PEE WEE ELLIS

Pee Wee Ellis (USA) was born to play music. He began studying piano as a young boy in Bradenton, Florida and after a family move to Lubbock, Texas he started playing clarinet and sax. He showed exceptional aptitude and was already a skilled musician when his family moved to Rochester, New York in 1955. In New York, he studied with saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Pee Wee joined the James Brown Revue in 1965, becoming band leader within six months. Pee Wee co-wrote Funk’s first hit “Cold Sweat” in 1967. This song defines what we think of as Funk to this day and was followed by many others including Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud, Mother Popcorn, Lickin' Stick and The Chicken (later made famous by Jaco Pastorius). Thus, Pee Wee Ellis has been called 'The Man Who Invented Funk'.  Pee Wee has also worked with Esther Phillips, George Benson and Van Morisson.