"With great sadness we have to announce that Pee Wee passed away last night following complications with his heart. We are working on plans to celebrate his wonderful life and hope you will all take time to listen to his music and continue his legacy.
Born in Bradenton, Florida on April 21, 1941, Ellis’ career was jumpstarted in 1957 by a chance meeting with Sonny Rollins in New York. Rollins agreed to train Ellis, and, by 1965, Ellis had joined James Brown’s Revue on the recommendation of trumpeter Waymon Reed. He would quickly become Brown’s bandleader and go on to help him write several of the Godfather of Soul’s signature songs, including “Cold Sweat” and “Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud.”
Ellis was a member of the band that recorded Van Morrison’s 1979 album Into the Music, sparking a multi-decade partnership as his bandleader and arranger. The next year he was on Morrison’s Common One opus “Summertime in England,” and later appeared on the LPs Days Like This and The Healing Game. Several of his recordings have been sampled for hip-hop records, particularly his work with Brown and his jazz-funk band Gotham. in 2012, he joined Ginger Baker’s Jazz Confusion..."
A strange thing (to me) was that he apparently lived in Frome (West Country) and was a big supporter of the local scene. There's another West country story of Marvin Gaye seen climbing out of toilet window of Gold-diggers club in Chippingham! When he was living in the UK. The WILD west country!
Born in Bradenton, Florida on April 21, 1941, Ellis’ career was jumpstarted in 1957 by a chance meeting with Sonny Rollins in New York. Rollins agreed to train Ellis, and, by 1965, Ellis had joined James Brown’s Revue on the recommendation of trumpeter Waymon Reed. He would quickly become Brown’s bandleader and go on to help him write several of the Godfather of Soul’s signature songs, including “Cold Sweat” and “Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud.”
Ellis was a member of the band that recorded Van Morrison’s 1979 album Into the Music, sparking a multi-decade partnership as his bandleader and arranger. The next year he was on Morrison’s Common One opus “Summertime in England,” and later appeared on the LPs Days Like This and The Healing Game. Several of his recordings have been sampled for hip-hop records, particularly his work with Brown and his jazz-funk band Gotham. in 2012, he joined Ginger Baker’s Jazz Confusion..."
A strange thing (to me) was that he apparently lived in Frome (West Country) and was a big supporter of the local scene. There's another West country story of Marvin Gaye seen climbing out of toilet window of Gold-diggers club in Chippingham! When he was living in the UK. The WILD west country!