Tinsley Ellis likes to joke that what he’s doing isn’t exactly “normal behavior for a man his age.” Two guitars, a car, and thousands of miles of American highway — it’s the life he’s chosen, and the life that continues to choose him.
But as Ellis heads back to Arizona for shows at Tucson’s 191 Toole at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, and Phoenix’s Musical Instrument Museum at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, he will push his new album, “Labor of Love.”
The collection shares the warmth of a musician who has spent 45 years refining his craft. It’s his second all-acoustic record — 13 original blues and folk songs shaped by six guitar tunings, mandolin, piano, and a richer ensemble sound than his previous acoustic effort, “Naked Truth.”
Ellis didn’t expect acoustic music to become his primary lane. Fans nudged him into it, asking for more of the intimate, stripped-down moments he used to tuck into the middle of his electric shows. He found himself looking forward to those quiet interludes more than the loud finales.
“I just couldn’t wait for that part of the show every night,” said Ellis, 68. “And the fans started saying, ‘Why don’t you do a whole album of that?’”
Ellis has released an album every other year since 1981. He admitted there have been dry spells, but new songs, new tunings, and new audiences keep him moving.
“I guess just having a new repertoire… I’m so excited about putting these songs in an order,” he says.
Ellis travels alone, with “two guitars and a car,” but he brings history with him. Among his instruments is a 1937 National-type steel guitar, the kind early bluesmen recorded with. It’s nearly 90 years old and still stage-ready.
“You’ve got to have good cases,” he said. He took the guitars out just before tour kickoff, giving them “a little love” before they hit the road.
Ellis has been playing Arizona since 1990, long before he had name recognition. The fans he met then still come to his shows and that loyalty, he said, is the backbone of blues music.
“Blues isn’t the kind of music that gets you on the cover of Rolling Stone,” he said. “But the fans are more loyal.”
