Faces Of New Bedford – #41: Craig Dee

Meet Craig DeMelo, 33-year-old teacher and musician.

Craig grew up his entire life and graduated from New Bedford High in 2000. During his time in high school he started singing in a band called Affliction. Having been involved in chorus all throughout his childhood, he had always sang but wanted to learn how to play the guitar, so he taught himself in 6 months.

In college, he had someone introduce him to Dave Matthews Band and it was during that time where his journey as a song writer really took off. Finishing up the last year of college, he started subbing in the New Bedford school system to make extra cash while finishing his degree and fell in love with teaching. It was during this time where he was also part of the band Lemon Stone, which he toured across New England with.

He graduated college and started working full time as a teacher in at Roosevelt. Lemon Stone had broken up and Craig really started developing his solo work, writing and recording an album, “The Wiskey Poet,” which he released in 2007. This album opened up a slew of gigs for him, playing in several large venues between New Bedford and New York.

As he has gotten older, growing his family and raising his children, he has enjoyed to be able to play locally and still teach at the High School, where he has taught English and Journalism since 2008. It’s been awesome for him to see students who come through the school and rise beyond the trials that they face and become successful.

His hope is for New Bedford High’s image to become more accurately represented and that the exception which is publicized wouldn’t be considered the normal behavior of the school. He remembers when there was a valor about going to NBHS and he is working and hoping to see that restored.

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