Ellen McIlwaine is a damn fine musician. She possesses a strong contralto voice with great power in both the highest and lowest parts of her range. She also plays a wicked slide guitar. I think the reason she never became a known quantity is the eclectic nature of her recorded output. Blues, rock, old timey, carribean were all handled with genuine feeling and authenticity. My favorite of her albums is "We The People", but all of her work is worthy of your attention. Her stuff is hard to find but well worth every erg of effort.
