Eddie Elliott is a brilliant songwriter and a magnetic stage performer — but then he’s had an ability to connect with people since he learned to speak: At age two, to his mother’s surprise, Elliott had befriended most of his neighbors, who said hello to him by name. Elliott’s love of music began when he was a small boy singing along with the radio, and through choirs and clarinets and guitar playing and songwriting his love of music has never wavered. In college he earned a B.A. in English Literature, and afterwards he watched his fellow graduates get “real jobs.”

“It was time for me to let go of my pipe dream of playing music and start working at my true calling: managing a Mexican restaurant,” says Elliott. “But my best memory of the job was after hours, singing Springsteen songs a cappella into the microphone at the hostess stand. I wanted to share my ideas, express myself and lift people up. So, I focused on my songs.”

Elliott headed to Los Angeles, where he recorded his first full-length CD, Just Flows, in a friend’s garage. Soon he was playing opening act slots at Los Angeles clubs, attracting a diverse and devoted audience, before embarking on a 25-city tour in summer 1998. Elliott built a solid fan base and repeated his success during a summer 1999 tour. In February 2000 he recorded his second CD, Moving, and released This Time, his most recent recording to date, in 2003.

A steady stream of live television and radio appearances followed. The most recent: On December 3, 2006, Elliott appeared for the fifth time on Phoenix-based “Good Morning Arizona.” In April 2005, Elliott’s live television appearance followed with a sold-out show at Phoenix favorite Cave Creek Coffee Company. In June 2005, Elliott made a second appearance on “Good Morning Texas” (WFAA Channel 8, Dallas’ ABC affiliate), where he performed live and was interviewed by entertainment critic Gary Cogill. That same week, he played shows in Houston, Dallas and Austin, supporting Shawn Mullins’ 2005 national tour. On February 8, 2006, Elliott was invited back to Nashville for his second live performance on “Americana Tonight!”, which was recorded for syndicated radio broadcast. His solo acoustic shows now sell out weeks in advance.

Elliott has shared the stage with such seasoned performers as Junior Brown, Shawn Mullins, Dave Wilcox, John Gorka and Richie Havens. In the wake of successful shows from coast to coast, he’s focusing on his next album, scheduled for release in 2007.