 |
| Photo credit: Jack Looney |
Ellis recorded 'Chasing Beauty' in Atlanta, Charlottesville, and Boston. Kristian Bush of the Grammy award-winning band Sugarland, produced the project with his brother Brandon Bush, of Sugarland and Train. For the second time, the album was completely funded by fans - we raised over $100,000 with over 600 donors! So far this summer, Ellis was the commencement speaker at the University of Maine and received an Honorary Doctorate, then was inducted into the Maine Music Hall of Fame. Coming up will be the release of a children's book and CD project, to be released in September.
Shun Ng, a gifted guitarist, singer, and songwriter born in Chicago, raised in Singapore, now based out of Boston, will be opening the show. He is an acclaimed international performer known for his unique style of guitar playing that infuses elements of Soul, Funk, Blues, and Jazz. It promises to be a great evening!
Ellis Paul's [www.EllisPaul.com] songwriting credentials are unassailable. They are as genuine as the fifteen Boston Music Awards he has earned, as indelible as the tattoo of Woody Guthrie that adorns his arm, and as authentic as the musical roots he draws upon with every note he plays. At the invitation of Woody's daughter, Ellis wrote a song with Woody's unpublished lyrics and was given an honorary citizenship to Okemah, OK. Woody's hometown.
Ellis grew up in a potato farming family in Maine, earned a track scholarship to Boston College and got his musical start at Boston's open-mic scene while studying to be a social worker. He emerged out of the Boston music scene during a time when contemporary folk was beginning to come into the mainstream. It was a time and a place that nurtured some of the country's top singer/songwriters like, Martin Sexton, Patty Griffin and Dar Williams. Ellis was one of its more memorable exponents who earned his place on the national map with 20+ years of playing 150 to 200 shows annually. He has 19 releases, a documentary film, a book of poems/short stories, and a children's book project to his credit.
Ellis' songs have been featured on Hollywood soundtracks in films such as: Me, Myself & Irene, Shallow Hal and Hall Pass, as well as TV shows and documentary films. He has performed on stages at the Newport Folk Festival, Carnegie Hall, and clubs, coffeehouses all over the world. This year, Ellis fan funded his 19th release "Chasing Beauty", produced by Sugarland's Kristian Bush. He was awarded a Honorary Degree from the University of Maine and inducted into the Maine Music Hall of Fame.
No comments:
Post a Comment