Chad Elliott, Poet

Chad Allen Elliott’s path to poetry began with a love of music. He has performed original songs across the U.S. for over 20-years, winning several awards for composition including the Woody Guthrie Songwriting Award in 2009. Early in his career, he learned some verses do not need musical embellishment. They stand alone in their own cadence. Since that time, Elliott has penned nearly 2,000 songs and released 22 albums.

In Rumble & Flash, Elliott shares poems composed during his time on the road. These poems are steeped in archetypal themes like fatherhood, love, nature, and spirituality.

My thoughts: This is one of my favorite books of poetry. I especially like “The Rough Aesthetic of Men,” “One Harmful Thing,” “Refining Years,” and “Bur Oak.” I confess that I’ve got two copies. I hope to have the new one autographed, but my first one has been well-loved.

Hear Chad read the winsome opening poem, “Ringgold County,” on John Busbee’s “The Culture Buzz” program on KFMG-FM.

Here’s a longer (15 minute) interview on “The Culture Buzz.”

Chad Elliott, Artist

Elliott is a graduate of Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, with a bachelor of arts in ceramics and has since collected graduate credits from the University of Montana in Missoula.

At the Guthrie Grove Camp in Guthrie Center, Iowa, Elliott has created murals with youth. He has also created large murals for businesses including Shaky Tree Coffee and Farmers Trust & Savings Bank both in Spencer, Iowa. His recent mural work includes two 5 foot by 12 foot canvas paintings installed in 2012 in the newly renovated Spencer Community Theatre. He also completed a 16 foot by 40 foot landscape mural in 2013 on the side of Mohr Lumber in Coon Rapids, Iowa, to commemorate the town‘s sesquicentennial. In Pampa, Texas, Elliott installed a mural titled “This Land is Your Land” at the Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center.

Elliott Art Studio moved this year to Jefferson, Iowa. The building is still being remodeled. This year, Chad will be painting a mural for his hometown of Guthrie Center, Iowa.

Please check out Chad’s Art Studio website.

Chad Elliott, Musician

Midwest singer-songwriter Chad Elliott blends folk roots, swampy blues and soulful writing to deliver an original Americana sound. His live performances have been honed over a decade of being on the road performing more than 200 shows each year. Elliott is lauded as “Iowa’s Renaissance Man” by Culture Buzz Magazine. He has penned more than 1,500 songs in his career while also cultivating his skills as a painter, sculptor, illustrator and author.

Also his Music website.