Canadian writer and director Alfonso Maiorana has crafted a notable documentary on the career of Ellen McIlwaine a brilliant vocalist and guitar player through archival footage, photographs, recreations, interviews and extensive commentary from producers and musicians.
She is not unknown to me as I listened to her music in the 1970’s and early 1980’s when living in Montreal and found her residency there playing with Harmonium and The Ville Emard Blues Band and being recorded by Bill Gagnon a flash in my past. I may have even unknowingly encountered her at Doudou Boicel’s Rising Sun jazz and blues club where I reviewed performances by some of the great jazz and blues musicians.
As for her style there is a heavy blues influence but add to that Honky Tonk, reggae, ska, scat, gospel and even psychedelic. At moments her slide guitar is reminiscent of the occasional fury of Ravi Shankar’s sitar playing. American by birth but part of her soul was Japanese and Canadian. She died of cancer in Calgary, Alberta in 2021, five months after the filming of the documentary began.
Adopted by American missionary parents she grew up in Kobe, Japan attending a Canadian “international school” of 200 students from 28 nationalities. Instruction was in English but extensive French was taught. She sang in a church choir but loved and was influenced by Ray Charles who was king (but not emperor) in Japan. She left Kobe after graduating from high school and returned to the United States attending two colleges before heading to New York, with only one year of guitar playing experience, to perform in bars and small clubs.
Gradually recognition ensued and she was playing with then unknown Jimi Hendrix gaining some degree of fame in the 1970’s for both her voice and legendary slide guitar abilities. She wrote many of her own songs and collaborated on the writing of others. She was adept at giving her own style to the songs of others. I suggest to further understand her slide guitar excellence listen to her rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” and for her vocals Steve Winwood’s “Can’t Find My Way Home”.
Praised by her peers and graced by mounting success nonetheless she was a woman in the 1970’s rock world and her creativity, integrity and social consciousness prevented her manipulation by record companies looking for a malleable pop star.
A move to Montreal in the early 80’s gave her breathing room but without a major record label and savvy management international releases were not to be had. She turned to alcohol and realizing her destructive trajectory attended AA to clean her act up. Refreshed and rejuvenated she did play smaller venues in Canada and simply faded away ending up as a school bus driver in Calgary, Alberta. At that sudden point you may have a WTF moment. Playing large venues and collaborating with renowned musicians then poof it’s all gone? As one musician noted this was so sad and unfair. I would take it farther and say what a tragedy.
If you love rockumentaries you will be well rewarded from a sensory and intellectual standpoint.
If in Toronto on 9March2025 you can watch the documentary at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. Limited U.S.A. screenings in April and May.
You can watch the trailer here https://goddessofslide.com/trailer/
RKS 2025 Canadian Documentary Rating 90/100.
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