Rory Ellis

“When the big fella opens up his chest and lets fly with that lusty, rumbling voice, even then it's as if he's pulling back on the reins in fear of what might happen to innocent bystanders - it's that potent.
Jeff Glorfeld The Melbourne Age

Rory has spent many years touring locally and internationally taking inspiration from suburban street culture, some of the seedier Melbourne pubs he has worked in, not just as a performer, regular glimpses of the Melbourne underworld, people he’s loved, lost, and from his own eventful life, rich in contrast. Audiences at Rory’s numerous festival appearances and more intimate performances have been captivated by his powerful vocal command and subtle acoustic instrumentation that bring the vivid stories to life.

Ellis launched his debut CD “Ride” in March 2001 to a four star review in The Age EG section by Lyall Johnson who challenged the readers "If you’re not deeply moved by this superb debut by Melbourne singer-songwriter Rory Ellis, it’s doubtful you’re human. Ellis, with his wonderfully deep, resonant voice, plumbs the depths of the human experience to come up with a sophisticated, inspiring album of predominantly earthy ballads about life on the streets"

Jackey Coyle of Rhythms acclaimed ’Road Of The Braver Man’ (released in 2003) "that the quality of Rory Ellis’s voice alone the richness of the timbre, the skill of his technique - that he conveys an irresistible charisma, and that’s not even counting his song writing skills. The first few verses I heard, I was done for - instant fan". Ellis’s particular style, that he calls "urban folk", was melded living in a boxing gym, honed playing in Melbourne pubs and polished gigging the festival circuit. He recorded this, his second solo album, over three days live in the studio with Dave Steel (guitars, accordion, percussion, mandolin and it’s celtic cousin the cittern). Jackeys enthusiasm continues "He is a master of light and shade, of knowing when not to sing in order to give full effect"

Armed with two media acclaimed albums Rory toured the UK in 2004 for the first time. He spent 3 months there performing over 60 hugely successful shows at venues and festivals alike.
So successful his time there he decided to return in November of that year to do another 16 shows.

On the back of those tours in 2004, 2005 saw the UK release of Rory’s third release, “The Rushes” followed up by 7 months of touring all over the UK to promote it. This third tour of the UK saw Rory performing around 120 shows in 7 months. He performed at festivals such as Larmer Tree Festival, Fylde Folk Festival, Southsea Festival, Middlewich Festival, Broadstairs Festival, Great British R&B Festival, and many more as well as venues all over the UK including Londons famous Borderline, The Spitz and The Garage.
Whilst on tour in the UK he has also supported, amongst others, Richie Havens Eric Bibb, Chumbawamba, The Beautiful Girls, Rory McLeod and Gordon Haskell and has performed live to air on BBC Jersey, Cornwall, Devon, Cumbria, Leicester and Blackburn.

2006 saw the Australian release of “The Rushes” album and it received as much attention as the man who, to quote Jeff Glorfeld of The Age "is one of those quintessential Australian singer-songwriters with buckets of talent, heaps of stories to tell, and impossible to pigeonhole. He’s got blues man in him, some soul belter, red-dirt country and home-grown folkie.

Rory has been a regular at many Australian Festivals over the years including Port Fairy Folk Festival, National Folk Festival, Apollo Bay Music Festival, Blue Mountains Blues and Roots Festival, Maldon Folk Festival, Cygnet Folk Festival, Skandia Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Thredbo Blues Festival, Guildford Blues and Roots, Torquay Blues and Roots Explosion as well as touring extensively performing at venues Australia wide.

In April of 2008 Rory signed “Two Feathers” to UK label Villainous Records, taking Rory on his 5th UK tour to support its release. He is performing at festivals and venues in the UK, some include: Shetlands Folk Festival, City Blues Weekend, Off the tracks festival, Middlewich Folk Festival, Glastonwick Festival, North Devon Festival, Larmer Tree Festival, Two Rivers Festival, Southsea Festival and Stokes Bay Festival, with many venue dates in between.

Officially released in the UK on July 7th in 2008, Two Feathers is a masterpiece of Alternative Country and Blues music fusing acoustic and electric instruments into a rich sounding album, true in tone, with a warmth that only embellishes the mood of this stunning piece of work. It’s like a trip back to the old vinyl’s we knew and loved. The album was recorded by Rory Ellis at the Drysdale Manor, mixed and mastered by Barry Stockley at Fatsound in Melbourne and produced by Rory Ellis and Dave Steel.

This new album features some of Australia’s finest musicians performing songs about childhood hideaways on the tin roof of the old shed a