interpretations of songs he has invested his heart and soul in as he stretches out on vintage keyboards including Hammond organ, Rhodes piano, Wurli, DX7 and grand piano.