Dolan Ellis stood before a room of admirers, guitar in hand and a lifetime of Arizona dust on his boots. At 91 years old, he remains the state’s official balladeer, a title he has held through the administrations of 14 governors.
He began his performance with a song: "I was born about 10,000 years ago," a tall tale claiming he taught the Grand Canyon how to be deep and the desert how to be dry.
Ellis said he views his age as a collection of chapters, describing each one as a wonderful addition to a story that began on a farm in eastern Kansas. He described his young self as a misplaced soul who knew even as a child that he belonged in the desert.
