Jimmy Preacher Ellis

Listen/Download – Jimmy Preacher Ellis – (C’Mon) Dance to the Drumbeat MP3

Greetings all.

The 45 I bring you today is a particularly groovy selection from the long and diverse discography of Jimmy Ellis.

Recording for a variety of labels between 1965 and well into the 2000s, Ellis, billed alternately as Jimmy/Jimmie Preacher Ellis/Ellie, Ellis got his start in Arkansas (on one of his records he gives himself a shout out as an ‘Arkansas Soul Brother!’) but seems to have done most of his recording in and around Los Angeles for labels like Kris and Round.

Most of his stuff has a bluesy edge to it, and he seems to have moved all the way over to the blues later on in his career.

Today’s selection, ‘(C’Mon) Dance to the Drumbeat’ is, thanks to the bizarre catalog numbers on the Kris label – impossible to date decisively, but my ears suggest that it is aof a late 60s vintage.

Ellis, who would go on to make some excellent, hard edged psych soul like ‘I Gotta See My Baby’, is in instrumental mode here, with (as advertised) the drummer stepping out in front.

The song opens as if it’s going into ‘Sock It To Em JB’ but gives way to a saxophone solo over a mildly funky beat. It’s only at the 2:00 mark that the drummer lets loose with a 15 second break, aided by some groovy soul clapping.

It’s not a terribly expensive 45 (I got mine on the cheap) so if you dig it, go and get yourself some.

Until next week

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Keep the faith

Larry

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