Grammy-winning drummer Prescott Ellison debuted his first single, Everything’s Gonna Be Alright recently on music guru Tim Pyles’ FTP New Music Show on KXFM and Indie X FM. The song is featured on his self-produced upcoming solo album, Torchlight of the Phantom Sun.
In a tech-driven age, where consumers stream their favorite songs on a plethora of streaming services and platforms that include Pandora, Spotify, and Apple Music, Ellison’s radio debut occurred as the direct result of our meeting in San Diego at a Sade concert in 1993 during the Love Deluxe Tour. Ellison was the drummer for the support act Me Phi Me and I was working as an intern at the then 98.1 smooth jazz radio station. We met backstage and stayed in touch throughout the years.
After the Sade tour ended, Ellison went on to establish himself as one of the most in-demand drummers in the industry, touring and recording with artists that include Earth Wind & Fire, Christina Aguilera, Sin Banderas, Stevie Wonder, Lupe Fiasco, Wayne Brady, Paulina Rubio, Brian McKnight and Justin Timberlake for his Grammy award-winning album Justified.
With a recording resume that includes over thirty albums, Ellison also played drums on the title theme song from the soundtrack for 20th Century Fox’s Men of Honor, featuring Robert DeNiro, and Cuba Gooding Jr., and also for the song Distant Lover on Motown’s Marvin at 60, a tribute album for Marvin Gaye.
With such a diverse resume of artists, it comes as no surprise that Ellison’s two favorite recording projects were his recording performances on Earth Wind & Fire’s Illumination album and the 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas album, featuring an all-star cast of A-list musicians. “Growing up listening to Earth Wind & Fire was a huge influence on me as a drummer during my early years of playing and having an opportunity to record with one of the greatest and most influential bands in the history of music was one of the highlights of my career,” says Ellison. He continues, “Listening to the classic Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas album was an annual tradition during the holidays, and having the opportunity to re-record the classic song Christmas Time Is Here was another pinch yourself moment.”
Growing up in Chicago in a musical family that included his cousin Ricky Wellman, who was the drummer for jazz legend Miles Davis, Ellison remembers seeing Ricky perform with Miles Davis and thinking to himself that he would too, one day grace the big stage as a drummer and eventually transition into becoming a recording artist as influential as Miles Davis with his brand of “Conscious Music”.
Following in the footsteps of one of his favorite drummers, singers, and songwriters, Phil Collins who first played drums with the legendary group Genesis, and went on to become one of the most successful solo-recording artist in the world, Ellison is now focusing on releasing his first solo album, The Torchlight Of The Phantom Sun.
The meticulously crafted conceptual album is based on the growth stages of human development and evolution. The immersive nature of the album is interlaced with elements that draw from Ellison’s fascination with ancient scriptures, mythology, quantum physics, fantasy, folklore, surrealism, astrology, spiritualism, esotericism, and ancient civilizations.
Torchlight of the Phantom Sun takes the listener on a magical journey of life and imagination. To further enhance this unique experience, Ellison used specific harmonics and tones from the Solfeggio frequencies that have been incorporated into the music to influence the positive effects they have on the brain waves and chakras of the human body, taking the listener on a Cosmic Spiritual journey of self-discovery, creation, and exploration of the mysteries of life and our existence.
Coming around full circle thirty years later, after our chance meeting in San Diego, I came across the video for Everything’s Gonna Be Alright on YouTube and contacted him to suggest debuting the song on the radio, introducing his music to my friend Tim Pyles, who then featured the song on his FTP New Music Show on KXFM and Indie X FM.
Now well on his way and on schedule with his once childhood dream, after releasing his album, Ellison plans to perform at music festivals including, Lollapalooza, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, Rock In Rio, and South By South West, following up with an opening slot for a major world tour and then ultimately growing his fanbase on a global level and then embarking on his first headlining tour as one of the most influential artists of this generation.
Prescott Ellison is a quintessential artist with organic creativity to share.
Check out his video experience:
Follow Prescott on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/prescottellison
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prescottellison