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The 1990's Sessions

Sessions
1990

Jerry Cupit Studio, Nashville, Tennessee:
He’s Gone But Not Forgotten

Although two other songs were submitted for recording, this was the only track actually put on tape. Jimmy was very sick, suffering from a heavy cold and working against a deadline. Issued on the various artists CD release A TRIBUTE TO ELVIS from K-Tel Records. Released version is take 3.

19th – 21st March 1990* at Stargem Studios – Nashville, Tennessee:
MUSICIANS:
Rodger Morris/Dirk Johnson – Keyboards/piano
Leo Jackson – Rhythm Guitar
Mike Severs – Lead Guitar
Rob Hajacos – Fiddle
Fred Newell – Electric Guitar
Larry Paxton – Bass Guitar
Hal Rugg – Steel Guitar
Weldon Myrick/Sonny Garrish – Steel Guitar
Tommy Wells/Owen Hale – Drums

Harmony Vocal Overdub Direction – Jerry Cupit
Produced by Wayne Hodge
Executive Producer – Jim Highley
Associate Producers – James M. Hardin; Dennis D. Ross; Gary K. Yount

Engineers – Danny Dunkleberger; Dennis Ritchie; Bob Campbell-Smith (Mixer).
****Engineer – Denny Knight.
Mix Engineers – (1st) Gary King (2nd) Allen Day. William L. Jones on #
+Mixed at: Refraze recording Studio, Dayton, Ohio.
# Mixed at Shalonda Productions, Dayton, Ohio. Mix produced by Johnnie Wilder Jr.

Only A Woman Like You*+
Love It Back Together*+
Lookin’ For A Way*+
She Wakes Me With A Kiss Every Morning*+
We Can’t Go On Living Like This*+
Plastic Saddle*+
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You*+
Hooked On A Feeling*+
Seperate Ways*+
If That Isn’t Love*+

Feel Right**
Since I Met You Baby**
Slow Hand**
Nothing Short Of Dying**
Love Is In The Air**
That’s The Thing About Love**
At This Moment**
It Only Hurts When I Cry**
Tips Of My Fingers**
Treat Me Nice**

Restless***#
Out Of The Blue***#
Dream On Me***#

Just A Closer Walk With Thee****
Amazing Grace****
Where Could I Go But To The Lord****
You’ll Never Walk Alone****
I’ll Fly Away****
Lead Me, Guide Me****
Peace In The Valley****
Stand By Me****
Because He Lives****
Precious Memories****

* Although it is known that a recording session took place on these dates it cannot be confirmed that all of these songs were made at this three day session.
The SPECIAL MOMENTS release featured quite a few recordings from previous sessions and it is possible that a few of those listed could be from a later session. Likewise there could also be further recordings which remain unreleased.
The songs Just A Closer Walk With Thee and Peace In The Valley had previously been recorded at Sun Records and included on their GLORY album but these were newly recorded versions for the Stargems album.

* These ten tracks would be released on compact disc later on the Stargem label under the title GENUINE, an album that would be issued both as an Orion release and as an Ellis James release. The Orion one having an alternate mix making the songs sound different.
** These ten tracks would be released by Stargem Records as the album THE LEGEND CONTINUES.
*** These tracks would, along with a few earlier recordings, be released by Stargem Records as the album SPECIAL MOMENTS.
**** These ten tracks would be released by Stargem Records as the album BECAUSE HE LIVES.

The bootleg release STEADY AS SHE GOES/THE LEGEND CONTINUES from Jack Daniels Records contains outtakes from around the time of this recording session as follows:

Treat Me Nice
That’s The Thing About Love
Since I Met You Baby
Tips Of My Fingers
It Only Hurts When I Cry
Love Is In The Air (Two takes)

Other tracks on this album may also be from this session but this is not able to be confirmed at this time.


June 13th, 1990 at Jerry Cupit Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee:
Mary Jane Doe

This was a special spoken recording made for the Child Abuse Organisation and available in 2002 only to members of the Orion Jimmy Ellis Music Club. Written by Jimmy Carr. Second track on the disc is an instrumental.

1991
May 3rd, 1991 at Gatlin Bros., Music Resources, Nashville, Tennessee:
Unchained Melody

Date unknown, 1991. Possibly a local studio in Alabama:
MUSICIANS:
Guitar – Sandy Renda
Bass Guitar – Sandy Renda
Engineer/Mixer – Phil Bruno
I’ll Be With You Always (The Farewell)

This recording was sold as a CDR from the internet by Walt Gollender in New Jersey. It was explained by his assistant, John Lopacinski, that Mr. Gollender does not have the Master Tape for this song. Jimmy and Gollender never met but agreed over the phone for Jimmy to overdub his voice to a previously recorded music track. Gollender then recieved only a cassette recording from Jimmy after he supposedly recorded the vocal somewhere in Alabama. He got musical assistance from Sandy Renda for the guitar and bass overdubbing, while engineer Phil Bruno of Early Bird Studio in Nutley, New Jersey created the overdubbed church bells. Gollender also informed that the original writer of the song has passed away. It exists in two versions of the song; one with the overdubbed church bells and one without them.
It was included on the CD included with the book JIMMY ELLIS - IN THE SHADOW OF A KING in 2016.

1993
Autumn, 1993 at the Sound Emporium Studios, Nashville, Tennessee:
Steady As She Goes
He Has His Hands On Your Heart
Love Is The Only Way Out
Between Hello And Goodbye
Rock Your Baby
I Know Where You Are Coming From
My Boogie Wants To Boogie With You
The Power Of Your Love
If You Ever Want A Fool Around
Starting Over

These ten tracks would be released by Kardina Records in 1996 as the album STEADY AS SHE GOES

The bootleg album STEADY AS SHE GOES/THE LEGEND CONTINUES reportedly features outtakes from both this session and tracks from the session from 1990 which produced the Stargem THE LEGEND CONTINUES album. However, as the bootleg does not include outtakes from any of the above songs it is very difficult to say for certain which tracks come from which date, if any.

1994
December 15th, 1994 at the Sound Emporium Studios, 3100 Belmont Boulevard, Nashville, Tennessee (Just a couple of doors along from 3106 Belmont Boulevard, the address given on several of Orion's Sun albums as the address of the Orion Fan Club):
Producer: Larry Butler
Engineer: Billy Sherill
Lovers
Nobody But You
How Did We Get Here From There

1996
October 16th, 1996 at Andy Lee Lang’s Studio in Austria.
MUSICIANS- (Listed as playing on all the tracks on the released CD's. It is not known at this time exactly which musicians played on the two Orion recordings):
Drums – Herwig Wagner; Michael Strasser; Andi Weiss; Peter Muller; Andi Wagner; Dick Richards; Jimmy Redhead.  
Bass Guitar –  Franz Rebensteiner; Rainer Leutgeb; Gerhard Strauhs; Freddy Poke.
Upright Bass - Peter Strutzenberger; Marshall Lytle.
Guitar - Bernhard Krinner; Michael Hoglinger; Ulli Winter; Charlie Gracie; Franny Beecher; Gordon Scott; Steve Bloomfield.
Piano - Andy Lee Lang; Johnny Grande; Linda Gail Lewis.
Keyboards - Murcus Hagler; Willi Grahsi.
Alto Sax - Bernhard Adlberger;
Guitar – Sandy Renda.
Bass Guitar – Sandy Renda.
Steel Guitar - Oliver Gruen.
Engineer/Mixer – Phil Bruno.
Tenor Sax, Flute - Sebastian Grimus; Joey D'Ambrosio; Martin Wichtl; Johnny Leonhartsberger.
Baritone Sax - Markus Zahri; Bernhard Adlberger.
Soprano Sax - Johnny Leonhartsberger.
Trumpet - Josef Burchartz.
Flugerhorn - Josef Burchartz.
Trombone - Robert Bachner.
Percussion - Stephan Maass; Herwig Wagner; Alex Munkas; Martin Schutzenhofer.
Fiddle: Gordon
Accordion: Christian Dozzler.
Harmonica: Gordon Scott.
Backing Vocals - Gary Lux; Monika Ballwein; Andy Lee Lang; Kai Peterson; Alex Munkas; Dietmar Baumgartner; Matchbox.
Engineer/Mixer – Alex Munkas.
All In The Game
Puppet On A String

The above two tracks were released as duets on two compact disc compilations by popular Austrian singer and actor Andy Lee Lang with Jimmy being credited as “Shadowman” on the sleeve. It seems that these tracks were made while Jimmy was performing live in Austria around this time, as photographs on the album sleeve show both Jimmy and Andy together in what appears to be a studio set up.
The song Puppet On A String is the same song as recorded by Elvis Presley for inclusion on his GIRL HAPPY soundtrack album.

November 7th. 1996, Gavle, Sweden:
Alibis
Young And Beautiful

The above two tracks were recorded at the home/studio of entertainer Garry Lee Taylor while Orion was on a European tour. Garry had been Jimmy’s bodyguard and security adviser as well as his good friend and the first track was composed by Garry. The recording of Alibis has been made available on the Jack Daniels label bootleg titled IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR. The recording of Young and Beautiful has been made available on YouTube.

1997
Studio not known:
MUSICIANS:
Leo Jackson – Acoustic Guitar
Kelly Back – Lead Guitar
Mike Leech – Bass Guitar
Gene Chrisman – Drums
Walt Cunningham – Keyboards
Gary Prim – Keyboards on A CHRISTMAS FILLED WITH LOVE recordings.
Steel Guitar – Weldon Myrick
Fiddle – Bob Hajacos

Backing Vocals – Billy Davis; Karen Morley; Amaleia Ruble; Debra Paxton.
Additional Backing Vocals on HOLIDAY TRIBUTE TO THE KING recordings – The Jordanaires
Background Vocal direction on HOLIDAY TRIBUTE TO THE KING recordings – Melody Paxton; Billy Davis.

Producer – Dan Mitchell
Engineer – Ronny Light
Additional engineering on last ten tracks – Kurt Storey; Terry Alldaffer; Logan Patton
A CHRISTMAS FILLED WITH LOVE recordings mastered by – Hollis Flatt, Custom Mastering.

Christmas Memory
A Christmas Filled With Love
The Funny Little Man All Dressed In Red
An Old Fashioned Christmas
Christmas Spirit
Christmas Eve
The Fireplace
You’re All I Want For Christmas

Merry Christmas Love+

Here Comes Santa Claus
I’ll Be Home For Christmas
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
Blue Christmas
Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me+
Holly Leaves & Christmas Trees
Silent Night
Santa Claus Is Back In Town
Jingle Bells
It Won’t Seem Like Christmas Without You

Stuck On You
Don’t Be Cruel
Crying In The Chapel
All Shook Up
Are You Lonesome Tonight
Teddy Bear
If I Can Dream
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
That’s Alright Mama
Follow That Dream

These last ten tracks above were issued in 2000 by Kardina Records on the album JIMMY ELLIS SINGS ELVIS - THE LAST RECORDINGS.

+ These two tracks were released on the various artists album HOLIDAY COLLECTION from Kardina Records in 1997.
First eight tracks were issued in 1997 on Kardina Records album A CHRISTMAS FILLED WITH LOVE.
Latter ten festive tracks were issued by Kardina Records on the 1997 album HOLIDAY TRIBUTE TO THE KING.
Although it cannot, as yet, be confirmed, it seems likely all of these tracks were recorded at the one session.


Possibly early, 1997
(Possibly) Jerry Cupit’s Studio, Nashville:
Are You Sincere
Give Me The Right
It Hurts Me
Until It’s Time For You To Go
I Really Don’t Want To Know
My Boy
King Of The Whole Wide World
Follow That Dream
And I Love You So
The Wonder Of You
Anything That’s Part Of You
Without Love
Paralyzed
It’s Midnight

These recordings were released on a fan club cassette titled ORION SINGS ELVIS - THE MAN WITH THE VOICE OF A KING in 1997. Jimmy sold these at his shows at least in October, 1997 introducing them as his latest recordings. All tracks have been made available on bootleg CD.

1998

Approximately one week before Jimmy was murdered (early December 1998) he was in Jerry Cupit’s studio in Nashville and recorded music there. To this day they have not been heard or released.

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