Long time road-dog supreme, Tinsley Ellis, is still on the prowl with a hit live album on the blues charts–Live-Highwayman. Presently, Tinsley is in his Atlanta studio working on his new album, which is in the early stages of creation. Now, happily back on Alligator Records, Tinsley expects to release the new album in the summer, tentatively slated to be released on the 4th of July. I hadn’t talked to Tinsley for a couple of years, so it was high time I got an update on this major guitar player and savvy songwriter.
I connected with Tinsley at his home in Atlanta, taking a break from his studio sessions, in which he plays all the parts in preparation to going to the big studio to formally record. We reminisced about the old days in the mid 1980s when Tinsley would play Applejacks and we’d chat outside the club. Those were memorable times.
“I’m hunkered down in my private studio putting this new album together. I’m taking a break from the road so I can get this new album done, then I plan a coast-to-coast tour to promote it. And so it is in this business, you have to give your fans new material on a regular basis.
“As for the live album, (Live Highwayman) I let the fans pick the songs and we recorded it live, taking the best cuts from a series of gigs. It really turned out well, and was a hit, staying on the blues charts for months. This gave me renewed energy to record a new album. I’m also pleased to be back on Alligator. I had to try some of the other labels but I realized that Alligator was the best label for me. You know they are moving into other genres and expanding their artist base.”
“For me, it’s almost impossible to write on the road. I do write down ideas when they occur to me, but I need to get off the road and into my private studio to create new material, based on my adventures on the road and life observances. Yeah, it’s the life I’ve chosen, and frankly, at this point, I couldn’t do anything else, so I’m in it for the long run. As you know, it’s tricky to juggle a family life spending many months on the road. However, like what you do, this is what I love to do, so I’m enjoying the ride.”
“In our past conversations, we’ve had many discussions about my sound, but I call it Southern rock working in the blues medium. I’m comfortable with that label. My latest band includes another guitarist, which expands my sound, giving me more room to solo and allowing him plenty of solo time. We always travel with a keyboardist including a B-3 which helps define our sound. We love coming to Jacksonville where we have many fans. The last time I played Jax was my gig at the Springing the Blues Festival a couple of years ago. So I’m excited about headlining the Seafood Festival,” Tinsley said
While I wrote this piece, I listened to Tinsley’s live album, Live-Highwayman. Wow, I’m reminded that Tinsley is one of the best guitarists working in music today. His playing has distilled his many influences, from Hendrix to Howlin’ Wolf to the early Eric Clapton, into an original gumbo of blues-oriented electric guitar artistry.
More significantly, Tinsley lights up the stage with intense performing energy of his booming voice and wizard chops on guitar, like Tinsely’s solo on ‘The Last Song (I’m Gonna Write About You and Me),’ which passionately expresses the pain of love gone wrong with the deep sustained notes. Man, his “guitar gently weeps” with love’s lost sorrow. Tinsley’s solos grab the listener by the gut with such power and grace, it musically expresses a range of emotions as one lets go of a long love affair. This song really got to me! Tinsley delivers raw emotions through his fingers and out through his guitar amplifier with such power, he sends audiences into a frenzy of excitement. Girls scream, men yell. It’s a controlled riot.
Indeed, Tinsley treats every performance with high energy vibes and he is rewarded by rabid fans who respond to his full-throttle emotional performance. It’s why we go to live concerts-to get that shared feeling.
Tinsley headlines at the Seafood Festival at the Beaches Pavilion on March 17th at 7:15 pm.
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