ALBANY — Tinsley Ellis is on tour to celebrate the release of his new album, “Devil May Care,” and will perform at The Linda in Albany on Thursday, Aug. 25.
Ellis has been immersed in music his whole life. Born in Atlanta in 1957 and raised in southern Florida, he acquired his first guitar at age seven, inspired by seeing The Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. He took to guitar instantly, developing and sharpening his skills as he grew up. Like many kids his age, Ellis discovered the blues through the back door of British Invasion bands like The Yardbirds, The Animals, Cream and The Rolling Stones as well as Southern rockers like the Allman Brothers.
One night in 1972, he and a friend were listening to Al Kooper and Michael Bloomfield’s Super Session record when his friend’s older brother told them that, if they liked Super Session, they should go see B.B. King, who was in town that week. Tinsley saw that show from the very front row. As fate would have it, King broke a guitar string while playing, and after changing it without missing a beat, he handed the broken string to young Tinsley. And yes, he still has that string.
Today, Ellis is among the world’s most celebrated blues-rock performers, and one of the genre’s most original and prolific songwriters.
His most recent album, “Devil May Care,” was released on Alligator Records and features 10 of Tinsley’s most dynamic original compositions, mixing muscular rock ‘n’ roll and hard blues into his own instantly recognizable sound.
WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio is located at 339 Central Ave., Albany. Showtime is 8 p.m., and tix are $26-$32, available at www.thelinda.org, or call 518-465-5233.
