Musician

Kevin Elliott has maintained an uninterrupted love affair with the contemporary folk sound he first heard as a child in the 1960’s. This sound, which has ebbed and flowed in the culture, but which has never disappeared, is experiencing yet another resurgence in popularity today. 

Kevin began this journey by listening over and over to the singer-songwriters of his youth, the usual folks, Lennon and McCartney, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and the like. Although Kevin’s taste has expanded over many different musical borders since then, at the core is the sound of a voice telling a musical story to the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar. This is what you are likely to hear when you tune in to Kevin’s radio show, “From the Joshua Tree Inn,” on WEFT, 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL, which he has hosted for 12 years.

Now this is also what you can hear on Kevin’s recently released first CD, You Really Had To Be There, which has more or less been in the making for all of these years. 

Singer Songwriter

Over the past 30 years or so, Kevin has written numerous songs, written pieces for solo guitar, performed alone and with others, and now has finally released his first CD, You Really Had To Be There. He is a talented singer and guitarist who composed all of the songs on the album. 

Evocative of the work of the aforementioned Paul Simon or Tom Waits, these songs are populated with a variety of endearing, left-of-center characters, who tell their quirky stories in ways both moving and amusing.  With rich and colorful language, set to beautiful melodies, these songs will stick with you. And Kevin’s fingerstyle guitar playing carries the songs; it is often elaborate, but never intrusive. Sample the musical storytelling of Kevin Elliott. You will want to listen again and again.

DJ

Kevin hosts a weekly radio show, which airs on Tuesday’s from 6 to 8:00 PM on WEFT 90.1 FM in Champaign. Besides corresponding with musicians, he scours music magazines, contacts record companies, tracks down indie labels, listens for hours on end and finally culls the best of the best to be included in his weekly program. You can now listen to the program streamed on the web at www.weft.org each Tuesday evening ... that's 6 to 8:00 PM central time! 

All the years of listening have not only resulted in a radio program that has touched many, but have materialized in Kevin’s own unique take on the sound of contemporary folk in his own compositions. His playlists influence DJs and music lovers around the globe. 
View the playlists on his blog: Folk.Play.List