John Ellis, the Durban singer-songwriter who formed and fronted Tree63, one of South Africa’s most well known bands, launched his solo career in 2010 after more than a decade of international success.
Born and raised in Durban, South Africa, John’s music career began soon after his early fixation with artists such as Elvis and The Beatles. He formed a high school band, Saint Legend, and spent those years honing his guitar playing and songwriting skills in the bars and clubs of Durban and Johannesburg. These efforts met with some success, culminating in Saint Legend signing with David Gresham Records in 1993. An album was completed with famed producer Brian O’ Shea, but was abandoned and the band ended in disarray.
After a disappointing start, John returned to his university studies while contemplating his next step. He decided to become the singer of his own songs rather than just the guitar-player behind another front man, so together with a drummer and bass player, the embryonic Tree63 was formed in early 1996.
Over the next few years, John began seeing some of his musical dreams come true with the success of this new band, which began life as ‘Tree’. The unique sound of John’s powerful three-piece band was captured on Tree's debut recording "Overflow". The response to John’s songwriting was extremely strong and in 1999 Tree signed a record deal with UK label Survivor Records. The band's label debut “63” proved a breakthrough, yielding South African radio hits “Treasure”, “Stumbling Stone” and the anthemic “A Million Lights”. The strength of these songs led to a new record deal, this time with US-based indie label InPop Records.
Tree (now re-christened Tree63 for the US market) released its self-titled US debut at the end of 2000. John found himself frustrated by the limitations of the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) market, and despite some notable successes, Tree63 struggled over the next eight years to exist beyond the genre. Initially, the band enjoyed two consecutive 1 radio hits, and garnered a Dove Award (the CCM equivalent to a Grammy) for Rock Album of the Year (2001) as well as a SAMA nomination for Album of The Year (2001). National US tours supporting established CCM stars ensued. Multiple showcases with the top mainstream labels in New York before and after 9/11 failed to produce a mainstream deal, and John and the band spent the next few years in what John calls ‘the Christian music ghetto’, riding out the remainder of their recording contract.
The band released “The Life and Times of Absolute Truth” in 2002, which yielded another string of radio hits in South Africa and even Australia, but which was ignored by either market in the US. John began to realize that his songs were “too mainstream for the Christian market, and too ‘Christian’ for the mainstream market”. InPop Records attempted to remedy this by having the band record a cover of an established Christian song, “Blessed Be Your Name”, which became a smash hit for the band in the US during 2004. The song was Billboard’s 1 Most Played CCM Track for 2004, and the accompanying album, “The Answer To The Question”, became Tree63’s biggest U.S. seller. However, John's growing artistic dissatisfaction meant this was the beginning of the end for Tree63. After two more albums, “Worship Volume One: I Stand For You” (2005) and “Sunday!” (2007), relentless international touring and a highly successful South African tour in early 2007, an exhausted Tree63 called it a day.
John and his young family, having relocated to Nashville during the Tree63 years, moved back to Durban to start again, and John spent 2008 figuring out his next move. Freed from the restraints of the Christian music industry, he discovered a previously unexplored artistic freedom and began to write about other passions close to his heart including politics and social justice. Eventually the songs that form the backbone of John’s solo debut began to take shape.
Feeling a renewed sense of confidence in himself as an artist and sure of what he wanted to achieve this time around, John searched for a local indie label that could partner with him on his debut album. He came across Broken Records and an instant meeting of minds and vision resulted in a successful working partnership.
John’s debut solo album, as yet untitled, will be released in 2010, and promises to be a huge success and a new chapter for this seasoned and experienced artist.
For more info visit www.johnellis.co.za or myspace.com/johnelliscoza
