Pee Wee Ellis

Alfred James Ellis (April 21, 1941 – September 23, 2021), known as Pee Wee Ellis due to his diminutive stature, was an American saxophonist, composer, and arranger. With a background in jazz, he was a member of James Brown‘s band in the 1960s, appearing on many of Brown’s recordings and co-writing hits like “Cold Sweat” and “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud“. He also worked with Van Morrison.

In the 2014 biographical movie Get on Up about James Brown, Ellis is played by Tariq Trotter.

Ellis resided in England for the last 30 years of his life.

 

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