Ellen McIlwaine

Ellen McIlwaine's background is diverse. Born in Nashville, Tennessee and adopted by Southern Presbyterian Missionaries, she spent fifteen years in Japan as part of a small international community attending Canadian Academy in Kobe. She began playing rock & roll piano at age five, listening to New Orleans-style rythmn & blues (Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Professor Longhair), Latino groups like Trio Los Panchos, Japanese classical and folk music,American jazz on Japanese radio; country music and European classical music on US Armed Forces Radio. She also sang in the church choir. Returning in 1963 to North America with her parents, Ellen attended collegefor two years in Tennessee and then art school in Atlanta while absorbing the music of Tina Turner, BB King, the Isley Brothers, James Brown and other rhythm & blues and Gospel groups. It was here she bought her first guitar and began appearing in Atlanta clubs. In 1966, encouraged by folk singer Patrick Sky she went to Greenwich Village, bought from Guild Guitars the steel-stringed accoustic used by Mississippi John Hurt, among others, during repairs, and met Dave Van Ronk and Odetta, Muddy Waters, Richard Prior, Buddy Guy & J... more...