THIS SITE IS DEDICATED TO JIMMY ELLIS "ORION" THE MUSIC & LEGEND OF THE MAN WHO HAD THE VOICE OF A KING. Just before noon, he decided to go by his pawn shop to check on things. It is also very possible that several other titles circulating on the internet . Jimmy Ellis Dies at 74; Lead Singer in Dance Band Trammps When you find it, write your name and date in the logbook. Other LP/CD's Featuring Jimmy Ellis/Orion, Other LP's/CD's featuring Jimmy Ellis/Orion, Other LP & CD's Featuring Jimmy Ellis/Orion, Stargem/Kardina/Southern Tracks Promo Photos. At one point he even released the single Im Trying Not to Sound Like Elvis. During his time with Sun, Ellis/Orion cut over 11 albums and toured with the Oak Ridge Boys, Jerry Lee Lewis, and other stars like Dionne Warwick. Scan of the German cassette release COUNTRY & WESTERN CLASSICS VOL.1 on the Sun/Bellaphon label. I love music too and do some song leading at church. * Released After Jimmy Ellis's death in 1999. Excitement - Orion (Jimmy Ellis) was fun loving, had a great sense of humor, and a great personality. He and I were alike in that respect. Leave a comment or question. I still record once in a while at home, as the mood strikes. 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. Learn more about merges. This blog is for preview purposes only and all music downloaded should be deleted within 24 hours. This is the definitive book on a man with the voice of a King. The controversial 'Reborn' album with its "coffin" cover. JIMMY ( ORION ) ELLIS - LIVE ON STAGE 70s - YouTube Jim Highley. I often wonder what that would have done for Jimmys career since Phil Walden was nationally known. Orion: The Man Who Would Be King - poignant story of Elvis soundalike The record got a little airplay in Macon, GA in 1964. Memorial ID. These books arevintage - new and are a collector's item. I responded: gosh Jimmy what if I did. Ellis continued recording and performing through 1983 as Orion, and scored only one more minor hit before trying to break his Sun contract to become a recognized performer in his own right. Scans of sleeves and labels would be of real interest as would track listings of further foreign releases. What you see is what you get. That was December 4, 1998 - The Nightlife Theatre in Nashville, TNwhat a show!!! http://www.elvisinfonet.com/spotlight-orion-2014.html, The Tonight Show from NY with Jimmy Fallon. The film, which had its world premiere at Tribeca and won [], Calling all Orion fans and film supporters. Boomer on Shelby. The album disc was on the record player. 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. Jimmy was very happy we did this and he liked getting a periodic check for CD sales. The mysterious phone call came from a stranger with a Presley-like voice, claiming to be Orion. 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. Orion Jimmy Ellis - The Official Web Site If you can add to the info given please e-mail me. In their illuminating examination of the infamous 'Elvis Underground' and activities around the belief Elvis did not die in 1977, Professors R. Serge Denisoff and George Plasketes addressed the Orion phenomenon. And, you wonder if helistened to "Ebony Eyes" and the rest of the LP. 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. Inevitably, being born 10 years after Elvis, his struggle could never be won. Real Name: James Hughes Bell Profile: James Hughes Bell (February 26, 1945 - December 12, 1998), stage name Orion (based on the character from the same-titled book by Gail Brewer-Giorgio ), was an American singer. How many Elvis tribute artists have had 10 Top 100 hits on the Country Music Chart? Scan of the German cassette release LET YOUR LOVE FLOW on the Sun/Bellaphon label. His first two singles were covers of two of the Kings former hits, Thats All Right and Blue Moon of Kentucky.. The strange part of the tale began in January 1979, when author Gail Brewer-Giorgio received a bizarre early-morning phone call. But later after collegeJimmy and I reconnected and had experiences in the 70s where he did various club shows etc., in Macon and other towns. : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. Orion Jimmy Ellis - The Official Web Site | Jimmy ellis, Jimmy, Orion I miss him a lot! AVAILABLE HERE LOWER PRICE! Bobby D.: Well, we just had a limited number of the out-of-print CD - Orion Country repressed. Many thanks again and all the best for the future. Sundance Selects acquires Orion: The Man Who Would Be King for US Theatrical release. (much like how each of Elvis' jumpsuits had its own name): ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------, Orion (Jimmy Ellis) with (also in character) members of supergroup KISS, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, ------------------------------------------------------------------------------. December 1998. We let Bobby hear the record and he liked it but he said that it was too much like Presley, and he didnt think he could do anything with Jimmy.a huge mistake. It is hold together by a stitch in the upper left corner. Bobby D.: Jimmy's story and music is important- he was very talented - and these releases will celebrate his life and career. The answer is: ONE! For unofficial publicity purposes Orion continued to strike a favorite pose for the cover of: (one of nearly 150 'unofficial' Jimmy Ellis/Orion/Ellis James albums - with a striking but obvious graphically altered 'rip-off' cover design/image of the "reborn" Sun Records "Reborn" LP - as with its origination - Orion's facial expression on the cover nicely reflects the album title), The Comeback.While Jimmy probably never wanted to resurrect the Orion character, there was an inevitable comeback. I have to say I was floored. The sale is temporary to offer fans who missed these CDs the first time around a real deal. Cover scans of any CD's on the unofficial Masked Man label. 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. : Aloha From Hawaii - The Concert 2013- EIN Exclusive, Elvis at Madison Square Garden 40 Years Ago. (EIN Comment: Bobby D. should get back to playing "live" - he is naturally gifted with a great voice!). However, in the beginning recordings like Save The Last Dance For Me, Ebony Eyes and Honey convinced many Elvis fans that their King was still physically among them. Death 12 Dec 1998 (aged 53) . We were in the same dorm building on campus at Middle Georgia College in Cochran, GA. Every morning from my room I would hear this loping sound of cowboy boots coming down the hall and some guy humming and singing lowly. Ellis hailed from Orrville, Alabama and began his recording career in 1964. Ellis entered Middle Georgia College on an athletic scholarship, then transferred to Livingston State University. Our biography book on Jimmy Ellis is now available here on this website! You tell your friends who tell their friends who tell their friends WHAT IS THUNDERCLAP? With fans more interested in seeing "Kemo Sabe" rather than Jimmy Ellis, he spent the next few years focusing more on his business affairs than his music career. His first two singles were covers of two of the King's former hits, "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky." On this website you will find the latest Orion/Jimmy Ellis news along with other info you might find useful. Published by Flaming Star The official Elvis Presley Fan Club of Norway. Bobby D.: Jimmy never commented about the LP coffin cover to me, but he was not hot on the mask gimmick from the start. Posted by dokkeberg@hotmail.com in Top, Uncategorized and tagged as, 0 Comments / is the only Elvis stylist to have merchandise and memorabilia released (still sold online in 2014! : Since Elvis' explosion onto the world stage in the mid 1950s there have been countless Elvis tribute artists, imitators, impersonators, stylists and sound-a-likes offering and emulating a watershed musical icon. As they say all PR is good PR! 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. He was the one who produced Jimmy Ellis first 45 rpm record Love Is But A Love and Dont Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch recorded at a radio station in Kibbee, GA. Around the same time, Ellis released another single under his name, "I'm Not Trying To Be Like Elvis", and an album, By Request Ellis Sings Elvis. He also started to run a store in Selma, Alabama, with his girlfriend Elaine Thompson. he wears as mask Youmans put the record on the Dradco Recording Company label. In a town steeped in strange success stories, hidden agendas, and dashed dreams, Orion's tale is one of the most curious ever to originate in Music City USA--which is saying something. Click on the LP and 45 rpm records page. Our biography book on Jimmy Ellis is now available here on this website! It was issued on Sun without an artist name, and created a furor because Ellis bore such an uncanny vocal resemblance to Elvis. The girls went wild. Ellis appeared with many . I'm Leavin'.Despite an initially (somewhat) artistically and (somewhat) financially beneficial arrangement for Jimmy Ellis, eventually the combination of an increasingly unfulfilling and unwanted masked career as an Elvis sound-a-like confronted his primal burning desire to be recognised and appreciated as "himself". Jimmy "Orion" Ellis - Wikipedia If you can help with any small detail please contact me at: Promotional 8 track tape added for upcoming Dradco release of the album, Updated info on the new CD release of the. Born in 1945 in Orville, Alabama. We are told that the documentaryis moving along but, as with many projects,monetary donations would be appreciated to help get it to completion. JIMMY ( ORION ) ELLIS - LIVE ON STAGE 70s d pascalini 4.87K subscribers Subscribe 800 97K views 9 years ago JIMMY ( ORION ) ELLIS -- LIVE ON STAGE -- 70s Show more Comments are turned off.. It's the story of a masked. How many Elvis tribute artists are still remembered nearly 20 years after their death? So I said: come on, thats Elvis I have the album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYuszmPq3lw, "Orion" by Gail Brewer-Giorgio (Hardcover 1979). To use this website you must enable JavaScript. In the 2006 EIN article, A Tribute to the "Masked Man": Jimmy Ellis aka "Orion", I observed: Of course his friends knew him from his early days as a child and when he started out as a singer, but this didn't stop the promoters of the "Elvis is alive" conspiracy theory. ORION FEAT.JIMMY ELLIS.CH About me THE STORY OF ORION BEGAN AS FICTION A Georgia-based writer,Gail Brewer-Giorgio concocted a tale about a charismatic rock 'n'roll singer,Orion Eckley Darnell,who came to be called 'King' because of his enormous popularity across the world.However How many Elvis tribute artists have had any unofficial album releases let alone 150 bootleg albums released? Jimmy "Orion" Ellis Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 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. Pictures and track listings are shown below of the titles I have managed to source. No breach of copyright is intended or should be inferred. Jimmy just could not help that he sounded like someone else EP. 'The Wedding' Elvis & Priscilla EIN special Spotlight: 'Elvis In Ottawa' Spotlight & Elvis Interview: 'Elvis: Live at the International' Book Review: Elvis By Special Request '71 At 40 (Book Review): "Kissed By Elvis" Janet Fulton Interview: "ReBooked At The International'- in-depth Review: 'The Elvis Files Vol. Allyson Adams 'The Rebel and The King' Interview: EIN interviews John Scheinfeld director of 'Fame & Fortune', Elvis Paradise Hawaiian Interview - with Peter Noone, Sam Thompson, Elvis' bodyguard, 2011 Interview. In 1962, Ellis entered the Orrville (Alabama) High School talent show. He began by overdubbing him onto recordings by Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Charlie Rich, and then recording solo albums which many fans thought were better than many of Elvis's later LPs. This boxed set documents Orion's career on the legendary Sun Records label. He was 53 years old. Of the thousands who in some way look(ed), perform(ed) or sound(ed) like Elvis there is one performer who stands well apart from the rest. 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..