Since first hitting the national scene with his Alligator Records debut, GEORGIA BLUE, in 1988, Ellis has toured non-stop and continued to release one critically acclaimed album after another. His stellar guitar work, always a staple of his live shows and CDs, is matched by his strong songwriting and powerful, soulful vocals. Tinsley's hometown paper, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, calls his music, "a potent, amazing trip through electric blues-rock."
Ellis made five critically acclaimed albums for Alligator between 1988 and 1997 before recording for the Capricorn and Telarc labels. His high-energy LIVE-HIGHWAYMAN, the long-awaited live album his fans have been demanding for years, marked his return to Alligator records. "Tinsley is one of the finest younger generation blues rockers. He's made great albums for us in the past, and we're excited to have him back in the Alligator family. He's great in the studio, but even better live, so I'm really excited about this recording," said Iglauer.
Ellis' latest release on Alligator, MOMENT OF TRUTH, captures all the power and energy of his legendary live performances. His vocals reach new heights of soulfulness and expressiveness; his guitar playing is ferocious and relentless, but, when the mood calls for it, gentle and moving. What really sets the album apart, though, is the depth of Ellis’ songwriting. The material deals in matters both personal and universal and runs the gamut of human emotions. MOMENT OF TRUTH is Ellis’ most wide-ranging and inspired recording.
Born in Atlanta in 1957, Ellis grew up in southern Florida and first played guitar at age eight. He found the blues through the backdoor of the British Invasion bands like The Yardbirds, The Animals, Cream, and The Rolling Stones. He especially loved the Kings--Freddie, B.B. and Albert--and spent hours immersing himself in their music. His love for the blues solidified when he was 14. At a B.B. King performance, Tinsley sat mesmerized in the front row. When B.B. broke a string on Lucille, he changed it without missing a beat, and handed the broken string to Ellis. After the show, B.B. came out and talked with fans, further impressing Tinsley with his warmth and down-to-earth attitude. By now Tinsley's fate was sealed; he had to become a blues guitarist. And yes, he still has that string.
Already an accomplished teenaged musician, Ellis left Florida and returned to Atlanta in 1975. He soon joined the Alley Cats, a gritty blues band that included Preston Hubbard (of Fabulous Thunderbirds fame). In 1981, along with veteran blues singer and harpist Chicago Bob Nelson, Tinsley formed The Heartfixers, a group that would become Atlanta's top-drawing blues band. Upon hearing LIVE AT THE MOONSHADOW (Landslide), the band's second release, The Washington Post declared, "Tinsley Ellis is a legitimate guitar hero." After cutting two more Heartfixers albums for Landslide, COOL ON IT (featuring Tinsley's vocal debut) and TORE UP (with vocals by blues shouter Nappy Brown), Ellis was ready to head out on his own. Ellis sent a copy of the master tape for his solo debut to Bruce Iglauer at Alligator Records. "I had heard COOL ON IT," recalls Iglauer, "and I was amazed. I hadn't heard Tinsley before, but he played like the guys with huge international reputations. It wasn't just his raw power; it was his taste and maturity that got to me. It had the power of rock but felt like the blues. I knew I wanted to hear more of this guy."
GEORGIA BLUE, Tinsley's first Alligator release, hit an unprepared public by surprise in 1988. Critics and fans quickly agreed that a new and original guitar hero had emerged. "Dazzling musicianship pitched somewhere between the exhilarating volatility of rock and roll and the passion of urban blues," raved the Los Angeles Times. Before long, Alligator arranged to reissue COOL ON IT and TORE UP, thus exposing Tinsley's blistering earlier music to a growing fan base." The Chicago Tribune celebrated the release by saying, "Ellis takes classic, Southern blues-rock workouts and jolts them to new life with a torrid axe barrage."
Tinsley's next release, 1989's FANNING THE FLAMES, further expanded the guitarist's hero status. By now his talents as a songwriter equaled his guitar prowess. Guitar World shouted, "Ellis stands alongside Stevie Ray Vaughan and Johnny Winter, and that ain't just hype." 1992's TROUBLE TIME added guests Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and keyboardist Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones), and brought even more critical acclaim Ellis' way. The song >Highwayman received airplay on commercial rock radio stations across the country. "Alive, kicking and drenched in sweat," declared The Washington Post.
1994's STORM WARNING was Ellis' true breakthrough. Recorded live in the studio with his road-savvy band and produced by Eddy Offord (John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Yes), the album was a tour-de-force of smoking guitar workouts and radio-friendly blues rockers. Features and reviews ran in Rolling Stone, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and in many other national and regional publications. His largest audience by far came when NBC Sports ran a feature on Atlanta's best blues guitarist during their 1996 Summer Olympic Coverage viewed by millions of people all over the world.
FIRE IT UP followed in 1997. Produced by the legendary Tom Dowd (Allman Brothers, Ray Charles), the album featured Ellis' blazing guitar playing and expressive, soulful vocals in better form than ever. With Dowd's deft production touch--along with Tinsley's fiery road band and a host of talented musicians, including famed bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn on seven songs--Ellis reached new heights, coming up with some of the best performances of his career. The Associated Press called the CD, "A solid heaping of blues...a mixture of well-written originals and covers all held together with scorching guitar and a big voice to carry his sharply written lyrics."
A move to Capricorn Records in 2000 saw Ellis revisiting his Southern roots with KINGPIN. Unfortunately, the label folded soon after the CD's release. In 2002, he joined the Telarc label, producing two well-received albums of soul-drenched blues-rock, HELL OR HIGH WATER and THE HARD WAY. All the while, Ellis never stopped touring. "A musician never got famous staying home," he's quick to note.
Ellis has played in all 50 states, as well as Canada, Europe, Australia and South America. Whether he's out with his own band or sharing stages with The Allman Brothers, Robert Cray, Koko Taylor or Widespread Panic, he averages over 150 performances a year, bringing his fast-moving, high-energy, guitar-drenched performances to fans all over the world. Live, there's simply no one better at igniting a crowd, jamming with focus and purpose...
I'll Be Loving You
Tinsley Ellis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is how much that I love you
And there′s nothing darling
That I would not do for you
You can stop and talk about it
Or keep walking down the road
Let me help you carry
Some of your heavy load
I′ll be loving you
I'll be loving you
Baby till the end of time
We can stop and talk about it
Or just let the whole thing pass
But that's not how to make ？
Or strong everlasting love
I′ll be loving you
I′ll be loving you
I'll be loving you
Baby till the end of time
I′ll be loving you
I'll be loving you
I′ll be loving you
Baby till the end of time
I'll be loving you
Till the end of time
I′ll be loving you
And I hope and pray you're in love someday
The lyrics to Tinsley Ellis's song "I'll Be Loving You" express a deep sense of love and commitment to the person being addressed. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song by conveying the strength of emotion and devotion that the singer feels toward their loved one. The repetition of the phrase "I'll be loving you" throughout the song reinforces this sense of commitment and makes it clear that the singer is in love for the long haul.
The lyrics also emphasize the importance of supporting one's partner through difficult times. The line "Let me help you carry some of your heavy load" is a powerful reminder that true love involves being there for someone through thick and thin. The song encourages communication and honesty in relationships, suggesting that talking things out is better than ignoring problems or letting them fester.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the first thing I wanna tell you
The singer wants to express his feelings right away.
Is how much that I love you
He loves his beloved a lot.
And there′s nothing darling
There's no exception or limit to his love.
That I would not do for you
He is willing to do anything for his beloved.
You can stop and talk about it
His beloved can discuss anything with him.
Or keep walking down the road
Or they can just move on without discussing anything.
Let me help you carry
He wants to help his beloved with any burden.
Some of your heavy load
Any burdens his beloved carries are heavy and difficult.
I'll be loving you
He will continue to love his beloved.
I′ll be loving you
His love will persist.
I'll be loving you
He will continue to love.
Baby till the end of time
His love for his beloved will last forever.
We can stop and talk about it
They can discuss anything with each other.
Or just let the whole thing pass
Or they can ignore any disagreement or conflict.
But that's not how to make ?
Ignoring things won't help their relationship grow.
Or strong everlasting love
True love requires effort, not avoidance.
I′ll be loving you
He will continue to love his beloved.
I′ll be loving you
His love will persist.
I'll be loving you
He will continue to love.
Baby till the end of time
His love for his beloved will last forever.
I′ll be loving you
He will continue to love his beloved.
I'll be loving you
He will continue to love.
I′ll be loving you
His love will persist.
Baby till the end of time
His love for his beloved will last forever.
I'll be loving you
He will continue to love his beloved.
Till the end of time
His love for his beloved will last until the end of time.
I′ll be loving you
He will continue to love his beloved.
And I hope and pray you're in love someday
He hopes his beloved will experience love as well.
Contributed by Annabelle P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@camilaakemi5928
Well the first thing I wanna tell you
is how much that I love you
And there's nothing darling
that I would not do for you
You can stop and talk about it
or keep walking down the road
Let me help you carry
some of your heavy load
I'll be loving you
I'll be loving you
I'll be loving you
Baby till the end of time
We can stop and talk about it
or just let the whole thing pass
But that's not how to make ？
or strong everlasting love
I'll be loving you
I'll be loving you
I'll be loving you
Baby till the end of time
I'll be loving you
I'll be loving you
I'll be loving you
Baby till the end of time
I'll be loving you
till the end of time
I'll be loving you
And I hope and pray you're in love someday
@Jtown519143
The passion in this song. Simply incredible.
@Jtown519143
One of the best blues songs of all time.
@bojanboskovic6744
Crazy perfect! Bloody clear sound! Glorious blues!
@bojanboskovic6744
8/18/2020 Burst!
@Jtown519143
One of the best ever!!!
@gerardhaubert8210
Have seen Tinsley many times, have all his records, THIS is my all time favorite
@Elizabeth-wv1wh
Magical blues.........love it!!!
@enrcislir
Desde hace 13 años la escuche y es el cielo mismo
@TheSeoulsista
I’ve seen him a few times….i like that he keeps an intimate setting…. Blues should be shrouded, and he always seems to understand this….Like Stevie….
@rudbeckie1
Krásné!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Díky!