REGULARS at Pizza Night at Roadies have probably been entertained by “Rattlesnake Willie” (aka Ellis Girrard).
But how did someone born and raised in the small town of McCammon in the US state of Idaho, who has talent and a deep love of country music, end up in Barrington?
Ellis is the eldest of five children.
He loved life in his small town, where his father worked on the railroad.
“School was fun, but I didn’t go as much as I should have – although I hung in there and I’m glad that I did,” he said.
After school, he worked in a variety of jobs, including as a local service station attendant, and on nearby farms, until becoming a semi-trailer driver.
He did this for the next 30 years, driving mostly through the cowboy state of Wyoming.
A brain tumour impacted his right eye and put an end to his truck driving, so he turned to delivery work.
Ellis had first picked up the guitar when he was just 14, and decided that he’d love to play on stage and entertain a crowd.
He and a couple of school mates started a Country Music band, unusually consisting of a guitar, drums and a saxophone.
He went on to form or play in 15 different bands.
After 14 years of marriage, Ellis found himself single again.
“I met my current wife Jacqui online, when I was an internet cowboy,” he explains.
Jacqui was living in Newcastle and Ellis flew into Sydney to physically meet her on 9/11 in 2001.
It was love at first sight, leaving Ellis with no choice but to up stakes and move the 13,000 kilometres from Idaho to Australia.
“After meeting Jacqui, coming back to Australia was an easy choice.”
The couple married in 2003 and lived in various places including Australia’s Country Music Capital, Tamworth.
It was when he was gigging in Tamworth, that he decided he needed a catchier name than Ellis, so he picked Rattlesnake Willie because Idaho is known for its rattlesnakes and he often covers Willie Nelson songs.
He discovered the Gloucester area when he came to play at an event at Poley’s Place.
He and Jacqui were blown away by its beauty and decided to move here six years ago.
Ellis says that Gloucester’s rugged countryside reminds him of his childhood town, but with much less snow.
“In some places you can still feel like an outsider, even after 20 years, but I’ve never felt that here, and the people are tolerant and friendly.
“I’ve never felt as comfortable as I do here.”
By John WATTS
