Orion (musician)

Orion
Birth name	Jimmy Bell
Also known as	Jimmy Ellis
Born	February 26, 1945(1945-02-26)
Origin	Orrville, Alabama, USA
Died	December 12, 1998(1998-12-12) (aged 53)
Genres	Rockabilly
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1961–1982
Labels	Sun
Associated acts	Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis

Orion (February 26, 1945 – December 12, 1998) was the stage name of rockabilly singer Jimmy Ellis. Following the death of Elvis 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.^[1] 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 for Sun 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. Another overdubbed pairing with Lewis, a cover of Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart" was also released as a single, peaking at #84.

Death

By the '90s, Ellis had distanced himself from the Orion persona and was performing fewer than 50 shows a year, living on a farm near Selma, Alabama, where Ellis also owned several small stores. On 12 December 1998, Ellis was behind the register at the convenience store he owned, when three local teens, brandishing sawed-off shotguns, attempted a robbery. The gunmen shot the 53-year-old Ellis, his 44-year-old fiancee Elaine Thompson, both of whom died, and a friend, Helen King, who was severely wounded. Ellis was survived by his son Jimmy Ellis Jr,.

Chart singles

Year	Song	Peak chart positions[1]
		US Country
1979	"Ebony Eyes"	89
	"Honey"	flip
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

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 306. ISBN 0-89820-177-2. 

External links

• OrionJimmyEllis.com - His official website
• Orion at allmusic.com
• InMusicWeTrust article about Ellis

Persondata
Name	Orion
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 26, 1945
Place of birth
Date of death	December 12, 1998
Place of death