Blues musician finds his comfort zone

The singer/guitarist/songwriter knows who he is,and he's happy with that.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- Epiphanies aren't always kind.
Just ask hard-rocking blues-soaked guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tinsley Ellis, who in 1989 was seemingly on top of the world. Not only had his critically acclaimed debut album "Georgia Blue" been released a year earlier, but the Atlanta native was earning rave reviews on the club circuit.
Things couldn't have been better for Ellis, who felt as though he was following in the footsteps of his idol, B.B. King, and other great bluesman.
"Somewhere around 1989 I discovered that I was never going to be Muddy Waters, so I decided to do my own take on that and that led sort of to blues rock and improvisation and psychedelica," said Ellis, calling from his Georgia home.
Tantamount to realizing you'll never play professional football, star in a Broadway play or walk on the moon, the realization wasn't as devastating to Ellis as much as it was a call to arms to focus on his craft. Still, the self-awareness must have been tough.
"It's something I had suspected for a long time," Ellis laughed. "I got a chance to see Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf in the '70s, and I really felt I could pull it off. Then I decided that probably my music is more along the lines of Duane Allman or Cream or something like that. So there's a certain comfort zone in knowing where you came from, owning up to it and feeling comfortable there."
Knows his music
Comfort for Ellis is performing guitar-based rock for blues-based audiences. Over the past two decades the rousing performer has recorded 10 albums, including his 2005 concert effort "Live-Highwayman." Having opened for the likes of The Allman Brothers, Robert Cray, Koko Taylor and Widespread Panic, Ellis' live show is a fast-moving, high-energy affair built around what he calls slow burners.
"With the live CD, it's very much like sports photography capturing a moment," Ellis said. "With a studio CD, it's a lot more like getting your picture taken for the yearbook. You primp a little bit more. This is more of a portrait."
Consider Ellis fully primped and ready to go with his next studio effort, "Moment of Truth," which arrives in stores June 25. Fans attending his Friday show at the B & amp;O Station in Youngstown should be on the lookout for new tracks such as the Chicago blues-esque "Sleep on It" and his personal favorite, "You're Going to Thank Me." The latter song is somewhat of a departure for Ellis, who said it's written in break-up letter fashion with very few rhymes.
Under the radar
Just like Ellis' realization nearly 20 years ago, the guitarist is content with his blues-based niche that seemingly exists under the radar of the mainstream. While he'd readily accept the larger audience radio exposure could provide, the guitar slinger isn't complaining.
"A lot of the music that rock radio plays has to do with youth rebellion, and here I am in my 40s," Ellis said. "And there is something comical about a guy in his 40s still singing about, 'Oh your parents won't let me go out with you' and stuff like that. In an industry driven by youth and image, I'm pretty much fighting an uphill battle, because if you're shooting for that radio thing, the way radio is, I zig and they zag."
He added, "But it's kind of a nice position to be in. I kind of play for the working-class folks and get by doing that."