Biography

Black Powder Legend is Tony Albert - a 25+ year veteran of the guitar and a 22+ year veteran of Skynyrd Nation. He got his start from his father, Alvy Albert, at the age of 9, when dad said (after months of trying to get him to use the guitar and amp he had bought), "you have two weeks to learn to play and sing one song from beginning to end, or I'm going to have to take this equipment back to the pawn shop." It's a good thing, too, because according to Tony, that first complete song lit the fire, and things were never the same.

Tony was raised to believe in God, good manners and personal responsibility. The years of playing with his dad both as '2a Squared' and the modestly successful 'Ellis Noval' band, have led him to (in his words), "start a project that was all me; everything I wanted to create and say with my own voice and instruments." Tony says, "'Ellis Noval' is my dad and me. We write and record all of the songs and our styles merge together and it's great. I still have plans for 'Ellis Noval'. But I also realized that there were aspects of my own style that I was keeping under wraps because I was pretty sure my dad would give me his best lemon-sucking face. Hey, what have young people been saying about their folks' music since the beginning of time, right?"

"I grew up listening to, learning and playing southern rock (primarily Lynyrd Skynyrd's entire library), and my writing had always been strangely separate from the sound I had come to love playing. 'Black Powder Legend' is my attempt to be as true to my own style as possible, which also means writing about things I believe in. While the subject matter of my lyrics won't maximize my fan base, I'm pretty sure there are more people in America than not who can understand and appreciate the messages in the songs, especially during this time we're living in now."

Black Powder Legend isn't just the result of one person's efforts. It's the result of a lifetime of training from talented, loving and faithful parents, supportive family and the un-ending love of a wife who has made some tough sacrifices for herself in order to stay inside the path that she and her husband believe is the exact place God wants them to be right now.

According to Tony's wife (Wendy), "It's never easy to ignore your instincts when you feel like you're missing something, but there is a unique peace given to those who faithfully seek God's will and do it without regard for personal goals. We believe God has been grinding Tony down for 15 years trying to get him into the studio to do what he's doing right now. Sometimes, I get heartburn about the logistics, but when I step back, pray and take a look at the big picture, there's no doubt we are where we're supposed to be."

Black Powder Legend is just getting started. There's plenty more where this is coming from. God bless you, and God bless America...