"Excuse me, sir..." |
At its height, the two-story mall offered patrons access to 130 stores, including Sears, J.C. Penney, and Macy’s. (A small third-story contains the mall’s food court.) Today, approximately 50 stores and restaurants remain. J.C. Penny stands as the lone anchor-store. Footsteps from a dwindling number of shoppers echo among the increasing square footage of drywall-covered storefronts. A change in ownership, and plans for strengthening the regional economy, bring hope for a brighter future.
As we continued our walk and discussed
where to stop for a late-lunch, I looked to my left and caught the eye of a
distinguished gentleman standing outside one of the open storefronts. “Excuse
me, sir, can I take a few minutes of your time to tell you my story,” or words
to that effect, greeted me. I walked toward him. Here is his story.
The gentleman
was (and, I suspect, still is) John Ellison. The “store” was actually a
mini-museum of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame—WVMHOF. (West Virginia Music Hall of Fame
(wvmusichalloffame.com)). According to its website, “The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame is a non-profit
organization dedicated to documenting and preserving the rich and lasting
contributions West Virginians have made to all genres of music.” Members
include: Leon
"Chu" Berry, Little Jimmy Dickens, Johnnie Johnson, Molly O'Day, Bill Withers,
Ann Baker, Phyllis
Curtin, Red Sovine, Frankie
Yankovic, Billy Cox, Kathy Mattea,
Peter Marshall (that’s right, the Hollywood Squares guy), Ada "Bricktop" Smith,
Ann Magnuson,
and Fred "Sonic" Smith.
Mr. Ellison (John, if I may take the liberty) was a 2015 inductee. Wow. I told him I wasn’t much of a “music guy,” so I had to plead ignorance of him and his accomplishments, even after he asked if I had ever heard of the song “Some Kind of Wonderful.”
John was born in 1941 in Montgomery (Fayette County), West Virginia. His father was a coal miner,
who eventually moved the family to Welch, in McDowell County. John told me that
he left Welch when he was seventeen and traveled by bus to Rochester, New York.
He wanted to be a singer and recording artist. He arrived there with his worldly
belongings stuffed in a grocery bag and $3.25 in his pocket.
After eight years of
struggle, he formed the group, Soul
Brothers Six, and was its lead singer and songwriter. The group released
its first recording, “Some Kind of Wonderful” in 1967. In those days, “White”
radio stations wouldn’t play “Black” music, so the recording had a limited
audience. Nonetheless, it reached Number 91 on Billboard magazine’s “Hot 100”
for the year. Soul Brothers Six
disbanded in 1969.
In case you don’t remember,
here’s an excerpt of the lyrics:
I don't need a whole lots of money
I don't need a big fine car
I got everything that a man could want
I got more than I could ask for
And I don't have to run around
I don't have to stay out all night
'Cause I got me a sweet, a sweet loving woman
And she know just how to treat me right
Oh, my baby, she's alright
Oh, my baby's clean out of sight
Don't you know that she's?
She's some kind of wonderful
She's some kind of wonderful
Yes, she is, she is
She's some kind of wonderful
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ….
In 1974, Grand Funk Railroad recorded “Some Kind
of Wonderful.” Not facing the “Black radio” versus “White radio” hurdle, the Grand Funk Railroad version reached
Number 3 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” on February 22, 1975. According
to Wikipedia, “To date, the song has been recorded by more than 62 different
artists and sold more than 42 million copies. As a result, John has received
five Lifetime Achievement awards for writing one of the most played songs in
the world.”
And
therein, we see the genius of our nation’s “founding fathers,” by including
Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 in the U.S. Constitution and giving Congress the
power “To promote the progress of
science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors
the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.” So,
while John’s work may not have garnered the publicity and airtime it deserved
when the Soul Brothers Six first
recorded it, the laws protecting Copyrights and calling for payment of
royalties have certainly benefitted him financially (and deservedly so). In
sum, to those who believe in downloading songs “royalty free,” I ask you to
remember artists like John Ellison.
That’s
the “Copyright” portion of the blog. And now, the “Character” piece—why John
Ellison was at the Charleston, West Virginia Town Center on a sleepy Saturday
over the Labor Day weekend.
He was
there to support his friend Dwight Morgan and his fundraising effort on behalf
of his wife Natasha. She needs an organ transplant. For more details, check out
(5) Natasha
Needs a Transplant | Facebook;
(5)
Facebook; and CORE
Center for Organ Recovery & Education - Donate Life America
(registerme.org). To encourage donations, John provided copies of his
biography, Some Kind of Wonderful: The John Ellison Story. (John Ellison Music; (a Kindle
version is available through Amazon at: Some
Kind of Wonderful: The John Ellison Story: John Ellison, Jon Wells:
9780988056008: Amazon.com: Books.))
In return for a $20 donation, we received a copy, and John signed it. And if
supporting Dwight and Natasha by talking about his books on Saturday wasn’t
enough, John had participated in a benefit concert the night before, performing
with The Carpenter Ants.
John told me he currently lives in
Florida. So, here’s a guy, hopefully a millionaire many times over from his
royalty payments, who traveled from Florida, performed in a benefit concert,
and then chatted with passersby, like me, at the Charleston Town Center to
raise a few dollars more to support his friends-in-need. Following up on my previous blogs on the topic, I believe that, if you
look at the dictionary definition of Character,
you’ll see a photo of John Ellison. Underscored by his struggles against a biased system, his many accomplishments, and his selfless efforts on
behalf of Dwight and Natasha, John is, truly, “Some Kind of Wonderful.” I am
proud, and deeply honored, to have met him.
Soul Brothers Six. John Ellison is in the middle of the front row, with his hand on a guitar. |
10 comments:
I love that song! And what a wonderful history of the song writer and someone doing good things for people in need. Very heartwarming. Thanks for sharing! PS...I don't know where he lives in FL but I hope he and his kin are OK after that storm!
Many thanks. And I do hope he's okay. So much of Florida was devastated. Perhaps John stayed in the Mountain State a while longer. (Blogger will only allow me to comment/reply as Anonymous. M. Rigg)
Wow! What a fantastic story! And I love that song! What an awesome man! You’re right he is some kind of wonderful! Thank you for sharing his struggles as well as his triumphs!
Thanks, Kim. My heart warms at the thought of such a kind, gentle, accomplished person. And that he overcame so many hurdles to get there makes his story even more remarkable. (Anonymous a/k/a M. Rigg)
Great article about a kind, wonderful man with great talent, and perseverance. I’m so glad you all met. Love the song!
Thanks, Teresa! (Anonymous a/k/a M. Rigg)
Love this post! I also love that song. it must be a thrill to know that heads all over the world hold your music in their heads! Regard "Royalty Free" downloads, my son in law plays bass in a band and this penalizes the artists--the ones who actually did the work.
Mike, thank you SO MUCH for sharing this wonderful story. Everything about it is so moving (including the selfless devotion to his friend Dwight). That is an amazing song, and I'm so glad John Ellison is receiving recognition from WVMHOF--and that you stopped to listen.
Music often seems like air--it's all around us an should be free. Music, though, is a human "byproduct" and those who provide it should receive fair compensation! (Anonymous a/k/a M. RIgg)
Adele, it was a truly "out of the blue" experience. I continue to think about it. I hope Mr. Ellison, who is from Florida, avoided issues with the recent hurricane. Now, that, would be "some kind of wonderful." (Anonymous, a/k/a M. Rigg)
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