Dolan ellis biography of william hill

Arizona’s Official State Balladeer

In 1996, singer Paula Cole lamented “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” That year, one such cowboy was hunkered down in Ramsey Canyon near the Mexican border, building an ark of songs and stories called the Arizona Folklore Preserve.

It’s one of many things Dolan Ellis has done to get Arizonans tuned in to the sonic landscapes surrounding them. Ellis earned acclaim as an original member of Grammy Award-winning folk ensemble The New Christy Minstrels, who were regular guests on The Andy Williams Show, and recruited Kenny Rogers to take his place.

Now 80, Ellis is entering his 50th year as Arizona’s Official (and so far, only) State Balladeer, and continues to play from his own catalogue of more than 300 songs, plus a trove of Arizona tunes by other artists. Ask Ellis where all the cowboys have gone, and he’ll tell you they live in songs.

What do you do as official state balladeer?
It’s just kind of lik