Scans of the orange label version of the CD single SUNDAY FATHER on the Lanier Records label. EIN:Bobby D. its been great talking with you. Copyright the Elvis Information Network. Welcome also would be details of his concert performances in the U.S.A. and Europe. How & where do I sell my Elvis collection? Orion was well-known in the sixties and seventies for having a singing voice. In 1972, he worked for Sun Records (Presley's label) with producer Shelby Singleton in Nashville. He makes a mistake and some asshole over here says don't worry about it, it will be alright. 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 Ellis was born in either Pascagoula, Mississippi,[2] Orrville, Alabama,[3] or Washington, D.C.,[1] United States, into a single parent home. Memorial ID. Two years before she had begun a novel about a musical superstar, Orion, who faked his own death to find much-needed peace and privacy, based on the circumstances surrounding Elvis death. Scan of the Plantation Records cassette release 16 AWARD WINNING COUNTRY SONGS. 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! The strange part of the tale began in January 1979, when author Gail Brewer-Giorgio received a bizarre early-morning phone call. 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. )more than 20 items including coffee mugs, beer steins, calendars, mouse pad, t-shirts, sweat shirts and clocks, is the only Elvis stylist who nearly 20 years after his tragic death still elicits interest from his fans, is promoted today by a commercial company operating in his name, has several websites devoted to his life and music, had several of his recordings featured on the soundtrack of a number of films, has featured in a number of documentaries about music in the southern states of the USA, is the subject of a documentary film being released in 2015. Fittingly, his legend lives on, and quite ironically, both as Jimmy Ellis and Orion! . 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. 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. Jimmy was, and still is, my favorite Elvis sound-alike singer. Elvis Presley, Elvis and Graceland are trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises. Sun Records legend Orion (Jimmy Ellis) is known internationally for his gifted singing ability and dynamic personal appearances. Our biography book on Jimmy Ellis is now available here on this website! 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. Oh well, it is publicity!! ORION (JIMMY ELLIS) A STRANGER IN MY PLACE 6 RADIO STATION SPOTS SUN 1152 MINT-. Only Jimmy Ellis/Orion can lay claim to these remarkable achievements (and he could only be categorised as an Elvis tribute artist in his final years, well after his seminal period as the masked man, Orion). Another regular lady was also working that day. Posted by dokkeberg@hotmail.com in Top, Uncategorized and tagged as, 0 Comments / 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. Three thugs intent on thievery pulled up outside the pawn shop on Dec. 12, 1998, and one of them Jeffrey Lee walked inside, pulled a sawed-off shotgun hidden in his heavy . Here is the bizarre story of Jimmy Ellis, or, as he was also known, Orion. Raised in Orrville, Alabama, Ellis began his recording career in 1964. Jimmy Ellis In The Shadow Of a King Book NOW AVAILABLE! In 1972, he worked for Sun Records (Presleys label) with producer Shelby Singleton in Nashville. On Orion's 1979 debut album, Reborn (Sun 1912). Shawn. I hope people will remember that some of the masters are owned by us and others over in Norway/Denmark. Jimmy's contributions to the group, both in his personality and in his amazing tenor, will never be forgotten. His birth certificate states the mother was a secretary named Gladys Bell, and the father was Vernon (no surname). Jimmy really liked my version of My Special Angel that we listened to for the first time while riding around in Nashville. If you sat in a room with him and heard him sing Happy Birthday, the National Anthem, or Its Now or Never, he sounded exactly the same. 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. It is written by myself (Kenneth Dokkeberg), Steve Kelley (Orions road manager) and Bobby Dillard (personal friends since College). 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." One of them, a tall guy with a buzzed haircut, was sitting on a single bed by an old record player and a reel-to-reel tape recorder. [1] He attended Orrville High School, where he excelled in baseball, football and basketball. Death 12 Dec 1998 (aged 53) . We were both only children, but Jimmy was not selfish or too self-centered. With few bookings for Jimmy Ellis 'live on stage' there was still a substantial (albeit diminishing) demand of fans to satisfy their deep-seated psychological need and hope that their King had not left them. Consequently, this meant Jimmy could only get well paying work if he donned the Orion mask and (to him) even worse, an Elvis jumpsuit. The shooter is in jail with a death sentence. You tell your friends who tell their friends who tell their friends WHAT IS THUNDERCLAP? He said, "Don't worry about it, you don't buy the fuckin records anyway." 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. The CDs are offered on the official web site: www.orionjimmyellis.com. 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!). I was in a small band named the Catalinas in Macon, GA my hometown and loved music. 26th. Jimmy Ellis 1937-2012 It is with deep sadness that we report the passing of our friend and original lead singer, Jimmy Ellis, on Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. the story behind Bobby D's friendship with Jimmy Ellis, how Jimmy felt about his "Orion" character. If you can add to the info given please e-mail me. Bobby D.: Jimmy's story and music is important- he was very talented - and these releases will celebrate his life and career. Thunderclap is a tool that lets a message be heard when you and your friends say it together. Production costs turned out to be too high compared to the demand on the box set, making the release too economically challenging to make. The Elvis Information Network has been running since 1986 and is an EPE officially recognised Elvis fan club. 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.. 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. New 2016 DVD release of the award winning documentary on the life and career of Jimmy Ellis. EIN: You operate the official Jimmy Ellis/Orion website. Jimmy came from a Christian family and held his belief in God the Father throughout his life. Jimmy continued, commmenting on the frustration he felt when he would have to stop the recording session because Shelby Singleton had arranged for a tour group to come through the studio: Now, what's the priority. 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). 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. That day, Elaine Thompson, his x-wife was filling in for Shirley Connell who had gone home to Memphis for the weekend. Ellis appeared with many . Interview conducted by Nigel Patterson, EIN (July 2014), Read: EIN's 2014 "Jimmy Ellis/Orion" article. Also like Elvis (surviving twin), he experienced an early life major event when, at the age of 4, he was adopted by Robert and Faye Ellis. So I said: come on, thats Elvis I have the album. 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. Artefact from Shelby Singleton's personal collection.conspiracy theorists, note the date! A real EP story. Available now! I often wonder what that would have done for Jimmys career since Phil Walden was nationally known. Bobby D: Jimmy Ellis was actually the same off stage as he was on stage. * Released After Jimmy Ellis's death in 1999. '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. This blog is for preview purposes only and all music downloaded should be deleted within 24 hours. His first two singles were covers of two of the Kings former hits, Thats All Right and Blue Moon of Kentucky.. Jimmy Hodges "Orion" Ellis Sr. Being in a band, we did some Elvis songs, and I was a big fan and knew Elvis voice well. Born February 26, 1945, Jimmy (Bell) Ellis was adopted and raised in Orrville, Alabama. He was standing before the display counter in his Jimmy's Pawn and Package Store just after noon Saturday when the gunman burst in and, in seconds, turned the quiet shop into a slaughterhouse. Help us spreadthe word about our cinema releaseby signing up for an ORIONtweetor aFacebookpost here onThunderclap. If you take something from the container, leave something in exchange. I miss him a lot! The upcoming Orion documentary being done by Jeanie Finley in England should broaden exposure. 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. EIN often receives requests for information on these releases. Jimmy Ellis (born February 26, 1945 - died December 12,1998) was born in Orrville, Alabama on February 26th of 1945. I have to say I was floored. This is the definitive book on a man with the voice of a King. We have just received an intro and preview clip of the up coming documentary "Orion The Movie". Boomer on Shelby. 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). EIN: What is Bobby D. doing, musically, these days? In 1999, the famed German company, Bear Family Records, released a 4CD box set of 108 Orion recordings: From the pr for the box set: It was Orion Eckley Darnell, keeping the flame of rootsy Southern music alive in the Seventies, and doing it by sounding remarkably like Elvis Aaron Presley. One of the guys asked me if I knew who that was singing on the tape recorder. I never gave up music and a friend and I played at a local pub for extra money while finishing school. Who was he? That eventually led to Sun Records in Nashville. In his insightful interview, Bobby D. reveals what (the real) Jimmy Ellis was like off-stage and covers a range of subjects including: Bobby D. operates the official Jimmy Ellis/Orion website and is a singer himself. At that point Shelby was done with their arrangement and so was Jimmy. 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".