Jimmy "Orion" Ellis

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. 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. Ellis appeared with many artists, including Loretta Lynn, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tammy Wynette, Ricky Skaggs, Lee Greenwood, Gary Morris, and the Oak Ridge Boys.

For the boxer, see Jimmy Ellis (boxer). For the actor, see James Ellis (actor). For the soul singer, see The Trammps.
Jimmy Ellis
Ellis as "Orion"
Background information
Birth nameJames Hughes Bell
Also known asJimmy Hodges Ellis
Orion
Born(1945-02-26)February 26, 1945[1]
Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States
DiedDecember 12, 1998(1998-12-12) (aged 53)
Selma, Alabama, United States
GenresRock
Country
Rockabilly
Gospel
Occupation(s)Singer
Songwriter
Years active1962 – 1998
LabelsVarious
Websiteorionjimmyellis.com

Early life

Ellis was born in either Pascagoula, Mississippi,[2] Orrville, Alabama,[3] or Washington, D.C.,[1] United States, into a single parent home. His birth certificate states the mother was a secretary named Gladys Bell and the father was Vernon (no surname).[4] Aged two, he moved with his mother to Birmingham, Alabama, where he was put up for adoption and, aged four, was adopted by R. F. and Mary Faye (nee Hodges) Ellis.[1] He attended Orrville High School, where he excelled in baseball, football and basketball. After winning a state fair competition, his first professional performance was in a nightclub named Demon's Den in Albany, Georgia. Ellis entered Middle Georgia College on an athletic scholarship, then transferred to Livingston State University.[1]

Music career

At the start of his music career Ellis sang in nightclubs, and in 1964 released a single, "Don’t Count Your Chickens", for a small Georgia label, Dradco.[5] His vocals closely resembled Elvis Presley, and in 1969 Shelby Singleton, who had acquired the rights to Sun Records' back catalogue, 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". The label credited the recordings simply to "?", and it was rumored that they were alternate takes from Presley sessions (despite featuring an electric rather than string bass).[3]

After Presley's death in 1977, Singleton revived the hoax by releasing singles which overdubbed Ellis' voice onto known Sun recordings by Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and others, including a version of "Save the Last Dance For Me",[6] on which there was simply a credit to "Friend". The records were endorsed as genuine Presley recordings by the song's co-writer Doc Pomus, music writer Roy Carr, and by the TV show Good Morning America which undertook a voice comparison test of the song against Presley's voice. Around the same time, Ellis released another single under his own name, "I'm Not Trying To Be Like Elvis", and an album, By Request - Ellis Sings Elvis.[3]

In 1978, writer Gail Brewer-Giorgio published a novel, Orion, about a leading popular singer – clearly based on Presley – who faked his own death. 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.[6] His album Reborn, showing the singer emerging from a coffin, was released on gold-colored vinyl on the Sun label in 1978. Some listeners clearly believed that "Orion" was, in fact, Presley, who had supposedly faked his own death. Orion then 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). He also recorded several albums for Sun between 1979 and 1981, and built up a substantial live following, still wearing his mask.[3]

He tore off his mask at a performance in 1983, saying that he would not wear it again. However, after failing to retain his popularity using his real name, he returned to performing as Orion in 1987. He also started to run a store in Selma, Alabama, with his girlfriend.[3]

Death

On December 12, 1998, Ellis was murdered during a robbery in his store, Jimmy's Pawn Shop.[7] Jeffrey Lee was convicted of the murder of Ellis and Ellis's ex-wife Elaine Thompson, who was working as an employee at the store, and the attempted murder of employee Helen King. Lee was sentenced to death and his appeal against the sentence was refused on October 9, 2009.[7]

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

In 2015, film-maker Jeanie Finlay released a documentary film, after pitching it at Sheffield Doc/Fest's 2013 MeetMarket, about Ellis' life and career entitled Orion: The Man Who Would Be King.[8][9][10][11] The film won 'The Discovery Award' at the British Independent Film Awards 2015.[12] It was released theatrically in the US by Sundance Selects on December 4, 2015.[13]

Orion charted singles
Year Song Peak chart positions[14]
US Country
1979 "Ebony Eyes"/"Honey" 89
1980 "A Stranger in My Place" 69
"Texas Tea" 68
"Am I That Easy to Forget" 65
1981 "Rockabilly Rebel" 63
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" 79
"Born" 76
"Some You Win, Some You Lose" 83
1982 "Morning, Noon and Night" 69
"Honky Tonk Heaven" 70

Other sources
  • Elvis: His Life From A to Z (1990), by: Worth, Fred and Steve Tamerious. Wings Books.
  • Elvis Information Network, article by Nigel Patterson, EIN, 1998.[15]
  • Official Orion-Jimmy Ellis Website.[16]
  • The Strange and Ultimately Sad Story of Elvis Sound-Alike..."Orion", article by Michael McCall.[17]
  • The Worldwide Discography Of Jimmy "Orion" Ellis.[18]

References
  1. Denisoff, R. Serge; Plasketes, George (1995). True Disbelievers: Elvis Contagion. Routledge. ISBN 9781560001867.
  2. Bill C. Malone, Tracey Laird, Country Music USA: 50th Anniversary Edition, University of Texas Press, 2018
  3. Spencer Leigh, "Obituary:Orion", The Independent, 22 December 1998. Retrieved 25 June 2019
  4. Film: Orion: The Man Who Would Be King (2015)
  5. "Ellis Lives!", Today I Found Out, December 19, 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2019
  6. Sandra Brennan, "Biography: Orion", Allmusic.com. Retrieved 25 June 2019
  7. "LEE v. STATE | FindLaw". Caselaw.findlaw.com. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  8. Mark Kermode. "Orion: The Man Who Would Be King review – wonderfully weird | Film". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  9. "Orion: The Man Who Would Be King (2015)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  11. Ben Kenigsberg (2015-04-17). "'Orion: The Man Who Would Be King' Review: The Ultimate Elvis Impersonator". Variety. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  12. "British Independent Film Awards 2015: the winners in full". BFI. 2015-12-06. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  13. "Sundance Selects acquires 'Orion: The Man Who Would Be King' for US Theatrical release". Orionthemovie.com. 2015-11-25. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  14. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 306. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  15. "Welcome to EIN". Elvisinfonet.com. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  16. "The Official Web Site". Orion Jimmy Ellis. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  17. "Orion". Rockabillyhall.com. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  18. "OrionDiscs". oriondiscs.com. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
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