Jimmy "Orion" Ellis

James Hodges Ellis (born James Hughes Bell, February 26, 1945 – December 12, 1998), also known as Orion, was an American singer. His voice was similar to Elvis Presley's, a fact which he and his record company played upon, making some believe that some of his recordings were by Presley, or even that Presley had not died in 1977. Ellis appeared with many artists, including Loretta Lynn, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tammy Wynette, Ricky Skaggs, Lee Greenwood, Gary Morris, and the Oak Ridge Boys.

Ellis was shot and killed alongside his employee Elaine Thompson during a robbery at his pawn shop in Orrville, Alabama, on December 12, 1998. Jeffery James Lee

Early life Ellis was born in either Pascagoula, Mississippi, Orrville, Alabama,

Ellis moved with his mother to Birmingham, Alabama at the age of two, where he was put up for adoption and, aged four, was adopted by R. F. and Mary Faye (nee Hodges) Ellis. His vocals closely resembled those of Elvis Presley, and in 1969 Shelby Singleton, who had acquired the rights to Sun Records' back catalog, other than Presley's recordings for the label, released a single of Ellis' recordings of Presley's early songs, "That's All Right (Mama)" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky". The label credited the recordings simply to "?", and it was rumored that they were alternate takes from Presley sessions (despite featuring an electric rather than string bass).

After Presley died in 1977, Singleton revived the hoax by releasing singles that overdubbed Ellis' voice onto known Sun recordings by Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and others, including a version of "Save the Last Dance For Me," on which there was simply a credit to "Friend". The records were endorsed as genuine Presley recordings by the song's co-writer Doc Pomus, the music journalist Roy Carr, and the TV show Good Morning America which undertook a voice comparison test of the song against Presley's voice. Around the same time, Ellis released another single under his name, "I'm Not Trying To Be Like Elvis", and an album, By Request — Ellis Sings Elvis.

In April 2000, Lee was convicted of the murders of Ellis and Thompson, and also convicted of the attempted murder of King. The jury recommended Lee be sentenced to life without parole, but the judge sentenced Lee to death, citing overwhelming aggravating factors. On June 9, 2026, Lee's execution was stayed on the grounds of cruel and unusual punishment. On June 11, the day he was to be executed, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the state from carrying out the nitrogen gas execution after the district court's earlier ruling. Soon after, Attorney General Steve Marshall filed a new motion seeking another execution date for Lee, and requested that Lee be executed by the default method of lethal injection. The litigation was approved, and Lee's execution date was reset on September 17, 2026.

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King In 2015, film-maker Jeanie Finlay released a documentary film, after pitching it at Sheffield Doc/Fest's 2013 MeetMarket, about Ellis' life and career, Orion: The Man Who Would Be King. The film won the Discovery Award at the British Independent Film Awards 2015. It was released theatrically in the US by Sundance Selects on December 4, 2015.

Orion charted singles Year Song Peak chart positions US Country1979"Ebony Eyes"/"Honey"891980"A Stranger in My Place"69"Texas Tea"68"Am I That Easy to Forget"651981"Rockabilly Rebel"63"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"79"Born"76"Some You Win, Some You Lose"831982"Morning, Noon and Night"69"Honky Tonk Heaven"70