Eddie Ellis will receive the James Stewart Torchbearer Award given by the Montfort Marines on June, 2020.
Here’s his autobiography:
I was born to Mr. and Mrs. Willie B. Ellis on December 20, 1947 in Atlanta, Georgia. I grew up in public housing in Atlanta, namely “Carver Homes”, along with three brothers and two sisters.
I really take pride in not forgetting where I came from. I fondly remember how poor we were, however, everybody who lived in the projects was poor! In my early years, we played sports, fished, and sung on the corner until it was time to come inside . We even made our own wagons made out of wood and skates. We fought only to get over it until the next time. There was always music in our neighborhood, older kids practicing on musical instruments, Mr. “Speedy’s’ gospel quartet rehearsing for their gigs, jazz and rhythm and blues on the radio and being played on record players all over.
However, what would later change my life was the L.J. Price High School Marching Band. They rehearsed in the fall. Since I lived very close to the high school, I watched them often, which sparked my motivation to join the band.
When I was in the 5th grade, they placed me in Mr. Paul Mitchell’s homeroom. Mr. Mitchell was a jazz musician who would also become my elementary band director. When he asked the class ”who wants to be in the Band?” I eagerly raised my hand and expressed the desire to play the slide trombone and, just like that, my band experiences began. Trombone was my instrument of choice because I had heard the circus bands on TV and I liked the glissandos the trombone players would make.
After elementary school, I met Dr. Alfred Wyatt, the band director at L.J. Price High School. Upon entering the 8th grade. I was placed in the beginning band. Mr. Wyatt soon realized I could already play well enough to be in the intermediate band, so that’s where he ended up placing me.
Upon graduating from high school, I went to Morris Brown College and majored in Public School Music. My experiences in college were exceptional. Mr. Johnson taught marching band, Mr. William Revere was mainly the concert man, Mr. Henry Gilliam was the percussion person, and Mr. Bill Braynon was the Jazz band director.
We also formed a soul band, calling ourselves the Soulful Sounds. We gigged around Atlanta and other cities in Georgia. We even backed up James Brown’s son, Teddy. In this group were members who would later form the group “Brick”.
My college studies were interrupted when I was drafted into military service. I was a member of the 8th United States Army Band, stationed in Seoul, Korea.
All of the above shaped my path and philosophies as I assumed the position of Director of Bands at Morris Brown College and South Carolina State University. I never strived to be a college director, only high school one, and then a principal. However, circumstances changed my life forever, including the passing of Mr. Cleopas R. Johnson and the retiring of Mr. Ronald Sarjeant.
I currently serve as director of Bands at Allen University.
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