11-13-2026

Legendary blues guitarist Tinsley Ellis, known for decades as one of the greatest electric blues-rock guitarists of his generation, is now also recognized as one of the very best contemporary acoustic blues guitarists, songwriters and performers in the world. With 2024's critically acclaimed, Blues Music Award-nominated "Naked Truth," Ellis unplugged with his first-ever acoustic album. On it he mixed his own striking original songs, inspired by Son House, Skip James, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters with a few reinvented covers.

According to No Depression, "Even though it's just Ellis and his acoustic guitars, there's plenty of hell-raisin' blues going on. With the ghost of Elmore James looking over his shoulder and Wolf leaning in...Ellis proves he's an icon."

Now, with his new album, "Labor Of Love," Ellis delivers a raw, edgy, self-produced set of 13 original compositions, all performed with pure, emotional honesty. The songs spin modern tales of floods, conflagrations, voodoo spirits, personal travails and heaven-sent prayers. From the feral opener "Hoodoo Woman" to the John Lee Hooker-groove of "Long Time" to the evocative, Skip James-inspired "To A Hammer" to the Son House-style stomp of "Sunnyland," Ellis inhabits his songs in a way that is simply astonishing.

Each performance carries the weight, experience and hard-earned wisdom Ellis learned over four decades on the road, making Labor Of Love as profoundly deep and moving as any music he has made in his career. It covers the gamut of emotions, finding good times in the hard times, mixing gentle beauty with foot-pounding ferocity.

For Ellis, playing solo, acoustic blues has helped him tap into the raw essence of the music. "I love doing these shows," Ellis says, with plans to continue touring solo for the foreseeable future. "No matter what I play, I like to have an edge. For me, just playing this music is a labor of love. I sat at the feet of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf. I got into this music because of them. I always told myself if I could just make a living playing the blues, I'd be, at least in my own mind, successful."

"Ellis delivers a powerful punch of deep roots blues and wicked guitar...a foot-stomping, raucous good time...a joyous and triumphant celebration of acoustic music. You'll feel it down to the bone." - Living Blues

"Glorious, raw and propulsive acoustic blues...killer vocals and biting, dazzling guitar work." - AllMusic

"Stripped down and raw...gruff unembellished vocals...glistening melodies fingerpicked with delicacy...so genuine it seems like a long lost recording." - Blues Music Magazine