Dolan Ellis
Arizona's Official State Balladeer (since 1966)
Dolan
Ellis is a living Arizona legend, a man who has used his considerable
talents to promote the state he adopted as his own. He has received
many rewards for his efforts, but for Dolan, the greatest honor is
having had ten consecutive governors appoint him as Arizona's Official State Balladeer.
His accomplishments, his awards, and his career are all documented very
well on his own Web site. There you can learn about:
The Arizona Folklore Preserve, a Balladeer dream that has become a reality, now in operation for more than 10 years. Dolan has performed there hundreds of tmes, and has presented about 140 guest artists.
Dolan was an original member of the New Christy Minstrels, that very famous folk group known for their exciting vocals as well as their beautiful acoustic instrumentals. While Dolan was with the group, they earned a Grammy for best group, earned several gold records, made dozens of appearances on national television, and played at the best venues, including Carnegie Hall.
Dolan has written more than 300 songs about Arizona: its people, its events, its scenery, and its history.
Dolan punctuates his original songs with carefully chosen cover songs, most of which convey his feelings for Arizona and all of which he makes uniquely his own.
A photographer with professional credentials (he served 5 years in the Navy Reserves as a photographer), Dolan adds dimension to many of his songs by offering large-screen photography. For each of these songs, Dolan uses photographs to take the audience with him to the remote locations, to give the characters in his songs a face, or to show just how incredibly beautiful a site such as Lake Powell, Havasupai Canyon, or Monument Valley can be. One example of his photography is shown on this link about "Song of Spring."
Some other awards for which Dolan is especially proud: He was the first person chosen to be an Arizona Culture Keeper. And Senator John McCain entered Dolan and his music, and his contributions to the State of Arizona, into the Congressional Record.
Finally, some words of congratulation from Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Terry Goddard, on the occasion of Dolan's 40th year as Arizona's Official State Balladeer. Governor Napolitano had a certificate presented to Dolan on the occasion of his 40th anniversary as Balladeer. The proclamation included these words:
"As Arizona's first Official Balladeer, you have given us all a sense of appreciation for our beautiful state and made us proud to be Arizonans"
Terry Goddard's father, Sam, was the first Arizona governor to appoint Dolan as Arizona's Official State Balladeer. That appointment came in February 1966, and was especially gratifying because Arizona had not previously honored anyone as Official Balladeer, nor had any other state done so. Sam Goddard passed away on February 1, 2006, just a few days before Dolan celebrated his anniversary on Februay 12, 2006. Terry Goddard, who was about 12 years old at the time of the initial appointment, sent a personal letter to Dolan, including these passages:
"Making the appointment all the more extraordinary was the fact that no other state had an official balladeer. There was a good reason for that - no other state had a singer who could match Dolan Ellis!"
"If anyone asks me where to find the genuine Arizona, I tell them to just listen to Dolan Ellis."