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...
Shadow of Doubt
Tinsley Ellis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ready to stand trial and move on
Though I'm guilty in your sight, have some mercy tonight
I can't make it through this fight all alone
But, oh, Lord, don't make it easy
Keep me working till I work it all out
But please, please won't you shine enough light on me?
Keep me out of this shadow of doubt
As I try to make some sense of this world I'm up against
Well, I know my best defense is your love
When the struggle gets insane and the lesson's full of pain
Keep me calling out your name with love
But, oh, Lord, don't make it easy
Keep me working till I work it all out
But please, please won't you shine enough light on me
Till I'm free from this shadow of doubt
Keep me out of this shadow of doubt
Well, I whisper in the dark from the bottom of my heart
And I'm searchin' for one star to shine
I will shout from mountain high and I'll reach into the sky
Till you open up my eyes so blind
But, oh, Lord, don't make it easy
Keep me working till I work it all out
But please, please won't you shine enough light on me
Till I'm free from this shadow of doubt
Keep me out of this shadow of doubt
The song "Shadow of Doubt" by Tinsley Ellis is about a person who feels homesick and is tired of running wild. The person is ready to stand trial and move on with their life. However, they feel guilty in someone else's eyes and they ask for mercy. The person can't make it through the fight alone and they need help. The person asks the Lord not to make it easy but to keep working until they work it all out. The person asks the Lord to shine enough light on them so they can be free from this shadow of doubt. The shadow of doubt is holding the person back and they want to be free from it.
The lyrics also touch upon the struggles the person faces in this world. The person's best defense is the love of the Lord. When the struggle gets too insane or the lessons are too painful, the person keeps calling out to the Lord with love. The person is whispering in the dark, searching for one star to shine, shouting from mountain high, and reaching into the sky until the Lord opens up their blind eyes. The person acknowledges that they need to work hard to overcome their doubts, but they need the Lord's guidance and help for ultimate success.
Overall, the song is a cry for help from someone who is struggling with doubts and needs the Lord's help to overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
Just another homesick child, tired of running wild
Feeling lost and alone like a child who is far from home and wanting to move on from a chaotic lifestyle
Ready to stand trial and move on
Prepared to face the consequences of past actions and move forward in life
Though I'm guilty in your sight, have some mercy tonight
Admitting fault for wrongdoing and asking for forgiveness and compassion
I can't make it through this fight all alone
Acknowledging the need for support in overcoming personal struggles
But, oh, Lord, don't make it easy
Requesting challenges to learn and grow from rather than having an easy path
Keep me working till I work it all out
Asking for perseverance and the strength to overcome difficulties
But please, please won't you shine enough light on me?
Requesting guidance and clarity during times of confusion and doubt
Till I'm free from this shadow of doubt
Desiring to overcome insecurity and fear of failure
Keep me out of this shadow of doubt
Avoiding negative thoughts and self-doubt that impede personal growth
As I try to make some sense of this world I'm up against
Striving for understanding and meaning in a complex world
Well, I know my best defense is your love
Recognizing that relying on a higher power's love and support is the best way to cope with challenges
When the struggle gets insane and the lesson's full of pain
Recognizing that lessons in life can be difficult and painful
Keep me calling out your name with love
Seeking comfort and strength from a higher power during challenging times
Well, I whisper in the dark from the bottom of my heart
Expressing deep, personal feelings in a vulnerable way
And I'm searchin' for one star to shine
Seeking hope and guidance in the darkness
I will shout from mountain high and I'll reach into the sky
Expressing determination and a desire for growth and personal development
Till you open up my eyes so blind
Seeking clarity and understanding about oneself and the world
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GARY NICHOLSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind