As they say all PR is good PR! Singleton duly took Orion back to Elvis's roots in rockabilly, rock 'n' roll, country, blues, and gospel. So if you filmed him, recorded him or are in possession of anything I might be interested in then do not hesitate to take contact with me thru my e-mail: jimmyellisfan@yahoo.no, All Rights Reserved. Well, Jimmy finally had enough and took the mask off at a New Years show in the Atlanta area in 1981. Published by Flaming Star The official Elvis Presley Fan Club of Norway. 'My voice is both a blessing and a curse' (Jimmy Ellis/Orion during media interview), Controversial Sun Records 1978 Orion 'Reborn' (coffin) album cover. Bobby D.: Not really. 1 1953-56'In Depth Book Review: 'Aloha From Hawaii' 40th Anniv LEGACY CD Review: Aloha From Hawaii - The Concert 2013- EIN Exclusive Review: 'Prince From Another Planet In-Depth Review: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita (Memories of My Mother) - Book Review: 'A Boy From Tupelo' special In-depth Review: 'The Elvis Files Vol. You may also like> Jimmy Barnes Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight, Husband, Wiki, Family It is hold together by a stitch in the upper left corner. Bobby Smith, owner of Boblo Records once told his engineer, Chet Bennett: take him in the studio and record different songs. This is thebookthat started the Orion legend created by Shelby Singleton at Sun Records. Very soon after Jimmy entered the store, a young black guy came in carrying a sawed off shotgun and demanded money. He and I were alike in that respect. For the musician also known as Orion, see, "Jimmie Ellis and the Appolos: Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch", "U.S. Supreme Court won't review cases of two Alabama death row inmates", "Orion: The Man Who Would Be King review wonderfully weird | Film", "Orion: The Man Who Would Be King (2015)", "British Independent Film Awards 2015: the winners in full", "Sundance Selects acquires 'Orion: The Man Who Would Be King' for US Theatrical release", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_%22Orion%22_Ellis&oldid=1135156032, This page was last edited on 23 January 2023, at 00:00. : 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. Jimmy said: Ill kill you, and we had a big laugh. 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. Jimmy Ellis (Orion) - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me (live 1989) 21,230 views Nov 5, 2014 218 Dislike Kenneth Dokkeberg 677 subscribers Jimmy "Orion" Ellis live at Hillbilly Heaven on. Bobby D.: No, not really. There is a new film about Orion being made by the talented moviemaker from England, Jeanie Finlay. Scan of the German cassette release COUNTRY & WESTERN CLASSICS VOL.1 on the Sun/Bellaphon label. The book is also available along withtheReborn CD (the first LP on Sun by Orion). That day, Elaine Thompson, his x-wife was filling in for Shirley Connell who had gone home to Memphis for the weekend. Explore. 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. 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. We were married when I returned to the states. . Fittingly, his legend lives on, and quite ironically, both as Jimmy Ellis and Orion! It is written by myself (Kenneth Dokkeberg), Steve Kelley (Orions road manager) and Bobby Dillard (personal friends since College). As Orion, Ellis reached Billboard's country chart with nine singles. 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. His first two singles were covers of two of the King's former hits, "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky.". Orion had several hits on the country music chart, including "Am I That Easy to Forget" (1980), "Rockabilly Rebel" (1981), and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (1981). In 1972, he worked for Sun Records (Presley's label) with producer Shelby Singleton in Nashville. He once said: you cant make it on someone elses coattail. Who was he? 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. 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. While friends of the singer Jimmy Ellis have speculated that Orion could well have been The King's half-brother. At that point Shelby was done with their arrangement and so was Jimmy. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. If you can provide any additional info, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, to the list of details in the concert section of this site please get in touch. The film, which had its world premiere at Tribeca and won [], Calling all Orion fans and film supporters. Click on the LP and 45 rpm records page. Jimmy's contributions to the group, both in his personality and in his amazing tenor, will never be forgotten. Bobby Dillard was a close friend of the late Jimmy Ellis.the man who, wearing a mask, became a key part of the 'Elvis is alive' movement, as the mysterious singer, Orion! Watch the stunning trailer for Orion The Man Who Would Be King. On December 12, 1998, Jimmy Ellis and his ex-wife were both shot and killed by a man who was robbing his pawnshop in Alabama. It has 408 pages, harcover and a CD included with some of Jimmy's finest performances and also unreleased gems from the archives of Sun Records. The gunman, who police believe is Plantersville resident Jeffery James Lee, then fired twice more in an attempt to blast Ellis a second time as he struggled to find a haven behind a computer desk, Huffman said. I responded: gosh Jimmy what if I did. Newspaper adverts and reports of his numerous appearances also very much appreciated. Read More #MyOrion "If Elvis is alive, he wears as mask and goes by the name Orion" It's like an artist painting a picture. Scheduled for release next year is Jeanne Finlay's intriguing film, Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, and also due for release in 2015 is a radio documentary about southern USA music which includes a segment about the Jimmy "Orion" Ellis story. (Jimmy Ellis single on the regional Boblo label - released in 1978 - it is viewed by many as the singer's plea for acceptance in his own right rather than because of his uncanny Elvis-like singing voice). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRx7ice15YY, Backed by the Jordanaires and opening act Sherry Carlisle, Orion sang to a packed house on August 12, 1997 at Nashville's Nightlife Theater. That's not recording. Oh well, it is publicity!! You can see the trailer for the movie and back the project here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/orion-the-man-who-would-be-king. The terrain is 2.5 and difficulty is 2 (out of 5). You can make comments on the tab provided, or on the Orion Facebook Fan Club. The answer is: ONE! Elvis Presley, Elvis and Graceland are trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises. EIN:One of the incredible things about Jimmy and his Orion alter-ego is that there were around 150 bootleg recordings of his studio and live recordings released. They vociferously took advantage of, and preyed upon, those Elvis fans, the "true disbelievers", who had a deep seated need to disbelieve a more prosaic, greed fuelled reality and motivation for the carefully constructed "Orion" character. Born February 26, 1945, Jimmy (Bell) Ellis was adopted and raised in Orrville, Alabama. Add your masked portrait to I Am Orion, THE ROLLERCOASTER RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF THE The book has been a huge task with 12+ years of research. For the soul singer, member of The Trammps, please see Jimmy Ellis (2) Sites: Wikipedia, orionjimmyellis.com, oriondiscs.com Aliases: Find out more about the Orion - Jimmy Ellis story: ***Orion - Jimmy Ellis: The Official Web Site***: (includes news, photo gallery, Books, CDs and DVDs 'For Sale' and 'Free' MP3 downloads), (includes brief Orion biography, worldwide Jimmy Ellis/Orion discography info, bootleg info and gallery of the many different Orion masks), ***Orion Merchandise (available online) from Cafe Press***. The label credited the recordings simply to "? [3], Singleton tore off his mask at a performance in 1983, saying he would not wear it again. To see the film clip andmake a donation, pleaseclick on the link below. Scans of the unofficial CD titled JIMMY ELLIS THE SINGLES. 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. 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. Orion to recieve Lifetime Achievement Award in Las Vegas! The guy shot at Jimmy again but missed. She was 16 going on 21 and I was 21. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. (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, ------------------------------------------------------------------------------. The answer.Jimmy Ellis aka the masked man, Orion. The Jimmy Ellis/Orion story is one of great potential, qualified success, ongoing disappointment and ultimately, tragedy! I miss him a lot! Scans of sleeves and labels would be of real interest as would track listings of further foreign releases. Jimmy Ellis (born February 26, 1945 - died December 12,1998) was born in Orrville, Alabama on February 26th of 1945. Could you clarify who was working with him that day? Singleton then persuaded Ellis to start appearing as "Orion", wearing a small mask with dyed hair and in similar clothing to that worn by Presley. A hit record or some fuckin' tour we did that on many a time. Here is the bizarre story of Jimmy Ellis, or, as he was also known, Orion. Scan of the 8 track cassette release ORION 20 ALL TIME FAVORITES. With Jerry Adams, Sharon Attaway Nettleton, Gail Brewer-Giorgio, Boomer Castleman. Excitement - Orion (Jimmy Ellis) was fun loving, had a great sense of humor, and a great personality. 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. Jimmy Hodges "Orion" Ellis Sr. Jimmy Ellis (with mask) as Orion (note his hair color), Orion (sans mask) as Jimmy Ellis (note his natural hair color), Above images sourced from the official "Orion-Jimmy Ellis" website. We put the official web site www.orionjimmyellis.com together three months before his tragic death in December 1998. The album disc was on the record player. Jimmy was an accomplished songwriter who could write uptempo, slow and country songs as recordings such as the rockin' Washing Machine, poignant ballad It Ain't No Mystery and catchy, toe tapping Some You Win, Some You Lose, attest to. I finished college with a BBA while my wife worked, and I got the GI Bill. What exactly happened? We put the official web site www.orionjimmyellis.comtogether three months before his tragic death in December 1998. [5] His vocals closely resembled those of Elvis Presley, and in 1969 Shelby Singleton, who had acquired the rights to Sun Records' back catalog, other than Presley's recordings for the label, released a single of Ellis' recordings of Presley's early songs, "That's All Right (Mama)" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky". Shawn. 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.