Ellis Back in Boca

By Skip Sheffield

It’s old home week for blues star Tinsley Ellis.The 1975 graduate of St. Andrew’s School plays the Back Room this Friday, Aug. 27 at 9:30 p.m. Admission to that show is $20. Call 561-988-8929 or visit www.thebackroombluesbar.com.

Ellis also plays the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek at 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28. Admission to that one is free. Call 866-222-7486 or visit www.seninolecoconutcreekcasino.com.

But wait, there’s more. Ellis and his power trio play B.B. King’s Blues Club in West Palm Beach at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2. Tickets are just $5. Call 561-420-8600 or visit www.bbkingclubs.com.

Finally Ellis plays Chef John’s American Bistro in Jupiter at 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 30. Tickets are $35, with dinner included. Call 561-745-8040.

Of the four local gigs, nearest and dearest is the lowly roadhouse, The Back Room.

“The Back Room is one of my favorite places in the world to play,” declares Ellis, who has toured all over the world. “It’s got a different kind of vibe. It’s an old-time roadhouse. A lot of my old friends from school drop by.”

After graduating from St. Andrews, Ellis moved to Atlanta and enrolled at Emory University, where he graduated with a degree in history in 1979. He began working in a succession of bands culminating in the Heartfixers in 1981, Atlanta’s top-drawing blues band. Ellis recorded his first Alligator Records album in 1988, and he now has 11 to his credit, including his latest, “Speak No Evil.”

This past year Ellis toured Russia for the first time.

“The people were so excited to hear American Southern rock blues,” he reports. “They got it. Still, South Florida has its own thing that other places don’t have. It will be great to be back.”

Wine & All That Jazz at Boca Resort

The Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce and Southern Wine & Spirits present Wine & All That Jazz from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 at Boca Raton Resort & Club. Food is by ten leading restaurants and music is by Alex Romano and her jazz band. Tickets are $50 general admission and $100 VIP. Call 561-395-4433, ext. 221 or go to www.bocaratonchamber.com/events.

Mary Foster Conklin in Palm Beach

Up at the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, the Royal Room Cabaret presents the finale of its summer season with the debut of Mary Foster Conklin Aug. 27-28 and Sept. 3-4.Mary Foster Conklin is the winner of the 2010 MAC Award for Jazz Vocalist by the Manhattan Association of cabarets and Clubs, Her repertoire spans eight decades and a variety of styles.The cost for dinner and 8 p.m. show is $90 or $45 for show only. Call 561-659-8100.

Hippies Descend on Broward Center

Like wow man, Broward Center for the Arts is hosting a Hippiefest at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29 with five bands of the 1960s and 1970s including Jack Bruce of Cream, War, Rare Earth, Mitch Ryder and Badfinger featuring Joey Molland. Tickets are $45-$75 and may be reserved by calling 954-462-0222.

Scott Stapp & Creed in WPB

Boca Raton’s own Scott Stapp and his band Creed play Cruzan Amphitheater in West Palm Beach at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31 as part of their 20-10 Tour. Specially-priced tickets are just $10 on the lawn and $20 in seats. Call 800-745-3000.