It had the power of rock but felt like the blues. It wasn't just his raw power it was his taste and maturity that got to me. I hadn't heard Tinsley before, but he played like the guys with huge international reputations. 'I had heard COOL ON IT,' recalls Iglauer, 'and I was amazed. Ellis sent a copy of the master tape for his solo debut to Bruce Iglauer at Alligator Records. Upon hearing LIVE AT THE MOONSHADOW (Landslide), the band's second release, The Washington Post declared, 'Tinsley Ellis is a legitimate guitar hero.' After cutting two more Heartfixers albums for Landslide, COOL ON IT (featuring Tinsley's vocal debut) and TORE UP (with vocals by blues shouter Nappy Brown), Ellis was ready to head out on his own. In 1981, along with veteran blues singer and harpist Chicago Bob Nelson, Tinsley formed The Heartfixers, a group that would become Atlanta's top-drawing blues band.

He soon joined the Alley Cats, a gritty blues band that included Preston Hubbard (of Fabulous Thunderbirds fame). And yes, he still has that string.Īlready an accomplished teenaged musician, Ellis left Florida and returned to Atlanta in 1975. By now Tinsley's fate was sealed he had to become a blues guitarist. came out and talked with fans, further impressing Tinsley with his warmth and down-to-earth attitude. broke a string on Lucille, he changed it without missing a beat, and handed the broken string to Ellis. King performance, Tinsley sat mesmerized in the front row. His love for the blues solidified when he was 14.

and Albert-and spent hours immersing himself in their music. He especially loved the Kings-Freddie, B.B. He found the blues through the backdoor of the British Invasion bands like The Yardbirds, The Animals, Cream, and The Rolling Stones. MOMENT OF TRUTH is Ellis’ most wide-ranging and inspired recording.īorn in Atlanta in 1957, Ellis grew up in southern Florida and first played guitar at age eight. The material deals in matters both personal and universal and runs the gamut of human emotions. What really sets the album apart, though, is the depth of Ellis’ songwriting. His vocals reach new heights of soulfulness and expressiveness his guitar playing is ferocious and relentless, but, when the mood calls for it, gentle and moving. He's great in the studio, but even better live, so I'm really excited about this recording,' said Iglauer.Įllis' latest release on Alligator, MOMENT OF TRUTH, captures all the power and energy of his legendary live performances. He's made great albums for us in the past, and we're excited to have him back in the Alligator family. 'Tinsley is one of the finest younger generation blues rockers. His high-energy LIVE-HIGHWAYMAN, the long-awaited live album his fans have been demanding for years, marked his return to Alligator records. Tinsley's hometown paper, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, calls his music, 'a potent, amazing trip through electric blues-rock.'Įllis made five critically acclaimed albums for Alligator between 19 before recording for the Capricorn and Telarc labels. His stellar guitar work, always a staple of his live shows and CDs, is matched by his strong songwriting and powerful, soulful vocals. Since first hitting the national scene with his Alligator Records debut, GEORGIA BLUE, in 1988, Ellis has toured non-stop and continued to release one critically acclaimed album after another. Atlanta Magazine declared Ellis 'the most significant blues artist to emerge from Atlanta since Blind Willie McTell.' His live shows feature extended fretwork filled with melodic and rhythmic experimentation, in the spirit of jam bands like his friends Widespread Panic and The Allman Brothers. Ellis attacks his music with rock power and blues feeling, following in the tradition of Deep South musical heroes Duane Allman, Freddie King, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes. Hard-rocking blues-soaked guitarist/vocalist/song-writer Tinsley Ellis sings and plays with the energy and soul of all the great Southern musicians who have come before him. His live shows feature extended fretwork filled with melodic and rhythmic experimentation, in the spirit of jam bands like his friends Widespread Pani.

A quitter never wins tab