John Ellis (guitarist)

Last updated

John Ellis
Born (1952-06-01) 1 June 1952 (age 71) [1]
Kentish Town, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Songwriter
  • musician
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1970–present

John Ellis (born 1 June 1952) is an English guitarist and songwriter.

Contents

Career

Ellis was a co-founder of the pub rock band Bazooka Joe in 1970 and a founding member of the punk rock band The Vibrators. He formed The Vibrators in 1976 while still at art school studying illustration. The Vibrators released two albums with Ellis and toured extensively. Ellis left the Vibrators in 1978 to form the short-lived group Rapid Eye Movement, before embarking on a solo career in 1979, releasing a couple of singles, one of which, "Babies in Jars" (a live Rapid Eye Movement recording) reached #34 on the UK Indie Chart. [2] [3]

In 1980, Ellis toured with Peter Gabriel on his "Tour of China 1984", and he appears on the album Peter Gabriel 4 . From 1982 onwards, he recorded a number of albums with Peter Hammill, and toured with Hammill (off and on) from 1981 until 1989. From 1981 until 1984, he was a member of the K Group with Peter Hammill. Hammill was "K" (on vocals, piano and guitar), Nic Potter was "Mozart" (on bass guitar), Guy Evans was "Brain" (on drums), and Ellis was "Fury" (on backing vocals and guitar). [4] The Peter Hammill album The Margin is a registration of live-concerts by the K group.

Between late 1990 and 2000, Ellis was a member of the band The Stranglers, starting with the album Stranglers in the Night . [1] During that period he also created music for European Art exhibitions and several short films. Ellis left the Stranglers in 2000. He is an exponent of the E-bow guitar.

Ellis has contributed to the recordings of Judge Smith, a founding member of Van der Graaf Generator.

In 2005, Ellis formed a community organisation called 'The Luma Group', that delivers arts based training and workshops.

In 2009, Ellis started his own record label, Chanoyu Records, in order to release his own music. The first release was Wabi Sabi 21©, an album of electronic instrumentals inspired by the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Discography

Solo

As band member

With The Vibrators:

With The Vibrators & Chris Spedding:

With The Stranglers:

Collaborations

With Peter Gabriel:

With Peter Hammill:

With Nic Potter:

With Judge Smith:

With Cult With No Name

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Stranglers</span> English rock band

The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the UK punk scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hammill</span> English musician and recording artist

Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill is an English musician and recording artist. He was a founder member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Best known as a singer-songwriter, he also plays guitar and piano and produces his own recordings and occasionally those of other artists. In 2012, he was recognised with the Visionary award at the first Progressive Music Awards.

Xmal Deutschland, often written as X-Mal Deutschland, was a German musical group. Founded in 1980 with a completely female line-up, they had chart success both in and outside their native country. Their last album was released in 1989.

<i>Patience</i> (Peter Hammill album) 1983 studio album by Peter Hammill

Patience is the 13th studio album by Peter Hammill. It was released in August 1983 on Naive Records, a label founded by Gordian Troeller, the former manager of Hammill's band Van der Graaf Generator. It was remastered in 1991 and released on Fie! Records. It was the second album to feature the collective known as the “K Group” — Hammill, drummer Guy Evans and bassist Nic Potter, and guitarist John Ellis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Evans</span> English drummer

Guy Randolph Evans is an English drummer and percussionist. He is best known as a member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, appearing on each of their studio albums. He is also a member of Echo City and Subterraneans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Vibrators</span> British punk rock band

The Vibrators are a British punk rock band that formed in 1976.

<i>The Stranglers and Friends – Live in Concert</i> 1995 live album by the Stranglers

The Stranglers and Friends: Live in Concert is a live album by English rock band the Stranglers, released in 1995 by Receiver Records. In 2002, the album was re-released on the Castle Music label, digitally remastered from the original master tapes with new artwork and sleeve notes.

<i>Written in Red</i> 1997 studio album by the Stranglers

Written in Red is the thirteenth studio album recorded by the Stranglers, released in January 1997 through the When! label. It was co-produced by Gang of Four's Andy Gill.

<i>Room Temperature</i> (album) 1990 live album by Peter Hammill

Room Temperature is a live album by Peter Hammill, originally released on Enigma Records in 1990. On its initial release, the album was only available in North America. It was subsequently re-released on Hammill's own Fie! label.

<i>The Margin</i> (album) 1985 live album by Peter Hammill

The Margin is a live album by Peter Hammill, documenting early nineteen-eighties concerts by his K Group. Hammill used the alias K, Nic Potter was Mozart, Guy Evans was Brain, and John Ellis was Fury. The album was originally released as a double album on Foundry Records in 1985. It was reissued some years later on CD on Virgin Records in the UK with one track missing in order to make it fit onto a single CD and on Line Records in Germany with two tracks missing. Hammill then reissued it again on his own Fie! record label, as The Margin +. This issue did not restore the track lost from the UK CD edition from the original vinyl release, "The Second Hand", but included an additional disc of material previously released as a live bootleg called The Secret Asteroid Jungle. The liner notes explain that Hammill chose to include a different performance of "The Second Hand".

<i>Enter k</i> 1982 studio album by Peter Hammill

Enter k is the eleventh studio album by Peter Hammill, originally released on the Naive Records label in October 1982. The label was owned and operated by Gordian Troeller, the former manager of Hammill's band Van der Graaf Generator that had found success managing Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Hammill subsequently reissued the album on his own Fie! label.

<i>The Love Songs</i> (Peter Hammill album) 1984 studio album by Peter Hammill

The Love Songs is an album by Peter Hammill, originally released on Charisma Records in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van der Graaf Generator</span> English rock band formed in 1967

Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester by singer-songwriters Peter Hammill and Chris Judge Smith and the first act signed by Charisma Records. They did not experience much commercial success in the UK, but became popular in Italy during the 1970s. In 2005 the band reformed, and are still musically active with a line-up of Hammill, organist Hugh Banton and drummer Guy Evans.

Random Hold were a British rock band, originally active between 1977 and 1980, with a reformed band under the same name active between 1981 and 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knox (musician)</span> Musical artist

Knox also known as I.M. Carnarchan is a British musician and founding member of the seminal punk band the Vibrators.

Disorder are an English street punk band that formed in the Bristol area of England in 1980, and has existed with varying line-ups. They are aligned with politically charged punk bands.

The Drones are an English punk rock band from Manchester, England. For a period of time, the band were in their early days produced and managed by Paul Morley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nic Potter</span> Musical artist

Nic Potter was a British bassist, composer and painter, best known for his work with the group Van der Graaf Generator in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hammill discography</span>

This is the discography of Peter Hammill, English singer-songwriter, and a founding member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. For albums released by Van der Graaf Generator, see Van der Graaf Generator discography.

References

  1. 1 2 Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN   1-84195-335-0, p. 155
  2. Gimarc, George (2006) Punk Diary: The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock 1970–1982, Backbeat Books, ISBN   0-87930-848-6, p. 259
  3. Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1999. Cherry Red Books. ISBN   0-9517206-9-4.
  4. Album notes by Peter Hammill for "The Margin +", expanded reissue of cd "The Margin" (2001). Fie!