Pure Diamonds

BY REQUEST, ELLIS SINGS ELVIS (Boblo NI 78-829) Released 1978
Moody Blue; Return To Sender; Hurt; Kentucky Rain; Can't Help Falling In Love; It's Now Or Never; Burning Love; You Don't Have To Say You Love Me; My Way; Love Me Tender; Mean Woman Blues; Teddy Bear.

DUETS (SUN 1011) (Credited to Jerry Lee Lewis & Friends) Released 1978
Save The Last Dance For Me; Sweet Little Sixteen; I Love You Because; C.C. Rider; Am I To Be The One*; Sail Away*; Cold Cold Heart; Hello Josephine; It Won't Happen With Me; What'd I Say; Good Golly Miss Molly.
NOTES: Tracks marked * are duets by J.L. Lewis and Charlie Rich with no Orion involvement. Issued on gold vinyl.
U.K. Catalogue number: Charley Records SUN 1002. Black vinyl only. Reportedly also issued on RCA's record club label with different catalogue numbers and on black vinyl.

TRIO+ (Sun 1018) (Credited to J. L. Lewis, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich & Friends) 1980
Be Bop A Lula*; On My Knees**; Dixie Fried***; Gentle As A Lamb**; Money*; Break Up**; Matchbox***; Good Rockin' Tonight*; Gone, Gone, Gone***; Sittin' And Thinkin'**.
NOTES: Tracks * feature duets by Jimmy Ellis and J.L. Lewis, tracks ** are duets by Jimmy Ellis and Charlie Rich, tracks marked *** are duets by Jimmy Ellis and Carl Perkins.
U.K. Catalogue number: Sun 1004. The Canadian release was issued on Quality Records (SUN 1018) with white and orange Sun label.

REBORN (Sun 1012) (Rare "Coffin" cover) Released 1979
Honey; Lover Please; Got You On My Mind; Mona Lisa; Before The Next Teardrop Falls; Ebony Eyes; Washing Machine; Baby, I Still Love You; You Can Have Her; Lonesome Angel.
NOTE: Issued on gold vinyl.

REBORN (Sun 1012) (Blue cover) Released 1979
Same track listing as above.
NOTE: U.K. Catalogue number: Charley Records CRL 5020

SUNRISE (Sun 1017) Released 1980
Secret Love; You Can't Judge A Book; San Francisco Is A Lonely Town; Then I'll Be Over You; I Heard You Talkin' With Your Eyes; Stranger In My Place; I Hear You Knockin'; Turn Around Look At Me; Baby You Got It; It Ain't No Mystery.
NOTE: U.K. Catalogue number: Sun Records SUN-1005. Black vinyl only.

COUNTRY (Sun 1019) Released 1980
Texas Tea; Faded Love; What Did I Promise Her Last Night; Green Green Grass Of Home; Crazy Arms; Send Me The Pillow You Dream On; Help Me Make It Through The Night; Release Me; Please Help Me I'm Falling; The Long Black Veil; Am I That Easy To Forget.
NOTE: Issued on gold vinyl.

ROCKABILLY (Sun 1021) Released 1980
Rockabilly Rebel; See You Later Alligator; Susie Q; I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday; Rockin' Little Angel; Crazy Little Thing Called Love; Long Tall Sally; Memphis Sun; Peggy Sue; Matchbox.
NOTES: Issued on gold vinyl. "Memphis Sun" featured on the soundtrack of the 1996 TV movie BACK TO BACK - AMERICAN YAKUZA 2 along with "Some You Win, Some You Lose", "Rainbow Maker" and "Ain't No Good".
Reportedly also issued on RCA's record club label with different catalogue numbers and on black vinyl.

GLORY (Sun 1025) Released 1980
Where He Leads Me; Sweet Hour Of Prayer; I Surrender All; Peace In The Valley; It Is No Secret; I Believe; He Touched Me; Softly And Tenderly; Where No One Stands Alone; Just A Closer Walk With Thee.
NOTE: Issued on gold vinyl.

FRESH (Sun 1028) Released 1981
There's No Easy Way; Baby Please Say Yes; Born; If I Can't Have You; Ain't No Good; Some You Win, Some You Lose; Look Me Up (And Lay It On Me); Old Mexico; Rainbow Maker; Anybody Out There.
NOTES: Issued on gold vinyl. "Ain't No Good", "Some You Win, Some You Lose" and "Rainbow Maker" featured on the soundtrack of the 1996 TV movie BACK TO BACK - AMERICAN YAKUZA 2 along with "Memphis Sun" from the ROCKABILLY album.
Apparently Shelby Singleton often featured contests where the fans could choose which LP tracks were to be issued as a single release. For this album's contest the lucky winner could walk away with a jacket.

FEELINGS (Sun 144) Released 1981
Feelings; No One Will Ever Know; I Love You Because; What Now My Love; Somewhere My Love; I Can't Stop Loving You; He'll Have To Go; Snowbird.

SPECIAL NOTE: A further Sun album titled SURPRISE (SUN 1029) was planned for release in 1982 but was cancelled before release. The album is known to have contained the following tracks: Honky Tonk Heaven; Morning, Noon And Night; Strangers 'Til We Touch; Midnight Rendezvous; Night Of The Rain. Cover is rumoured to feature picture of Orion without his mask, possibly on back sleeve.

20 ALL TIME FAVOURITES (Suffolk Marketing SMI 1-27) Released 1981
Snowbird; Save The Last Dance For Me; Honey; Please Help Me I'm Falling; Feelings; Help Me Make It Through The Night; Am I That Easy To Forget; Mona Lisa; Before The Next Teardrop Falls; I Love You Because; Faded Love; Crazy Arms; Release Me; Green Green Grass Of Home; Secret Love; He'll Have To Go; What Now My Love; No One Will Ever Know; I Can't Stop Loving You; Somewhere My Love.
NOTES: Special TV advertised album credited to Orion. The version of "Save The Last Dance For Me" on this release is the rarer recording WITHOUT the Jerry Lee Lewis overdubbing.

SPECIAL NOTE: Sources indicate a further Orion LP album was planned for 1985 on the Kristal International label and was to feature the song "Out Of My Life". As no such album materialised, details of intended other titles and cover are not known.

VARIOUS ARTISTS ALBUMS

Tracks by Jimmy Ellis/Orion highlighted.

THE KILLER, THE KING (Roller Skates TLA/SCE 50001) Released 1982
Be Bop A Lula; Money; Good Rockin' Tonight; Good Golly Miss Molly; Sweet Little Sixteen; I Love You Because; What'd I Say; Hello Josephine; C.C. Rider; Cold Cold Heart.
NOTES: Credited to Jerry Lee Lewis and Surprise Guest. Features tracks from the DUETS and TRIO+ albums. Pressed on blue vinyl.

SUPER HITS 1974 VOL. IV (Gusto - Powerpak SA-264) Released 1975
Promised Land; Having Your Baby; Son Of A Rotten Gambler; Annie's Song; Dance With Me; Old Man From The Mountain; Fairytale; Big Four Poster Bed; I'm Leaving It All Up To You; Ramblin' Man; Mississippi Cotton Pickin' Delta Town.
NOTES: Various artists album containing tracks by various uncredited performers. "Promised Land" is by Jimmy Ellis. Issued on yellow vinyl.
Rare album due to this being the only official album release of the above song.

SUPER HITS 1975 VOL. II (Gusto - Powerpak SA-266) Released 1976
NOTE: Contains the song "T.R.O.U.B.L.E." as recorded by Elvis Presley but here uncredited and rumoured to be a Jimmy Ellis recording, although this has not, as yet, been confirmed.

SUN - ROOTS OF ROCK VOL.13 ROCKABILLY SUNDOWN (Charly CR 30128) Released 1977
You Made A Hit (Ray Smith); So Young (Ray Smith); I Done Told You (Gene Simmons); Good Lovin' (Dickie Lee); Give Me Some Love (Conway Twitty); Vibrate (Mack Self); Cindy Lou (Dick Penner); Hey Slim (Jack Earls); Willie Brown (Mack Self); Linda (Ernie Chaffin); I'm Lonesome (Ernie Chaffin); Take And Give (Slim Rhodes); Double Duty Lovin' (Eddie Bond); Too Much Monkey Business (Sleepy La Beef); Blue Moon Of Kentucky (Jimmy Ellis).

STARS (Sun 148) Released 1982
I Wanna Be With You Tonight (Alabama); Am I That Easy To Forget (Orion); Great Balls Of Fire (Jerry Lee Lewis); Patches (Alabama); Loving You Is Killing Me (Alabama); Texas Tea (Orion); Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash); Blue Suede Shoes (Carl Perkins).
NOTES: This release is often mistakenly referred to as being titled "Country Stars" or "Alabama And Friends". Apparently Shelby Singleton ran into some legal problems with this LP release, due to the inclusion of tracks by Alabama, and was forced to discontinue selling the album.

TRUCKS, TRAINS AND AIRPLANES (Gusto GT0081) Released 1982
Leaving On A Jet Plane (The Kendalls); Endless Black Ribbon (Red Simpson); Train Of Love (Johnny Cash); Alabam (Red Sovine & Minnie Pearl); Movin' On (Dave Dudley); California Turn Around (Jack Greene); Ebony Eyes (Orion); Hey Porter (Johnny Cash); All Around The Water Tank (Jerry Lee Lewis); Silver Wings (Nashville Harmonica).