William Lee Ellis - Conqueroo (2003)

From acclaimed Americana/Blues guitarist William Lee Ellis, godson and namesake of legendary bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, comes Conqueroo, a song cycle steeped in the musical language of Appalachia and the Delta.

Ellis’s most personal record to date, Conqueroo is also his most eclectic, a place where a cappella gospel, mountain balladry and rockabilly rhythms intertwine with Big Star-like melancholy, pristine country melodies and song structures that create a new language from old archetypes.

Accompanied by longtime pal Larry Nager, Memphis soul group the Masqueraders, vocalists Susan Marshall and Reba Russell, and his internationally renowned father, Tony Ellis, William Lee Ellis lays out 13 elegant, eloquent tunes, ranging from the soulful (“How the Mighty Have Fallen”) to the heartfelt (“King of the Mountain”), while touching on every emotion in between. On Conqueroo, Ellis is the vanquisher, the gentle master in control of his own musical destiny.