He used to say: you can sound like other artists and make it but if you sound like Elvis they dont want to play your records. A special thanks to Shelby Singleton, Sun Records; Bobby Smith, Boblo Records; Wayne Hodge, Stargem Records;Jim Hardin, Kardina Records; and Jerry Adams, Flatland Records, and Nick "Scott" Pettafor producing all the great Orion-Jimmy Ellis-Ellis Jamesmusic that will last a lifetime..Thank you!!! Anyway, he got that voice from somewhere in his original family.not from Sears, as he once said. Again, the speculation was that Elvis had sung on the songs, particularly "Save the Last Dance for Me". Orion Jimmy Ellis - The Official Web Site Welcome!! Orion Feat.jimmy Ellis.ch Ellis Lives! The Story of How the Idea That Elvis is Still Alive Got Cover scans of any CD's on the unofficial Orion Records label. Ebony Eyes "By" (Orion) Jimmy Ellis - YouTube Offered here is a two sheet info about the partnership which was presented to the stockholder. One of the guys asked me if I knew who that was singing on the tape recorder. He once said: you cant make it on someone elses coattail. His voice was similar to Elvis Presley's, a fact which he and his record company played upon, making some believe that some of his recordings were by Presley, or even that Presley had not died in 1977. Many fans will not be aware of this circumstances. To see the film clip and make a donation, please click on the link below. For one side, they would quite naturally (and self-directed), psychologically rationalise and morph their needs to maintain internal equilibrium and ongoing personal and social engagement.for the other side his outcome would be economically directed and physically terminal, as his 'what if' life diverted to a course which outwardly may have offered some degree of financial and personal satisfaction, but one which (pragmatically) was also underpinned by a volatile socio-economic environment which could potentially (and did) result in a seriously intense incident or incidents: Jimmy Ellis' new (primary) career as a bail bondsman and pawn shop proprietor would very sadly, very unfairly, result in his violent, premature death on 12 December 1998. Official site; Kenneth Dokkeberg's Jimmy Ellis / Orion website; Musiclovers - Discography, audio samples and a lot more! Solve the mystery and then use a smartphone or GPS device to navigate to the solution coordinates. The sale is temporary to offer fans who missed these CDs the first time around a real deal. The strange part of the tale began in January 1979, when author Gail Brewer-Giorgio received a bizarre early-morning phone call. One of Music's Biggest Conspiracy Theories: Was the Pop Star Orion Orion - Jimmy Ellis - masked man - bobby d. Our biography book on Jimmy Ellis is now available here on this website! Read More #MyOrion "If Elvis is alive, he wears as mask and goes by the name Orion" Elvis Presley: Was Jimmy 'Orion' Ellis The King's half-brother? The On Monday I carried his CDs to work and played them throughout the day. Scan of the 8 track cassette release TRUCKS, TRAINS & AIRPLANES on Gusto Records. We put the official web site www.orionjimmyellis.com together three months before his tragic death in December 1998. Jimmy was, and still is, my favorite Elvis sound-alike singer. Given Jimmy's keen sense of humor he must be looking down and smiling! He wanted better recording material (new songs) and production sound in other studios but Sun (Shelby Singleton) would not agree. Jimmy "Orion" Ellis - Recordings - MusicBrainz Problem is he doesn't play enough ofthe song for the audience to hear. A hit record or some fuckin' tour we did that on many a time. It begins with the 1972 single on which Orion, then simply Jimmy Ellis, recorded 'That's All Right/Blue Moon Of Kentucky.' As Orion, Ellis reached Billboard's country chart with nine singles. For almost 5 years the Orion phenomenon captivated its natural audience, not only in the US where fans had easy access to Orion, but also overseas - somewhat surprisingly given it was a snail mail, pre-tabloid, pre-Internet era. Dates, venues, photographs would all be of great help. JIMMY ( ORION ) ELLIS - LIVE ON STAGE 70s - YouTube Scan of the German cassette release COUNTRY & WESTERN CLASSICS VOL.1 on the Sun/Bellaphon label. The tape recorder was playing the song Echoes of Love from Elvis Kissin Cousins album. Who was he? A fine talent in his own right, Ellis recorded the song "I'm Not Trying" (Boblo 536) and the album By Request - Ellis Sings Elvis (Boblo 78-829). This blog is for preview purposes only and all music downloaded should be deleted within 24 hours. Even before the Orion phenomenon had really taken off he released a self-penned single on the small Boblo label, I'm Not Trying To Be Like Elvis. Hopefully in time the details given can be guaranteed to be100% correct but a great deal more info is required before reaching that stage. I had just talked to him on Friday December 11. At first with all the attention he was getting, Im sure he had fun with it but he really wanted to be known as himself and not try to fool people into thinking he might be Elvis Presley. If you want to support the artist or artists that recorded and released this music, please go and purchase their music. The film tells the story of Jimmy Ellis, an unknown singer plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight as part of a crazy scheme that had him masquerade as Elvis back from the grave. Sung By . I still record once in a while at home, as the mood strikes. http://www.orionstc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Jimmy-Ellis-Early-years-PROMO.mp3. Al Benn: Spirit of 'Orion' lives on - The Montgomery Advertiser 15 November 1937 Died 8 March 2012 (aged 74) There are at least four artists called Jimmy Ellis: 1) Jimmy Ellis. It was (at least initially) a win-win-win situation as all three parties benefitted: Jimmy became an international star, Gail Brewer-Giorgio sold hundreds of thousands of copies of her "Orion" novel and Shelby Singleton sold truckloads of "Orion" records.. It is hold together by a stitch in the upper left corner. Jim Highley. EIN: There are conflicting reports of who else was with Jimmy at the time, some reports say his fianc, others say his ex-wife. Boomer on Shelby. Are they still available in 2014? A couple of songs can be heard at the URLs below. To use this website you must enable JavaScript. Orion recorded a single, Ebony Eyes, for Sun in 1979, which became part of his debut album, Reborn. Orion Jimmy Ellis Music Add your masked portrait to I Am Orion, THE ROLLERCOASTER RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF THE Read about his childhood, reaching for the music scene, chasing his dream and finally his tragic end. Well, once all the other guys left, Jimmy and I sang until late in the night with me strumming a small red guitar he had borrowed and Jimmy and I singing Elvis and Beatles songs. He had perfect pitch, automatic vibrato, and wide range in his voice. How many Elvis tribute artists have a fan club with more than 15,000 members? The album featured some excellent songs including "Ebony Eyes", "Honey", and "Washing Machine". Ellis first album appearance for Sun was as an unidentified singer singing duet with Jerry Lee Lewis on ten tracks of the 1978 album Duets (Sun 1011). Thank you very much!! Orion the Movie To The Official Orion - Jimmy Ellis Web Site, http://tribecafilm.com/stories/tribeca-film-festival-2015-viewpoints, http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/orion-the-man-who-would-be-king. 6 1971-1973' Book Review: 'Elvis - The Man & His Music'#100 review: 'Elvis - Aloha Via Satellite: A 40th Anniv Release' Book Review: 'The Elvis Files Vol. He was professionally known as Orion, and his double-edged claim to fame was that his natural speaking and singing voice sounded almost exactly like that of Elvis Presley. Lee's appeal against the sentence was refused by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals on October 9, 2009,[7] and a writ of certiorari was denied by the Supreme Court of the United States in April 2018. Jimmy Ellis (born February 26, 1945 - died December 12,1998) was born in Orrville, Alabama on February 26th of 1945. Scans of the COUNTRY FROM THE HEART CD on the Lanier Records label. How many Elvis tribute artists have had 10 Top 100 hits on the Country Music Chart? Some listeners believed that Orion was, in fact, Presley, who had supposedly faked his death. Singleton duly took Orion back to Elvis's roots in rockabilly, rock 'n' roll, country, blues, and gospel. 5 1969-70' Book Review: 'From Hawaii to Las Vegas' FTD CD Review: 'Young Man with the Big Beat' In-Depth Review: 'Fashion For A King' FTD in-depth Review: The Music of Elvis Presley - Australian Radio Show, Elvis Presley In Concert "downunder" 2006, Graceland - The National Historic Landmark. They are remembered for their hit single "Disco Inferno" (1976). How many Elvis tribute artists have several websites devoted to them. HEARTBREAK HOTEL By the time he was a teenager, it was clear that Jimmy Ellis had two talents: singing, and inadvertently sounding almost exactly like Elvis Presley. You may also like> Jimmy Barnes Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight, Husband, Wiki, Family Very unfortunately, Jimmy Ellis along with his wife, was killed in December the 12th 1998 by a male robber. The shot missed, and then Lee allegedly turned his attention to the cash register, which he knocked off the counter after he could not open it, Huffman said. Did Jimmy ever comment to you about the cover? Watch a fascinating interview in 1979 with both Orion and Gail Brewer-Giorgio promoting his career and Ms Brewer-Giorgio's "Orion" novel, (BTW, the back story to the "Orion" novel, full of dirty dealings, "he says-she says" and legal machinations, is deserving of an article all to itself!). The story of Jimmy "Orion" Ellis is either one of the greatest cons to be forged in the history of American music or it's one of its greatest unsolved mysteries. AVAILABLE HERE LOWER PRICE! The albums were quite popular, and Orion had three Top 70 hits, including Am I That Easy to Forget. He had four minor hits the following year, including the contemporary rockabilly song Crazy Little Thing Called Love, originally recorded by the rock group Queen. The guys in the room were mostly the colleges basketball players. Above images sourced from the official "Orion-Jimmy Ellis" website Genesis.. Jimmy Hughes Bell was born on 26 February 1945 to a single mother (named) Gladys. For a proud man who had so much wanted recognition as Jimmy Ellis - not Elvis Presley - we can only imagine how galling and emotionally and psychologically scarring this was!. Interview conducted by Nigel Patterson, EIN (July 2014), Read: EIN's 2014 "Jimmy Ellis/Orion" article. How many Elvis tribute artists have commercially produced memorabilia released about them? A few weeks later, some guys asked me to come down to their room where they were playing music so I decided to go. In high school his teachers encouraged him to sing for the school's "Religious Emphasis Week," leading him to enter his first talent contest in 1963. I thought that was an odd question but I said: sure, its Elvis Presley. To The Official Orion - Jimmy Ellis Web Site All LP Albums Now on Sale These Classic LP Albums from Sun Records are new and sealed and will never be made again. All songs in superb quality, unreleased material from Los Angeles in 75, unrelesased home recordings and soundboard. I love music too and do some song leading at church. Jimmy Ellis, the soulful lead singer of the Trammps, whose 1970s hit "Disco Inferno" was immortalized in the film "Saturday Night Fever," died on Thursday in Rock Hill, S.C.He was 74. compilation added to various unofficial releases page. http://www.elvisinfonet.com/spotlight-orion-2014.html, The Tonight Show from NY with Jimmy Fallon. The music industry is filled with many strange tales of artists whose lives took unexpected turns on the winding road to success, but the saga of singer Jimmy Ellis is perhaps one of the weirdest of them all. Thats the special since the regular price is $12.95. Bobby then immediately offered Jimmy a recording contract. I am always on the lookout for Orion/Jimmy Ellis concerts that I dont have. Ellis hailed from Orrville, Alabama and began his recording career in 1964. In early 1965, I transferred to Georgia Southern College in Statesboro, GA and lost touch with Jimmy for a number of years. Then he started the tape recorder and put the little microphone down by the record player and sang with the song overlaying Elvis voice with his. You can make comments on the tab provided, or on the Orion Facebook Fan Club. Click on the LP and 45 rpm records page. Scans of the unofficial CD titled JIMMY ELLIS THE SINGLES. This is a FOUR CD 5" digi-pak, this set features three concerts, Shreveport Louisiana July 1, 1976, Baton Rouge, July 2, 1976 and Elvis' last home-town concert Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis July 5, 1976. What you see is what you get. An album featuring the duet came out and the controversy really heated up when Good Morning America had the Friends voice scientifically scanned and analyzed and concluded that it could be no one but Presley. They were sung in the same style in which Elvis would have sung them. Thanks for your help!. EIN:Jimmy Ellis, the personaway from the stage or recording studio. He also started to run a store in Selma, Alabama, with his girlfriend Elaine Thompson. I finished college with a BBA while my wife worked, and I got the GI Bill. He was professionally known as Orion, and his double-edged claim to fame was that his natural speaking and singing voice sounded almost exactly like that of [Elvis Presley]. Scan of the cassette release BY REQUEST, ELLIS SINGS ELVIS. 5 1969-70' Book Review: 'From Hawaii to Las Vegas' FTD CD Review: 'Young Man with the Big Beat' In-Depth Review: 'Fashion For A King' FTD in-depth Review: The Music of Elvis Presley - Australian Radio Show, Elvis Presley In Concert "downunder" 2006, Graceland - The National Historic Landmark. Born February 26, 1945, Jimmy (Bell) Ellis was adopted and raised in Orrville, Alabama. In its way, the story underscores some of the dark, disturbing aspects of image-making, music marketing, and how the music industry builds stars but destroys individuals. Jimmy Hodges Ellis (born Jimmy Hughes Bell, February 26, 1945 - December 12, 1998), who used the stage name Orion at times in his career, was an American singer. your own Pins on Pinterest Published by Flaming Star The official Elvis Presley Fan Club of Norway. It is old and worn just like it should be. With Jerry Adams, Sharon Attaway Nettleton, Gail Brewer-Giorgio, Boomer Castleman. Cover scans of any CD's on the unofficial Masked Man label. Bobby D.: It was a pleasure. It is pertinent to say that while Jimmy was fanatically worshipped by fans, it was Gail Brewer-Giorgio and Shelby Singleton (remember the infamous "Duets" album with Jerry Lee Lewis) who were banking the lion's share of money as the cash registers kept on "ching chinging" as Jimmy Ellis/Orion connected with an avid, loyal and increasingly fanatical audience. Thanks, Nigel!! The guy shot at Jimmy again but missed. 17 Comments / Low prices on Jimmy Ellis discography of music albums at CD Universe, with top rated service, Jimmy Ellis songs, discography, biography, cover art pictures, sound samples, albums, etc. So, thats how Jimmy Ellis and I met and became lifelong friends. Thunderclap is a tool that lets a message be heard when you and your friends say it together. On Orion's 1979 debut album, Reborn (Sun 1912). Orion: The Man Who Would Be King - poignant story of Elvis soundalike James Hodges Ellis (born James Hughes Bell, February 26, 1945 - December 12, 1998), who used the stage name Orion at times in his career, was an American singer. ORION: The Man Who Would Be King, a film by Jeanie Finlay tells the story of Jimmy Ellis an unknown singer plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight as part of a crazy scheme that had him masquerade as Elvis back from the grave. Death 12 Dec 1998 (aged 53) . The King is gone.Long live the King!.Jimmy's mortal life ended tragically when, on 12 December 1998, he was fatally shot in his Alabama pawn and package shop during a robbery gone bad. To see the film clip andmake a donation, pleaseclick on the link below. I never gave up music and a friend and I played at a local pub for extra money while finishing school. Feb 6, 2015 - This Pin was discovered by Patricia Milligan. Their fascinating book, True Disbelievers The Elvis Contagion, featured excerpts from several interviews with Jimmy Ellis which shed further light on his frustration with his musical direction, including: On working in the recording studio with Shelby Singleton, Jimmy stated: We'd play it back, you know, in Shelby's office, and I'd say, "That's not right."