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From Tennessee Trails to Malibu Waves

Ellis Bryant Rides His Own Country Music Journey

Ellis Bryant isn’t your typical country artist. He’s a Tennessee-born, horse-savvy songwriter who traded the Smoky Mountains for the Pacific breeze — and brought his Southern soul along for the ride. Now calling California home, he carries a bit of both worlds in his music: the raw, storyteller grit of his Tennessee roots blended with the laid-back, sun-soaked spirit of Malibu. Whether he’s writing songs from the porch of his ranch or strumming alongside his horses in the turnout, Bryant’s music is as authentic as the man himself — rugged, heartfelt, and unapologetically real. We caught up with him to chat about everything from campfire heroes and cowboy road stories to the surprising life lessons learned from living on a sailboat.

SYV Buzz: How has growing up in Tennessee and now living in California shaped your sound? Do you find one place sneaks into your songwriting more than the other?

Ellis Bryant: Writing songs is my front porch pastime here on the ranch. Most days I’ll spin a yarn about the places I’ve been and people I’ve met along the way. The west coast was my favorite place on tour and definitely inspired my songs such as “Raven on a Wire” written shortly after the Woolsey Fires. 

SYV Buzz: If you could sit around a campfire with any legendary musician— living or gone — who would you pick, and what’s the first question you’d ask them?

Ellis Bryant: Sittin' around a campfire with Waylon Jennings would be a hoot! First question I’d ask is “Did we bring enough beer?!

SYV Buzz: I noticed that you’re skilled with horses. Do you think the rhythm of riding a horse ever influences the rhythm of your songs? Have you ever written something on horseback?

Ellis Bryant: I’ve seen a couple charros over the years play guitar and ride at the same time but I normally just hang out with our horses in the turnout, they love music and often try to strum the strings with their lips. It gets messy but they got a good natural rhythm. 

SYV Buzz: California’s got its beaches, Tennessee’s got its mountains — if you had to write a love song to one of those landscapes, which would win your heart?

Ellis Bryant: The Smokey Mountains in southern Appalachia will always have a pull on my heartstrings but they don’t hold a candle to the Rockies. I attended college in Denver, the Queen City of the Plains, and the front range is incredibly massive and awe inspiring. Once I got tired of the cold I packed up and left for California. It don’t get any better than that big blue ocean and the pacific coast highway.

SYV Buzz: What’s the most "cowboy" thing you’ve ever done while on tour?

Ellis Bryant: Sleepin' in a truck bed out under the stars in Arizona made me feel like I was a wrangler back in 1883. Everyone else slept in the sprinters but I had my sleeping bag and the Milky Way to stare at, so I was happier than a pig in shit.

SYV Buzz: If you had to cover one unexpected song — something way outside of country music — and make it your own, what would you choose?

Ellis Bryant: My favorite non-country song to cover is “Blister in the Sun” by Violent Femmes. When it rains on my show days I always play “Purple Rain” and you won’t hear a country version of that song anywhere else. Right now I’m workin on “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan hahah.

SYV Buzz: What’s a piece of advice you got from an old horseman, cowboy or fellow musician that stuck with you — even if you didn’t want to hear it at the time?

Ellis Bryant: The best advice I’ve gotten from a cowboy was a repeat of a Wyatt Earp quote… “Fast is fine but accuracy is final.” Best advice from a musician was from Gregory Alan Isakof… he said “Find a place to play and play there every Friday until there’s a line out the door to see you, and if you’re good enough the people will come.”

SYV Buzz: You’ve lived that Southern life and now the California life. Is there anything surprising the West Coast taught you about being a songwriter — or about yourself?

Ellis Bryant: When I first moved to California I’d been landlocked my whole life, so I bought a sailboat down in Oceanside and lived on it for a few years until eventually moving it to Marina Del Rey. A hundred metaphors for life come to mind but mostly the lesson of acceptance kept creeping in. One cannot change the wind or the current, sometimes you have to just ride until the storm passes.

SYV Buzz: If you could only write one more song — and it had to be either a heartbreaker or a barn-burner — which would you pick, and why?

Ellis Bryant: I’ve written a lot of mid-tempo songs about heartbreak but I’d like to leave the world with a real banger. Something that gets your foot tappin' and head nodding. The dance floor is where the real magic happens and I just wanna make people happy when they listen to my songs. Keep the spirits high.

SYV Buzz: When you’re riding alone, miles away from everything, what’s the one song — yours or someone else’s — that always pops into your head?

Ellis Bryant: The song that often rules my mental airwaves while riding is “Evangelina” by Hoyt Axton. Recently re-recorded by Colter Wall. Love that tune.

Bryant proves that country music ain't about where you are — it’s about where you’ve been and the stories you carry with you. Don’t miss your chance to catch him and all his country glory live this Wednesday, March 19th, at Mattei’s Tavern’s Winemaker Takeover with Racine’s Wine from 5pm to 7pm. Trust us — this is one barn-burner you won’t want to miss.

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See our complete list of upcoming music and wine events in the Santa Ynez Valley.