Jimmy (Orion) Ellis was a caring individual when it came to kids with special needs and would often make arrangements to give them front row seats and free admission to his shows.
Jimmy Ellis ( Orion ) was born James Hughes Bell, February 26, 1945 in Pascagoula, Mississippi to a single mother Glady's Bell. On the birth certificate his father was listed as Vernon ( no surname). He was placed in the Montgomery Children's Home at age two and adopted at age five by R.F. and Mary Faye Ellis, taking the name Ellis as his surname.
Jimmy (Orion) Ellis performed his final concert August 12, 1997 with the legendary Jordanires backing him at the Nashville Nightlife Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee.
Cashbox Magazine listed Orion as one of the most promising three male country artist in 1981. Orion continue to place singles on the country charts, "A Stranger In My Place", "Texas Tea" and "Am I That Easy To Forget" which all reached the Top 70 in 1980.
In 1980, Cashbox Magazine listed Orion's next two albums, Sunrise and Trio + ( Where his vocals were overdubbed to Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Charlie Rich cuts) in their Top 75 Albums list.