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GuitarPlayer.com >> This Month >> Brophy Dale
Brophy Dale
| January, 2008
Brophy Dale says that when he first picked up a 6-string over 30 years ago, the notion that playing would evolve from a passion to a profession seemed like mere folly. But not only has Dale parlayed playing into a full-time gig, he’s garnered raves from some of roots music’s most celebrated creators, and shared the stage with a few of them, including O.V. Wright, Smokey Wilson, Dave Edmunds, and Delbert McClinton. Dale’s main gig for the past decade, however, has been with Stray Cats alumnus, bassist Lee Rocker—an alliance that has showcased Dale’s versatile guitar playing before audiences worldwide, and also introduced him as a songwriter. Dale has shared writing credits with Rocker on songs from the band’s last five studio albums, including its latest, Black Cat Bone [Alligator], on which the pair penned “The Wall of Death,” inspired by the cult motorcycle-racing sideshow.
The Texas-born guitarist traveled throughout Africa during his early years, spent time in the Motor City, and finally settled in Southern California in the late ’80s, where his musical career finally gelled. Dale landed his gig as second guitarist for Rocker in 1997, on first guitarist and friend Mike Eldred’s recommendation. After Eldred left, a succession of players followed, including Adrian Demain, Tara Novick, and currently Buzz Campbell—but Dale has been the band’s mainstay. “Lee wanted a Tele player when he added a second guitarist,” he explains, “to create textures and play off the big-box guitar.”
Throughout his tenure with Rocker, Dale’s go-to guitar has been a one-off built for him by luthier Chris Fleming prior to his joining Fender’s illustrious Custom Shop team. The Tele-inspired instrument has a chambered mahogany body, a tilted neck and headstock, and is outfitted with TV Jones TV Classic Filter’Tron-style pickups and a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. Dale plays slide on a Masonite Silvertone with lipstick-tube pickups, and has also recently added a Trussart SteelCaster to his arsenal. His main amp is a ’65 Fender Super Reverb, which he laughs, “adds nice, natural textures besides the basic reverse and tremble.”
Whether it’s playing with Rocker, or fronting his own power trio, Dale packs a potent blend of rock, country, blues, R&B, and rockabilly riffs—plus a distinctive slide style and tone. And, according to former Elvis sideman Scotty Moore, that’s not all. “Scotty says everybody has something they bring to a band, and I bring the soul,” enthuses Dale. “How cool is that? I mean, he’s one of the guys who invented rock & roll. We played a show with him in Memphis for the 25th anniversary of Elvis’ death, and after playing a solo I looked up to see Paul Burlison in front clapping. Lee told me later that Scotty said to him, ‘That’s my son!’"
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