From Becky Wilson (this message arrived in February 2006):

Hi My Name is Becky Wilson - It was Becky Vernon at one time.  Being a part of the Vernon family brought you as part of my family too.  Dolan was good friends of my In-Laws Cecil and Leona Vernon.  I feel priveleged to have had Dolan sing "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" at my wedding (1978). - I still remember that so clearly.  I remember that Dolan would have get togethers out in nature, I remember alot of Palo Verde trees or ironwood trees there and you all made biscuits from the tube, stretched and placed in hot oil, turned into small Fry Breads.  I Loved Dolans songs so much and loved the slide shows and his campfire stage at his restaurant "Tuba City Truckstop".  "Camino Del Diablo" was one of my favorite songs. I loved singing "May the Road Rise Up To Greet You" (back then I knew it by heart).  I still think of Dolan and Rose from time to time in my life and would like to say that I am glad that you were a part of my Life. I also get excited when I see Dolan on Channel 8

From Kim Pollard in Osceola, Arkansas (message sent May 2006):

Dear Dolan,
I remember seeing you preform back in the early 1980's in or around Mesa, Arizona when we visited our grandparents. I believe it was around Christmas time and I loved your show. I had to be about 11 then. My brother has or had 2 of your records then. "Electric Anthill" was one of my favorite songs. I'm glad to see that your still wowing the crowds.

From Madeline Morrill of Scottsdale (this one actually arrived in late February 2006 as a 40th anniversary congratulations message, but I'm sure Madeline wouldn't mind being listed here instead):

Dear Mr. Ellis,
Thank you so much for the way you make us feel out here in the audience. I haven't lived in Arizona too awfully long but what I've been struck by this past year and a half is the great love and pride that many of the people here feel and express. I lived in Illinois for 48 years before coming here and I rarely felt that there. Both you and Marshall do such a wonderful job of preserving and spreading the word about the beauty of Arizona, it's history, culture, people and of course the music. Thanks for entertaining us so well at the Kerr Statehood show and thanks to those who arranged the surprise party afterwards. I met some friendly people from Scotland who have come here every winter since the 1970's and they catch your shows whenever they're here. The music by Tim Wiedenkeller was the perfect way to end the evening. "Milagros" is so incredibly beautiful and I may have missed owning it if we hadn't been invited to your surprise party. You and Marshall will just keep creating new fans and the old ones certainly aren't going anywhere as long as they walk this earth. You'll just have to start renting bigger halls to get us all inside.
Here's to the next 40 years!

From Don Borus (we received this one in May 2007):

Dear Dolan,

Boy was I just surprised!!

On a whim, I just “googled” Dolan Ellis to see what would happen – 677,000 “hits” popped up!!

I’m thrilled that you are still the Official Arizona State Balladeer.

A little history. In the late 1960s through the early 80s, I spent considerable time traveling to Arizona from Michigan as a vehicle development engineer for General Motors. One of my co-workers convinced me to go see you at the Scottsdale Holiday Inn one evening after dinner. One show and I was hooked. After that one time, every trip to Phoenix included at least one excursion to wherever you were playing to hear your music, watch your slide shows and quaff a couple adult beverages. I also convinced others to accompany me and they were also candidates to become “sons of the desert.” Yes, I bought the LPs and played them for my two sons who really enjoyed the songs and even knew several of them by heart (probably a direct result of my playing them all the time, especially during those cold Michigan winters). The attached order is for some CD replacements since I can’t even find my old turntable (I still have the LPs, however!).

Do you still use slide presentations during your appearances? I didn’t know much about Arizona when I first visited your great state. Your pictures together with the history, geography, geology, horticulture, personal profiles and etc. you shared with the audience gave me a much better feel for the uniqueness of Arizona that prompted me to learn more on my own and vacation in Arizona to share the richness with my family. As a result of your shows, I even did a little research into the history of the Tucson, Cornelia and Gila Bend Railroad based on your song “T.E. Wiley’s Train.” A business associate and fellow Arizona traveler even rode the train and took several great photos of the operation that I still have. I may yet attempt to construct a train layout for my grandkids based on that theme—still seems like a good idea to me!!”

From Ted Davis (Ted is referring to a History Channel program. Watch for their series on The States to air from time to time):

Dear Mr. Ellis,

I was packing my mother's things for a down sizing move when I ran across an album that you had signed to "Happy" Hubbs.  It was your Touch the Earth album.  Both my mother and I had no idea where the album had come from, except that we knew that it had to have come from my Nanny.  You see, Happy Hubbs was my grandmother, Gladys Hubbs.  Her nickname was Happy.  I do not know how you knew her.  She did own the Ideal Hotel in Flagstaff for a number of years.  I am sad to say that it no longer exists except in my mother's memories.  Mom and I sat down and listened to your album and must say that we liked it very much.  I'm sorry to say that we didn't know who you were, until just the other day I had recorded a program on the United States and they were talking about Arizona.  And who should appear on my TV but you!!  My questions were answered as to who you were, but I am still puzzled as to how you knew my Nanny.  I'm sure you don't remember how you met her, or if you even still remember her.  But I wanted to let you know that you have brought back many "happy" memories for both my Mom and I.  The inscription reads:  "To Happy Hubbs, come back soon to our beautiful Arizona!"

From Sue London, who finally got to an Arizona Folklore Preserve show by Dolan on August 26th, 2007 (Dolan even sang a little of "Scarlet Ribbons" for her, despite the fact that he didn't remember much of the song).

Dolan Ellis,

That name has rang in my memories for some forty eight years now, especially with the words to “ Scarlet Ribbons “ .   It was 1959, I was a senior in high school, my friends and I used to go to Portofineo’s on Sunday nights to hear you sing.  A couple of years ago I googled and found your Arizona Foklore Preserve, and promised myself I was going to hear you sing again.  Don’t know what took me so long to drive from Sun City to Rasmey Canyon, but I’m so glad I made the trip last weekend. The canyon is beautiful, seeing and hearing you sing again was even better than I had expected, you just get better.  I put the Cds in the car and listen to“ Arizona I- 10 Highway “  on the way back to Sun City.
Looking forward to seeing you again soon.

Sue London

From Tyler Buckley, now living in Las Vegas:

dear Dolanellis I have been a fan of yours since I was eight to ten years of age when you used to perform at tuba city truck stop in scottsdale and at rawhide a while back in the eighties and early ninties I live in vegas now and miss your shows and your music.

From Terry Stretch :

Dolan,

I became a fan of yours in the 1980's while you operated the Tuba City Truck Stop & Country Club in Scottsdale, AZ.  Each year, when we held our firm's partners' (likely not your regular crowd) meeting at the AZ Biltmore, I would take a few of my partners by the "country club & dive," as I described it, to see if I wanted to become long-term friends with them.  When you asked during each performance, "how many of you are 'drag -ee's', all my possible-friends would salute.  If, after the show, they did not want to return the next night, I just threw them back in the pond and went on looking for "more discerning friends."

Please let me know your February schedule; if possible we will try to make you a part of the celebration as we "crack another beer, pop it into gear, and punch it up the other side in our therapeutic 4-wheel drive!"  We will gladly come to Tucson if you are still doing shows at your home near there from time to time.

From Matt Wahrhaftig of Kettering, Ohio:

I just came across the Dolan Ellis website and was absolutely amazed. A friend of my family gave me a recording of Dolan when I was about 8 years old, and it quickly became one of my all time favorites. There was many a family trip that the soundtrack included Mogollon Monster, Early Morning Blue Therapeutic 4 -Wheel Drive (My all time favorite), and of course Camino del Diablo.  I grew up in Pittsburgh PA, but was always a fan of the west, and found a special bond with his music. I think I probably wore a hole in that cassette tape, but time moves on and I grew up, and somewhere along the way the tape got lost. 30 years have passed, and many of the songs had faded from my memory, and I had completely forgotten the name of the gentleman who sang them. Yet I found myself singing snippets of what I could remember of Therapeutic 4-wheel drive to my kids.