John Ellison and The Carpenter Ants
The Pine Performance Center presents
John Ellison and The Carpenter Ants
Tuesday, September 5th
7:00 PM Doors @ 6:30 PM
Tickets l $35 MyNorthTickets
Door l $40
John “Some Kind of Wonderful” Ellison was born in Montgomery, WV on the banks of the Kanawha River and grew up in the mining town of Landgraff in McDowell County. In 1959, he quit his job and bought a one-way ticket to Rochester, NY. Eight years later, he formed The Soul Brothers Six. The group’s first release was “Some Kind of Wonderful.” In 1974, Grand Funk Railroad’s version reached the No. 3 spot in the nation.
The song has since been covered by more than 75 artists and is known throughout the world. Other notable covers were recorded by Buddy Guy, Huey Lewis and the News, and, most recently, Rod Stewart.
Ellison is a regular performer at the Nice Jazz Festival in France, as well as festivals in Spain, Italy and The Canary Islands. In 2015, he was inducted into The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. At 81, he continues to perform with the energy, enthusiasm and joy of a man half his age. His shows are soulful, rocking and filled with tales of his storied life. When performing in the U.S., The Carpenter Ants are his backing band of choice.
Meet the Band l The Carpenter Ants
Even the best bands come and go, but The Carpenter Ants have been around - with virtually the same line up - for more than 16 years.
Having evolved into West Virginia's premier rhythm & blues group, the band has unearthed a wealth of classic and forgotten American music. The Ants wail through classic R&B, country-swamp and gospel-soul with equal conviction, and have defied the odds and outlasted most of their peers for a number of reasons. First and foremost, regardless of the occasion, the band never fails to have a good time. And, after more than 2,000 performances, the members still like and respect each other - and you can feel it in their music.
