Reminiscing with Ellis Paul

Ellis Paul, like many of his singer-songwriter peers, had time to contemplate as lock down commenced in March 2020. Mortality came to mind since the Maine native turned 55 in January of that year.

“When I turned 55 it made me think,” Paul said while calling from his Crozet, Virginia, home. “I realized that at that age people start looking at me as an older person.”

Well, some senior discounts do commence with that age, but Paul still is vital enough to write about his period of reckoning. His latest album, “55,” will be released in June.

“There’s a song, ”55,“ that’s about dealing with reaching that age,” he said. “Twenty-two-year-olds start looking at those that are 55 as old. I think about how significant every record I make is, and I approach every album I make as if it’s going to be my last because it really might be my last. Who knows?”

That’s not surprising since Paul, 58, has always been a songsmith who grinds away. The prolific entertainer has 18 prior albums in his canon. Perhaps the work ethic comes from being raised on a small potato farm, which sounds like a joke.

“It really is like a punch line,” Paul said while laughing. “But that’s where I grew up. Growing up in that manner makes you work hard and you see the world with a wide set of eyes.”

Paul, who is on his 30th anniversary tour, has seen the world but the most significant impact for the venerable recording artist was the early days of his career on the Boston folk circuit. Paul cut his teeth in Beantown coffee houses with such gifted singer-songwriters as Martin Sexton, Patty Griffin and Vance Gilbert.

"You could hear a pin drop in those venues," Paul recalled. "There was no need for pyrotechnics to get people’s attention. In some cities it was a bar thing where it was about the volume but I was part of this group of very talented singer-songwriters. About 20 of us are still touring full-time and that’s an amazing thing. It was a great thing to be part of and it had such an effect on me as a singer-songwriter.“

Bill Morrissey had a huge impact on Paul. The late underrated singer-songwriter introduced Paul to the traditional songwriting of Woody Guthrie.

“I fell in love with Woody’s work,” Paul said. “Woody was an incredible writer and had this Vincent Van Gogh-like tragic existence. I’ve always been fascinated with him.”

Paul participated in a Guthrie tribute show at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, which also featured Bruce Springsteen, the Indigo Girls and Ani DiFranco. “It was great to be around people who love Woody like I do,” Paul said.

Like Guthrie, Paul has released children’s albums and plans another project.

“I started working on those kids albums when I started to have children,” Paul said. “I look forward to making another children’s record.”

Paul won't play children's songs when he returns Thursday to CSPS Hall. Expect Paul to render recent tracks, including a number of tunes from his “55” album.

“My fans know that I’m not tied to my catalog,” Paul said. “They know I like to engage with the new material. I do my best to balance what I want to play with what the audience wants to hear.”

Paul will have copies of “55" ” for sale at CSPS Hall.

“Even though the album comes out in June, I would like to get my music out now to those who come to my shows,” Paul said.

Music history is what Paul's all about. Whenever he returns to Iowa, he recalls the green room of the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, which is where Buddy Holly last played before his plane crashed in 1959.

“It’s historic since that’s where Buddy performed before he died,” Paul said. “I think about that green room of that venue since Don McLean wrote the lyrics to ‘American Pie’ on that wall. They paint over everything but that spot and it’s so cool.

“But I enjoy coming back to Cedar Rapids. This time I’m playing with (pianist-accordionist) Radoslav Lorkovic, who is from Iowa City. This show is a homecoming for him and it’s always a pleasure for me since the people in that area really seem to appreciate the style of music I play.”