Grandpa Elliot

 

“I’ve been here a long time and seen a lot of changes. It’s gonna be back, you’ll see.”

One of the nice features of this wordpress blog is that a page that allows me to see not only how many people have visited Illegible Me in a day but also why. Recently a hell of a lot of people have come here looking for information on a chap named Grandpa Elliot. He’s the guy in the the videos below.

I only mentioned Elliot briefly in this post some time ago but he seems to be attracting a lot of attention.My guess is that the documentary Playing For Change has alerted a lot of people to his existence recently. It’s not hard to see why people seem drawn to him, the man has talent, and perhaps more importantly character, by the bucket load. I can’t claim to be an expert on the man at all but since so many people seem to be Googling his name I shall endeavor to do my best.

“I used to sing on the street corners in New York in the 1960’s, back when there was music on the corners, instead of crack.”

Grandpa Elliot (63-ish), real name Elliot Small, is a New Orleans based street musician who can be found playing in the French Quarter of the city throughout most of the year. The Grandpa persona is apparently somewhat of a character he adopts when performing; Grandpa is blind, Small is not. He was born and raised in the city and has been playing on the streets for over fifty years now. In addition to a fine bluesy voice he can play the harmonica and the harp!  Best known for playing the blues he has also been known to treat fans to some self styled rap and a dose of classical music. His partner in crime is often a younger man named Michael Stone aka Stoney B. Although Small has laid down some recordings over the years these are quite hard to come by. When Katrina struck in 2005 Small was forced to relocate for some time but has now returned to his rightful place, entertaining locals and tourists who are passing by but can’t help stopping.

I hope that helps. For more information there is an excellent New York Times article here.