Chad Allen Elliott

Chad Allen Elliott (born January 23, 1974) is an American singer songwriter, and artist. Chad Elliott is a full-time musician to this day. He tours solo and with Kathryn Fox in a duo called the Weary Ramblers. Chad also operates Elliott Art Studio in Jefferson, IA, where he creates and sells art.

Early life Chad Elliott is a graduate of Graceland University in Lamoni, IA, with a Bachelor of Arts in ceramics and has since collected graduate credits from the University of Montana in Missoula, MT. Early in his career, he was recognized for his artistic ability by being chosen as the “Best of Show” at the Iowa Student Artists Exhibit in 1995.

Chad began writing music and practicing the guitar in 1996 in between traveling, and painting signs in the Northwest parts of Montana.

In 2008 Chad Elliott created the first-ever “People Project,” an ephemeral artwork for the organization ArtsLIVE during the University of Okoboji Winter Games in Okoboji, IA. During the Project he positioned 175 people on the ice of a frozen lake in the shape of a stylized turtle, which was photographed from an airplane.

Career Chad Elliott was the Folk Alley Open Mic winner on September 5, 2006. Chad Elliott was the 1st place winner of the Woody Guthry Song Contest on July 8-12, 2009, at the Woody Guthry Folk Festival held at Okemah, Oklahoma Chad Elliott won the award for best guitarist in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Blues Challenge hosted by The Blues Foundation. January 13-17 2026.

Mural work Chad Elliott has an extensive list of mural work throughout Iowa and beyond. His mural work includes two 5 foot by 12 foot canvas paintings installed in 2012 in the Spencer Community Theatre. He also completed a 16 foot by 40 foot landscape mural in 2013 on the side of Mohr Lumber in Coon Rapids, IA to commemorate the town's sesquicentennial. In Pampa, TX, Chad Elliott installed a mural titled "This Land is Your Land" at the Woody Guthry Folk Music Center. In 2022 he painted "Catch of the Day," which was installed at Crouse Park in Sparta, NC. In recent work, Chad Elliott painted two murals on the East and West sides of the Greene County Historical Museum in Jefferson, IA in 2025. Year Greener Grass One Man's Junk 1999 New Young Destination 2001 (homemade) Bowl of Stars 2003 Starling Songs 2004 Bowl of Stars 2004 Humbled At My Door 2006 Swiftsure 2008 Redemption Man 2009 The Den Sessions 2010 So Sang the Crow 2013 Wreck and Ruin 2015 RINGGOLD 2017 Rest Heavy 2018 King Pelican 2019 Tangle with the Ghost 2020 Singing River 2021 Untested Wings 2024

Poetry books +Title Date ReleasedRumble and FlashApril 3, 2018Wilderman's Treetop TalesApril 3, 2018