Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The forgotten story of Ellen McIlwaine, the legendary Canadian musician who fought for her right to play the slide guitar, a male-dominated instrument in a male-dominated world.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, McIlwaine moved to Japan at the age of two with her adoptive parents. It made for a unique multicultural upbringing, particularly for someone growing up in the 1950s and '60s. Ellen played piano for her father's Presbyterian Church and listened to international music on the family's radio box.
In New York, McIlwaine opened for some of the biggest blues legends in the world, like Odetta, Richie Havens, and Mississippi John Hurt.
While critics and peers alike adored McIlwaine, the record industry was not as kind.
Title: Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaine (2023)
Director/Writer: Alfonso Maiorana
The forgotten story of Ellen McIlwaine, the legendary Canadian musician who fought for her right to play the slide guitar, a male-dominated instrument in a male-dominated world.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, McIlwaine moved to Japan at the age of two with her adoptive parents. It made for a unique multicultural upbringing, particularly for someone growing up in the 1950s and '60s. Ellen played piano for her father's Presbyterian Church and listened to international music on the family's radio box.
In New York, McIlwaine opened for some of the biggest blues legends in the world, like Odetta, Richie Havens, and Mississippi John Hurt.
While critics and peers alike adored McIlwaine, the record industry was not as kind.
Title: Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaine (2023)
Director/Writer: Alfonso Maiorana
