Folk Heritage Series: Andy Cohen, Eleanor Ellis & Bill Ellis

For fans of acoustic blues, it just doesn't get any better than this. Three towering talents take us on a rollicking tour through the Delta, the Piedmont, and the Paramount record catalog of the '20s and '30s, and pieces learned first-hand in the homes of the creators themselves.

Eleanor Ellis is a celebrated master of country and Piedmont blues--one of the most significant women in the acoustic blues genre. She is a torchbearer especially for her friend, mentor and musical partner, blues & gospel singer and guitarist Flora Molton, with whom she recorded two albums: I Want to Be Ready to Hear God When He Calls and the eponymous Flora Molton, recorded for Radio France.

Acclaimed Americana/Blues guitarist William Lee Ellis was named after his godfather, legendary bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe. His father, Tony Ellis, was one of Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. After earning a master's degree in classical guitar performance, Ellis met Piedmont blues giant Reverend Gary Davis. "Davis was a great sacred bluesman...There's a combination of the heavenly and the hellish, there are wonderful dynamics, tension and drama." In his quest to make the music's message live for today, Ellis has developed a style of Americana all his own.

Blues picker and Caffe Lena stalwart Andy Cohen is a connector between the legendary bluesmen of the last century (Big Bill Broonzy, Rev. Gary Davis, Honeyboy Edwards) and today's generation of blues revivalists. As a youngster coming up in the '60s folk revival, Andy began the explorations with "source" musicians that led to his current status as a virtuoso fingerstyle guitarist and "walking, talking folk-blues-roots music encyclopedia." An Andy Cohen performance encompasses the well-known, the obscure and the weirdly wonderful, and often involves autoharp and dolceola along with acoustic 6 and 12-string guitars.

SAMPLE SONG

SAMPLE SONG

Stream this show live at Caffè Lena TV. Livestream available for $5 – 100% of live stream tickets on CaffeLenaTV benefit the artists. Subscribe for unlimited live streaming, two week access to recent shows, and Caffe Lena's video archive.

Note: Caffe Lena does not permit ticket reselling above face value. Tickets purchased for the purpose of resale may be canceled without notice, and refunds for such purchases will not be granted.

Blues, Folk

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Caffe Lena