Meet the Musicians

“Like my Puritan ancestors who arrived in the colonies in 1635 on a ship called The Planter, we’re embarking on an odyssey. Like my Russian Jewish grandparents who came through Ellis Island in the late nineteenth century, we’re setting sail for parts unknown.

We’re exploring American history through a small portal that takes us into my philosophical and ancestral family tree. Each of us comes from a fascinating jumble of people. Each life traces a map that leads us to today. Our aim is discovery. To gain a deeper understanding of the world and our country right now.” – Ellen C Kaye

OBO explores American history through the portal of Ellen’s philosophical family tree. The first show is a deep dive into the music that tells the stories through Americana and roots music.

Ellen’s ancestral roots run deep from her Tuttle ancestors who migrated from England to America in 1635, to Zachariah Burwell, Revolutionary War soldier and original signer of the Articles of Association in Dutchess County, to her deep NYC connection and the evolution of the family-owned iconic restaurant, The Russian Tea Room (from 1947-1996). Ellen and Ethan have written a song called The RTR which captures the magic of The Russian Tea Room.

The songs and stories include her diverse family background, including her Russian-Jewish family on her father’s side and her son’s Chinese-American family who came across the Pacific to seek their fortune and more.

Ellen’s family history in Dutchess County goes back three hundred eighty-five years.

After migrating from England to Connecticut her Burwell ancestors resettled in Dutchess County, then made their way to New Jersey and North Carolina. Ellen’s fourth great-grandfather, Zachariah Burwell, was born in the Catskill Mountains, in New York, in 1745 and signed the Articles of Association in Dutchess County, in June and July, 1775. His son, Zachariah Burwell Jr., was also a soldier in the revolution. Zachariah was a member of the troops sent by George Washington to end the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. Ellen’s third great-grandfather, Benjamin Eli Burwell, was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1780.