Mystery Train, of San Diego, a roots rock & roll, jump-swing blues band with a swamp boogie groove formed in 2001with the collaboration of Sonny Derin, harp/vocalist and Jimi Delloiaco, guitar/vocalist. Sonny Derin and Jimi D. met at the 5th Quarter Sunday Blues Jam and envisioned a blues band combining the Chicago nasty blues harp sound with a clean Carl Perkins style guitar sound.  Mystery Train rocks, boogies and slams down gut wrenching blues with a sound that vibrates the soul.  Sonny Derin and Jimi D. have independently produced three CD's of original and tradition blues tunes.

Home Gigs Band Music Photos Contact Links
Copyright 2006 Chubby Budda Publishing Co., San Diego, CA
web design by 'the Harpster'
Jimi Delloiaco, originally from Long Island, NY, has been playing the Southern California music scene for the last 25 years. His major influences have been Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Gene Vincent and Dwane Eddie. In the early 80s, Jimi played with the local San Diego surf band Point Break and later with the roots R & R  band Flash Back. He also played country music with Border Crossing and then in 1995 formed Mystery Train as a power trio. In  2001 he met Sonny Derin and expanded Mystery Train to a four piece, adding the Chicago Blues sound to the band's format. Jimi is a connoisseur of Fender equipment and his sound is vintage Fender all the way. He has opened for such notable acts as the Ventures and Dick Dale and the Del Tones.
Sonny Derin hales from the San Francisco bay area where his first musical influences were classical and 50s Soul music. He started playing and performing with the harmonica at age 10 and has over 45 years of experience. Sonny started his professional blues career with the Pete Macalany & Son Blues Band in Omec, WA. After spending a year as a street musician in San Francisco, he then joined the Navy in 74 and travelled to the East coast where he was exposed to bluegrass music and his most important blues influence, the Nighthawks. In 1983 Sonny formed his own blues band, Sonny Derin and the Rumble Tones, and played cowboy bars throughout the intermountain west. In 1990 he was the harmonica player at the Pioneer Memorial Theater for the off Broadway production of Big River in Salt Lake City. Sonny then headed south and played blues in Alabama and Mississippi with Too Blue and the Breakbone Blues Band.  In 1993 he moved to San Diego and played with Ronnie Nightrain Lane and the Texas Twisters and later with the San Diego King Bees. Sonny has independently produced two live acoustic blues CDs and three studio produced CDs with Mystery Train. 
Rene "Chooch" Purtee has 52 years of professional drumming and vocal experience. Chooch has a four octave vocal range and he loves to sing harmony parts with a voice to be heard and enjoyed by all. His solid left hand provides a back-beat that is in the pocket with an arsenal of beats and rhythms that are steady and strong. Exciting drum solos are a key addition to Mystery Train's sound that our audiences love. Previous to Mystery Train, he traveled with the top 40s show band, the Chosen Few, playing San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Reno and Las Vegas. Returning to San Diego in 1970 he has played clubs throughout the city and East county. "Chooch" keeps the beat right, the rhythm tight and provides one third of the lead vocals in Mystery Train.