Hello Mr. Rory Ellis! Please tell us more about you and your professional music life.
I was raised as an only child in suburban Melbourne, Victoria Australia, with a mother that loved Big Band Music, which saw mum often cooking to the tunes of Shirley Bassey or Frank Sinatra, and Dad and I out the back listening to Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Hank Snow, while I cleaned my football boots. I got my first guitar at 14, a hand-me-down from one of the ladies that mum used to clean house for. I taught myself a few chords, and the rest is history. The first song I ever learned was “Frankie and Johnny“. Singing and playing guitar became my true passion. By the age of 24, I was in my first professional band, called Electric Mud, which catered to my younger rock and blues phase. In 1998, I swapped my old football boots for a pair of Blundstones. I went solo and put out my first album in the year 2000, titled Ride. This album was an urban folk style album, that further inspired my leanings toward the Americana music. Ride received rave reviews in Australia’s biggest newspapers. Now, 20 years on, I am presenting to you my eigth album since the year 2000, after experiencing almost two decades of touring around Australia and overseas to the UK, Europe and New Zealand. My career highlights have been performances at the Isle of Wight Festival UK, Shetland Folk Festival UK, Larmer Tree Festival UK, Maryport Blues Festival UK, Castel St Pietro Blues Festival, Italy, Port Fairy Folk Festival AU, National Folk Festival AU. Tamworth CMF. 8 nationally and internationally media acclaimed albums. I have performed supports for Richie Havens, Robert Cray, Canned Heat, Seth Lakeman, Diesel and Renee Geyer. 10 UK tours, 4 European Tours, Over 100 Australian and International Festivals and 1000’s of Australian and International shows.
when did you have the idea to go the professional way of the musician?
In 1989, after a 2 month trip to America’s Southern States, learning slide guitar in Austin Texas, and meeting Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Vaughan and Melissa Etheridge, and hanging out at Eugene’s Music Store in Dallas Texas, I decided that this was for me! On 6th Street, Austin Texas, a busker was on a break, handed me his guitar, and I made 25 bucks in 15 minutes, and I thought this was great. It was also there, I missed a Golf Game with Willie Nelson....but that’s a long story, and definitely a song in it!
From which artists did you take the inspiration? Or from somebody else (some artist)?
I have many favourites, however the select few still remain....Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Leo Kottke, Richie Havens and Bob Dylan to name a few.
Which moments in your carreer were the most important? Do you have some “turning moments“?
I think the there have been many turning moments in my music career particularly having the opportunities to perform where I have at venues and festival all over the world. However the most important was meeting Dave Steel at the Cygnet Folk Festival in Tasmania Australia. He played in a famous Australian band, called “Weddings Parties Anything“. He became a bit of a mentor to me and we recorded and produced together my first four albums.
You have on sales your new album “One Skin“. Please tell me more about the idea to this album, and tell me more about the texts.
One Skin was written as a celebration of a new chapter in my life and love for my partner, but with an edge of difference, as I really wanted to push the subject boundaries in this one! Songs like “Who’s Your Daddy“ and Another Woman Down“ are great examples of this. One Skin is a great demonstration of the diversity of Americana music, taking listeners on a journey woven through country, blues and folk and the ever-present chromatic harmonica, an instrument not widely used in this genre. One Skin is an album to be listened to carefully, with new discoveries on each song. My albums are often written around occurrences during a period of time and, as a songwriter, you're like a reporter, and the song is the article. It is important to me, as with all my albums, to have situations that will occur to other people. It may not always be apparent straight away, but when they listen to it, it becomes real to the point where the listener can often put themselves into the song. The beauty of song writing is the ability to delicately filter a message through the songs. I wanted to highlight serious issues that I‘ve witnessed, too. “Who’s Your Daddy“ is a hard-hitting song that focuses on the effects that estranged fathers have on their partners and kids and the yearning from all to know why he isn’t there, and his eventual realisation that he has been removed from their hearts, often by his own hand. “Another Woman Down“ is about the overwhelming presence of domestic violence in our communities. This is a song for the women who have been subjected to this.
The new album “One Skin“ has released by the German label „Valve Records“. Tell us more about this cooperation.
Reinhard Finke at Valve came to see me play at a local gig in Solingen at the invitation of my personal friend and fan Reinhard Zeisenis in Celle. Reinhard Finke loved the music and after a productive meeting the following day and loads of communication over the last year or so, we now have a great close association going into the future. My German team that also includes Klaus Stracke of KS music in Berlin, who I’ve known for many years are totally dedicated and committed to bringing my music to Europe.
Exciting times ahead.
What do you know about Czech Republic? And do you know somebody from Czech music industry?
The truth is I know very little about the Czech republic, I guess I can only blame the tyranny of distance. However, I do know that just like us Aussies, there is a great appreciation of beer. Thumbs up on that! My promotor in Germany, Klaus Stracke, is slowly but surely introducing me personally, and my music to the Czech Republic and I know that myself and the people of the Czech Republic are going to become great mates going into the future! I look forward to learning so much more.
Rory, Please tell us about your trips / journeys during, Australia, USA, and Europe.
There’s been so many great journeys both here in Australia and overseas during my career, that it is impossible to speak about them all here. However, one of my most memorable journeys, was meeting Perry Stenback and Steffan Sorrenson at the Shetland Island Folk Festival in 2008. They are both great musicians in their own right from Denmark. We became long distance friends, almost brothers....brothers from another mother! And in 2012, without any form of practice or rehearsal, I suggested to Davie Henderson who booked the Shetland Folk Festival that we could come together and perform there. He loved the idea! We arrived....walked on stage without playing a note together before that moment, and blew the crowd away!
What is your favorite song? From your new album / from the older albums? / and from another artists?
When you put so much effort into the creation of any album, every word, every note, every moment means so much and makes it almost impossible to ever choose a favourite. The same goes for listening to other artists as I always listen to an album in its entirety and try to figure where the artist was coming from, what he/she was trying to say or deliver at that moment in time. There are always songs that you like instantly and others that grow on you..The latter for me are often the most powerful.
Thank you very much for your time. Good luck in your careers and personal lifes! Here is your space for write something to your fans/our readers.
As I write this note, it appears that the wheels have been set in motion, to tour Europe again in 2020. I am incredibly excited by this, and cannot wait to meet you at my shows in the Czech Republic! Mention this article to me at one of my shows, I will happily gift you an autographed CD as a token of friendship and appreciation.
