John Ellis is a busy producer, engineer & musician based out of Western Canada who has contributed his skills to countless recordings & live projects.
He began his career as leader of his own band Pacheena touring in support of some of Canada’s biggest acts back in the Eighties. After producing early album projects for Sue Medley & Alibi, he began to focus on developing his engineering skills. Since then, John Ellis’ production work has charted internationally, reached the top ten on Canadian Hot A/C and Country radio and been heard MuchMoreMusic Television.
His versatility as a multi-instumentalist & distinctive production style have attracted diverse artists such as the folk trio Be Good Tanyas, rock diva Holly McNarland & acoustic pop artist Jeremy Fisher. Other notable projects include roots-flavored records for Barney Bentall & son Dustin Bentall, while a recent production for “hick-hop†artist Ridley Bent is receiving critical acclaim & national airplay on Top 40 Country radio. John is currently engineering and playing various instruments on recent recordings by Issa (a.k.a. Jane Siberry). Records he has produced for such artists as Leeroy Stagger, Dan Mangan, Cam Latimer and Wayne Lavallee will be released later this year.
Still touring with select projects, John Ellis’ work can also be heard on award-winning film and television recordings. An accomplished musician & songwriter, he lends a unique perspective to the projects he produces, making him truly a “songwriter’s producer.†Today he is on the lookout for worthwhile projects to support & may be found on the stage, in the studio or anywhere else great music is made.
"John is a very gifted producer. Not only is he world-class in his engineering, arranging and production skills, he is an extremely talented and versatile musician, able to add the "right part" to a song, be it a tambourine or pedal steel(and everything in between). But the thing that’s most important to me, as an artist who has been recording for over 25 years, is Johnny’s ability to truly listen to the person who is making the record. Then try to help them achieve and enhance their vision for the music in a true partnership. That’s what I think making records is all about."
Barney Bentall
"Johnny really understands the nuances of a live performance and has a keen ability to translate that from a controlled studio environment onto tape. He’s always trying to reach for those sounds that are not in the stock modern music vocabulary. I can remember a lot of happy accidents coming from him saying, "Let’s not go there, it sounds too normal." If one word could sum up everything he brought to my Let It Shine album it would have to be texture; in a few short sessions he found the contrast that was necessary to bring context to the songs and stories I was trying to tell."
Jeremy Fisher “Let It Shine†Sony
"I’ve been in the music industry for over 10 years now and I can count on one hand the few people whom I can trust with my music. John is certainly one of them. He is down to earth, extremely talented and a hard working individual. I am proud to have him on side as a producer, musician and fellow songwriter."
Angela Harris, “Acoustic Folk/Rootsâ€
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