He sounded just like Elvis, swiveled his hips exactly like the superstar… and had the world convinced that he was actually the King.
But the tragedy of Jimmy ‘Orion’ Ellis is that he never wanted to be Elvis – he only wanted to be appreciated as himself.
However, as the world was mourning the death of Elvis Presley in 1978, ‘Orion’ emerged onto the music scene – and sounded so much like the rock superstar that Elvis fans were convinced he was alive and well.
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As the world mourned the death of Elvis, a mysterious doppelganger known as 'Orion' (pictured, on the cover of his album Reborn) burst onto the music scene and had fans convinced The King was alive and well
When Elvis (pictured) died in 1978, his own record label saw the potential of Jimmy 'Orion' Ellis to fill the void
Elvis’ own record label saw the potential and shortly afterwards, Sun Records introduced ‘Orion’ in an album called ‘Reborn’ – featuring a cover of an Elvis-like figure creepily emerging from a coffin and back onto a stage.
Ellis, who had long struggled to make it in the industry, was suddenly catapulted into the limelight and living the life of the late Presley – but always had to perform wearing a bejeweled mask that hid his face.
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ShareHe was plagued by the fact he could never reveal his true identity.
A new documentary called ‘Orion: The Man Who Would Be King’, set to hit theaters December 4, reveals the tragic life of Ellis – who longed to be appreciated as an artist in his own right.
The film interviews Ellis’s son, his friends and old girlfriends and sheds light on the man behind the mask.
Jimmy Ellis (above) wanted to be famous for himself, but he was cursed with a voice that sounded almost exactly like Elvis Presley (right)
Ellis would never be an icon like Elvis but he was popular enough to release nine studio albums and tour Europe - hundreds of fans would follow his tour bus
Director Jeanie Finlay paints a portrait of a talented and captivating performer, who grew increasingly frustrated with the persona he was forced to wear, despite the fame and perks that came with it.
Ellis was born in Mississippi, but raised in Alabama after he was adopted.
He had struggled to make it for years and returned home after attempting to launch a recording career under his own name in 1964 had failed.
It was only after the death of Elvis that Shelby Singleton, the owner of Sun Records who had made Elvis a star years before, realized Ellis’ potential.
He attention got Singleton’s attention after sending a recording of himself singing Elvis covers ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’ and ‘That’s Alright, Mama.’
Singleton sought to exploit the posthumous mania surrounding Elvis and launched Orion with a mysterious air and fictional biography.
Ellis became known as 'Orion' but was forced by his record label to always wear a mask to give him an air of mystery to better link him with Elvis in the public's mind
Jeanie Finlay says the story of Ellis is a tragedy as his career was always doomed because the world only wanted one Elvis
According to the Daily Beast, Orion’s hometown of Ribbonsville, Tennessee was made-up and Dixieland, the Graceland-inspired mansion he allegedly lived in, was also fake.
But Singleton had lifted the idea from a book called ‘Orion’ by Gail Brewer-Giorgio – about an Elvis-type who lived on despite the world believing he had died. He offered Ellis a contract to sing in the style of Elvis with the added stipulation that he never take off his mask.
‘He hated the mask the entire time he wore it,’ said one of his bandmates.
Ellis finally had the fame and glory he had desired – but was haunted by the fact that he would never be recognized for himself and the artist he wanted to be.
Elvis fans found a new figure to transfer their adulation to – and Ellis became so popular that he released nine studio albums, filled stadiums across the world and toured Europe, including a stint in Germany with KISS.
But the similarities between Elvis and Ellis didn't just stop at their vocal chords. Both had mothers named Gladys, but Ellis’s mother had put him up for adoption when he was two.
Ellis’s father is identified only as ‘Vernon’ on his birth certificate – and may have been Vernon Presley.
While there were similarities in their flamboyant costumes and music, Ellis (left) was not an Elvis (right) impersonator
Elvis (pictured in 1968) died in 1977 and suddenly the world wanted a 'new' Elvis. The late superstar's record label saw the potential in 'Orion'
In her documentary, Finlay suggests Ellis was the long-lost half-brother of Elvis – a theory popular with Orion fans.
But while Ellis sounded so much like Elvis, he hated the thought of being labelled an Elvis impersonator – so much so that he even released a song in 1978 called ‘I’m Not Trying To Be Like Elvis.’
Ellis finally had enough during a performance on New Year’s Eve in 1983 – and unveiled himself on stage. Singleton ripped up his contract shortly afterwards.
'I think Orion’s the reason that Elvis is still sighted today,' Finlay told Atlas Obscura earlier this year. 'They created a myth and let it just fester and grow in people’s imaginations.'
Jeanie Finlay became obsessed with Orion after finding his album 'Orion Reborn' at a Nottingham record shop
Jimmy Ellis found the fame and glory he had desired, but was plagued by the fact he was never able to reveal his true identity
Finlay first discovered Orion 12 years ago when she bought a record of his from an old vinyl shop in Nottingham, England.
'It sounded like songs Elvis might have recorded but you just never heard them,' she said.
'The tragedy of Ellis is that he didn't want to be Elvis - he wanted to be himself, but he never could be - not when you sound just like the most famous singer in the world at the time.
'It’s not like he sounded like Stevie Wonder. He sounded like Elvis, and he’s such an icon ... I think it was really, really hard for him to ever be himself.'
But it wasn't until Elvis' death that Ellis, who had been recording since 1964, was given any attention – simply because the world wanted a new Elvis.
Elvis' flamboyant '70s style was copied by Orion (right) but he added the touch of always wearing a mask
Ellis tragically died after his Alabama pawn shop was robbed and he was shot during the altercation - he never became known for himself
'I think that’s the ultimate tragedy at the heart of the Orion story. He wanted to himself and be taken seriously and loved for himself,' said Finlay.
The tragic irony of Ellis' career is that to be himself he needed to sound not like himself - because his natural self sounded exactly like someone who had become famous before him.
And when it came to the ends of their lives, the two men couldn't have been any more different. While Elvis self-destructed in a haze of prescription drugs - outside forces seemed determined to destroy Jimmy Ellis.
In 1987, Ellis was shot when he fled two men who tried to rob him - but he survived and soon performing again.
He was murdered in his Alabama pawnshop during a robbery in 1998.
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