Del Wheaton

Canadian guitarist and bassist. via nbcmhf.com: Del was born in Midgic, NB in 1933, and started strumming guitar when he was eight. He was soon playing for school sing-alongs and shortly afterwards was proficient enough to join old-time fiddler Albert Throop playing house parties, and form a band called The Midgic Pioneers while still in his teens. His first new guitar, an S.S. Stewart, was a Christmas gift from his parents. Before long he was playing dances with Hall of Famers, Curtis Hicks and his son, Ivan. In 1954, he joined Ivan in forming The Golden Valley Boys to broadcast on radio, record two albums and play many concerts and dances across the Maritimes. In 1979, he became part of a bluegrass band Ivan Hicks and Maritime Express that played, on occasion, as far away as Florida and backing such international legends as Chubby Wise, Mac Wiseman, John Hartford and Roni Stoneman. Del and a brother-in-law, Tom Johnson, eventually evolved an act, The Grubb Brothers, to add comedy to certain Express shows but it quickly became a regular highlight of the band’s concerts. He is heard on the many records, tapes and CDs released by Maritime Express over the years. Del has also been involved with the Sackville Citizens Band, the Hussars Militia Band and Marshwinds dance band and has played mandolin with Rustic Harmony and fiddle and mandolin with Tom Johnson in backing the popular Diamonds In The Rough duo. Del has also often backed the Sussex Avenue Fiddlers over the years on guitar. He has been honoured as Citizen of the Year by Sackville, his home town for many years, and has been publicly lauded by other nearby communities.