By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Tinsel Ellis
There are two shows coming to the area over the next few days that feature two similar musicians – two versatile and veteran musicians.
They both excel at playing guitar, writing songs and singing with emotion.
They both have been playing music for more than 50 years and have released more than 20 albums each.
Another similarity is that both are Alligator Records artists.
One has released his last eight albums since 2009 on Alligator Records while the other’s five most recent albums since 2018 have been on the same Chicago-based label.
However, the similarity that binds the two together the most is that they are blues masters.
Tinsley Ellis, who turns 69 in June, has been making music since 1975. Tommy Castro, who just turned 71 on April 15, has been making music since 1970.
Fortunately, fans of blues music can get to hear both of the masters play live over the next few days just by taking two short drives to Bucks County.
Ellis will perform at Dharma Bums (4935 River Road, New Hope, www.dbums.com) on April 19. Castro will headline a show at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com) on April 21.
Ellis will celebrate the release of his new Alligator Records album, “Labor Of Love,” with a live solo acoustic performance at Dharma Bums in New Hope.
“Labor Of Love” is his second acoustic album (after 2024’s Blues Music Award-nominated “Naked Truth”) and first acoustic album to contain all original material.
When the pandemic shutdown hit in March 2020, Ellis was forced to cancel the tour promoting his just-released album, “Ice Cream In Hell,” just six weeks into the 60-date run.
This would be the first time in 40 years he’d be off the road, and as he drove the 2400 miles home from Reno to Atlanta, he was already formulating his future plans.
Ellis resolved to dedicate his pandemic-forced downtime to creating new songs and growing as a songwriter. To get back to his musical roots, he began composing on amps and guitars that he hadn’t used for decades.
He explored obscure studio and live recordings from some of his greatest musical heroes, such as the Allman Brothers, Freddie King, Michael Bloomfield, and B.B. King and was inspired by his favorite artists all over again. Eighteen months later, Ellis had written an astonishing 200 new songs.
“I was on the road non-stop and then it screeched to a halt,” said Ellis, during a phone interview last week
“I was off the road for two years, so I spent a lot of time songwriting – and staring into the abyss. I wrote a couple hundred songs in those two COVID years.
“I did a lot of writing and re-writing. I’d send the ones I liked to Bruce Iglauer (owner of Alligator Records) and he’d give me an honest opinion.
“Bruce was like my mentor. I’d send him the instrumentals for a song. When he asked me for lyrics, I knew he liked the song. He’s like a taskmaster. He’s given me tough love.”
Since the 2024 release of “Naked Truth,” Ellis has been travelling on his own, performing solo all over the country in his jokingly named “Two Guitars And A Car” tour. For Ellis, playing solo, acoustic blues has helped him tap into the raw essence of the music.
According to Ellis, “I love doing these shows. No matter what I play, I like to have an edge. For me, just playing this music is a labor of love.
“I sat at the feet of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf. I got into this music because of them. I always told myself if I could just make a living playing the blues, I’d be, at least in my own mind, successful.”
Solo shows and acoustic numbers are nothing new for Ellis.
“I had always done some acoustic stuff in the middle of shows,” said Ellis. “I started looking forward to it.
“It’s been an extension of myself and I love it. The fans seem to love it too.”
Since his first Alligator album more than 30 years ago, Ellis has become a bona fide worldwide guitar hero. Ellis has performed in all 50 United States as well as in Canada, Western and Eastern Europe, Australia and South America — picking up legions of fans with his guitar virtuosity, passionate vocals and memorable original songs.
“I started in 1979 on the road,” said Ellis. “It’s great to be playing shows. When we play new songs live, they start as the studio version and then we add to them and modify them.”
Born in Atlanta in 1957, Ellis was raised in southern Florida. He found the blues through the back door of British Invasion bands like The Yardbirds, The Animals, Cream, The Rolling Stones and Southern rockers like The Allman Brothers.
As he discovered the roots of these bands, he attended shows by B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and every other blues artist who came through town.
Already an accomplished teenaged musician, Ellis returned to Atlanta and started playing with local bands. 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. After cutting three Heartfixers albums for the Landslide label, Ellis was ready to head out on his own.
It’s now 2026 and Tinsley is still happily on the road – and happily making a return visit to Dharma Bums.
“I played Dharma Bums about two years ago,” said Ellis. “I had a good time. They’ve got a really special vibe.”
Video link for Tinsley Ellis — www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubWXTMdR24w.
The show at Dharma Bums on April 19 will start at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $27.50.
Tommy Castro
Tommy Castro and his band The Painkillers will bring their brand of blues to the Sellersville Theater – a venue he has played several times over the last decade.
Tommy Castro & The Painkillers featuring bassist Randy McDonald, keyboardist Dave Fleschner and drummer Stewart Burr are doing what they do most of the year – touring.
“I’m ready to go back on the road,” said Castro, during a phone interview last week from his home in Palm Springs, California.
“Live shows – that’s our bread and butter. The bulk of money we make is from live shows.”
Castro is celebrating the release of his trailblazing new album, “Closer To The Bone.”
Castro — the four-time Blues Music Award-winner for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year — delivers what he calls, “a record I’ve always wanted to make.”
“Closer To The Bone” is the most unvarnished, straight-ahead blues release of Castro’s career, one that bristles with every ounce of his dynamic energy and raw emotion.
“I wanted to make a real low-down blues record – music I liked,” said Castro. “We tried to create our own music based on our influences – blues, R&B, rock and roll.
“I just wanted to make a real blues record. We did mostly covers. There were a handful of originals – songs to keep us honest. We kept the style of playing.”
According to Castro, “Here, I’m not the contemporary guy, not the rock guy, not the soul guy. This is the deeper blues side of me. I know, with these songs, I am at my most authentic.”
On “Closer To The Bone,” Castro mixes new originals (“Ain’t Worth The Heartache,” “Can’t Catch A Break,” “Crazy Woman Blues”) with songs originally performed by many of his friends and heroes.
Artists and their songs include Johnny Nitro (“One More Night,” on which Castro plays his treasured 1966 black Fender Stratocaster, a guitar once owned by Nitro himself), Magic Slim (“Hole In The Wall”), Ron Thompson (“Freight Train”), Mike Duke (“Keep Your Dog Inside”) and Chris Cain (“Woke Up And Smelled The Coffee”).
Castro additionally chose obscure songs by Wynonie Harris (“Bloodshot Eyes”), Eddie Taylor (“Stroll Out West”), Jimmy Nolen (“The Way You Do”) and Johnny “Guitar” Watson (“She Moves Me”).
According to Castro, “These are not the obvious artists people generally cover, and that was most definitely on purpose.”
Tommy Castro & The Painkillers are currently nominated for three 2026 Blues Music Awards: Album Of The Year (“Closer To The Bone”), Song Of The Year (“Can’t Catch a Break”) and Blues Rock Artist (“Tommy Castro”).
Castro won Blues Blast magazine’s 2025 Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year Award for “Closer To The Bone.” The album placed #1 on The Big Blues Chart’s Top 100 chart for most played albums of 2025.
When it was time to record the album, Castro knew which studio and producer he wanted to use.
“Closer To The Bone” was produced by master guitarist and studio wizard Christoffer “Kid” Andersen (producer of more than 100 albums) at his now-famous Greaseland Studio in San Jose, California.
“We made the album in a couple of sessions,” said Castro. “We played everything live. Then, we added a few things later.”
Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Castro first picked up a guitar at age 10. He fell under the spell of six-string stars like Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal and Mike Bloomfield. Almost every major rock and soul act, from Ike and Tina Turner to Janis Joplin to Tower Of Power, toured through the area, and Castro was at every show.
He saw John Lee Hooker, Albert King, and Buddy Guy and Junior Wells at a local club, JJ’s Blues Bar.
“JJ’s was a little blues joint that opened in San Jose in the 80’s,” said Castro.
Castro often jammed at JJ’s, dreaming of busting out and making a name for himself. He created his own personal sound and style by mixing the blues, R&B and funk music he loved into his own, instantly recognizable brand of uplifting, soul-healing music.
As his reputation spread, Castro played in several Bay Area bands, quickly making a name for himself as a hotter-than-hot live artist bursting at the seams with talent.
He formed the first Tommy Castro Band in 1992 and has not stopped touring since. In 1995, soon after releasing their first album on Blind Pig Records, The Tommy Castro Band were selected as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television’s Comedy Showcase (airing right after Saturday Night Live).
Castro joined Alligator Records in 2009. His label debut, “Hard Believer,” launched to massive popular and critical acclaim. 2011 saw the release of the raucous “Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue—Live!”
In 2014, Castro & The Painkillers released “The Devil You Know,” followed by “Method To My Madness” in 2015, “Stompin’ Ground” in 2017, and “Killin’ It — Live” in 2019. With 2021’s “A Bluesman Came To Town,” Castro told the story of a young musician’s journey through the blues world.
For Castro, it’s always about the blues.
Referring to “Closer To The Bone,” Castro said, “I just really loved making this blues album. And I love coming back to the Sellersville Theater.
“Sellersville is a gig we look forward to. You can count on it being a great evening. The audience is there on purpose.”
Video link for Tommy Castro – https://youtu.be/q7NBPDCwGF8.
The show at Sellersville Theater on April 21 will start at 8 p.m.
Tickets start at $29.50.
