- Orion (singer)
Orion (
February 26 ,1945 –December 12 ,1998 ) was the stage name ofrockabilly singer Jimmy Ellis. Following the death ofElvis Presley in August 1977, Ellis dressed and sang in the manner of Presley and wore a mask during public appearances, fueling speculation that Presley had faked his death and returned to singing. Ellis' singing and natural speaking voice very closely resembled Presley's. Ellis had recorded rock and country singles under his real name for a number of independent labels since the early 1960s before adopting the Orion persona forSun Records — Presley's first recording label — in 1980.Sun owner Shelby S. Singleton conceived of the idea of overdubbing Ellis' Presley-styled vocals onto a previously-unreleased 1961
Jerry Lee Lewis recording of "Save The Last Dance For Me ". Ellis was billed only as "Friend." The single made #26 on the Billboard Country charts and caused a stir as listeners speculated about the mysterious "Friend's" identity. Another overdubbed pairing with Lewis, a cover ofHank Williams ' "Cold, Cold Heart " was also released as a single, peaking at #84.Orion Reborn
Ellis took his new stage name from the 1978 novel "Orion" by
Gail Brewer-Giorgio , which deals with a rock star who fakes his own death to escape the pressures of fame. Brewer-Giorgio would discuss Ellis in her 1988 book, "The Most Incredible Elvis Presley Story Ever Told ".The cover of his first Sun LP "Reborn", depicting Ellis rising from a coffin, was quickly withdrawn and replaced with a photo of Ellis in a blue outfit standing against a similarly-colored backdrop. The original cover art was restored on the album's CD release in 2005. Many of Ellis' Sun Records releases would be on colored vinyl. Ellis would record as Orion through 1981 when he took off his mask and once again began using his real name, or the name "Ellis James." Though he had vowed never to don the mask again, new Orion releases would be issued sporadically through 1989.
Death
On the night of
December 12 ,1998 , Jimmy Ellis was behind the register at his convenience store — in his hometown ofOrrville, Alabama — when three local teens charged into the store brandishingsawed-off shotgun s. The gunmen shot him, his 44-year-old fiancée Elaine Thompson, and a friend, Helen King. Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson were killed; Helen King was severely wounded but has recovered. Ellis was survived by his son Jimmy Ellis, Jr.External links
* [http://www.orionjimmyellis.com/ OrionJimmyEllis.com] - His official website
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:9hpsa9qgb23u/ Orion at allmusic.com]
* [http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/22f04.html InMusicWeTrust] article about Ellis
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