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Biography
Pee Wee Ellis (born Alfred James Ellis in Bradenton, Florida on 21 April 1941; died 24 September 2021) was an American jazz-funk saxophonist, composer and arranger. He was an important member of James Brown's band in the 1960s and appeared on many of Brown's most notable recordings and co-writing hits like "Cold Sweat" and "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud". He worked closely with Van Morrison from 1979-2006. Resuming a solo career in 1992, he resided from 2006 in the town of Frome in the county of Somerset, United Kingdom.
In 1949 Ellis's family moved from Florida to Lubbock, Texas, where he was given his nickname "Pee Wee". He gave his first public performance in 1954 at Dunbar Junior High School. In 1955 he moved with his family to Rochester, New York. While attending Madison High School he played professionally with jazz musicians like Ron Carter and Chuck Mangione. In 1957 he moved to New York City, where he had regular lessons with Sonny Rollins. In 1960 he moved back to Florida working as a bandleader, musical director and writer.
