The BEST of Walking Horse Trivia!

The second photo above MIGHT be a walking pony called MERRY LITTLE LADY that Jimmy showed as a youngster. He tied 3rd in the Walking Pony Championship in 1959:

1.Go Boy's Wonder - O.D. Carlton, GA
2.Mighty Red Man M - Croley Wood Stables / John R Morris, TN
3.Merry Little Lady - Jimmy Ellis, AL
4.Power Pack - Dr. Ogle Jones, TN
5.Son Of Go Boy's Shadow - J. Glenn Turner, TX
6.Little Bit O Trouble - Gay Brookshire, AL
7.Go Boy's Midget - Gary & Ricky Taylor, AL
8.. Co Co Jr. - M.L. Magnusson, AL
9/Danners Go Boy - J. Glenn Turner, TX
10.Little Red Rooster - Danny Stubbs, MS

I sent you an e-mail. :)

I also heard when Jimmy Ellis wanted to go after a singing career and go to L.A. around 1973-74, he got financial help from a group in the horse business. Maybe somebody here remembers or can shed some light on it?

I'm thinking member Mirally Meadows knew Jimmy, but I could be wrong. I'm sure she will see this post and make a comment of some sort. She also might know some folks that can tell us all more, since she is from Alabama.

Ok, great! Hope she sees this. :)

The Ellis name goes WAY back in the history of the Tennessee Walking Horse. Jimmy's father was the owner of Black Angel, the 1943 World Grand Champion. Only the 5th horse to win the title at the time. Jimmy was the rider of some very nice horses over the years. Probably the most notable was indeed Mr. Free Wheel, but Jimmy also was the trainer of Ebony's True Grit, who went on to win the 1975 World Grand Championship with Joe Fleming in the saddle. Here's some photos of Jimmy as a trainer:


Jimmy & Mr. Free Wheel


Another shot of Jimmy & Mr. Free Wheel


Jimmy's wife winning with Mr. Free Wheel


Ebony's True Grit with Jimmy in the saddle


Eb's Master Control & Jimmy Ellis

Ken, I did "know" Jimmy, though more as a passing acquaintance via horse shows....and his parents.

I do have a few of his press shots as Orion somewhere as my parents went to one of his performances and he did have a wonderful voice. He would join in with bands through the years at after-horse show parties. He was several years older than I was...My first Tennessee Walking Horse shows were in the mid-late 60's-current. Some of the old Voice magazines from the November-December month may have shots of him at the Southern Championships horse show parties. I remember him singing at those with the bands....that was probably in the early 70's and I was a teenager.

I guess you have been in contact with his son and I assume his first wife (name escapes me) is still living. I know both of his parents died yeats ago and I assumed his son probably inherited the farm as I believe Jimmy was their only child.

Their former horse trainer, Larry Bracknell, who came to the farm after Jimmy left the horse business may have additional information during that time frame. Larry is no longer active in the industry, but may still be around south Alabama somewhere. I think he came from Montgomery to Orrville when he started with the Ellis family.

I do not know who may have financed his entry into the music world, but will contact a few folks to see if they know anything. I assumed Mr Furniss (Daddy) had bank-rolled it.

Mr Free Wheel was the horse I remember Jimmy riding during my early years...

Thanks MM.

I've also got a photo of Jimmy in a white riding coat as a teenager I think. I'm having trouble finding it, but find it I WILL. I think he has a "crew-cut" in that particular shot. Gimme a little time on that one. I will post it with the youth pictures above, if and when I find it.

Smitty, we posted simultanously....several of those pictures are at Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, could have been the Southern Championships in November or at that time the Alabama Jubilee was at that venue in the spring.

Picture 3 and 5, though after looking back they were apparently the same show, same night as the ring master and ribbon girl are dressed identically. My dear friend, Jack Morgan (who passed away this summer and I have his last horse) is the ring master.

Coincidentally , the horse Jimmy is riding Eb's Master Control (who I do not remember), but Jack Morgan owned a nice horse that I showed for him in the 80's was named Master Control.

Here's an article on the Ellis Family I posted not too awful long ago. Should be a WEALTH of info in here:

As for Les Nelson, Shelbyville, TN he passed away many years ago and there are members of this forum who have more information. I have no idea as to rights of his pictures and I believe most of the negatives were lost when his home burned.

Thank you both for this great, GREAT information!!
I can only imagine Jimmy singing at those horse parties, would give my right arm for a recording of any of those.. :-) So your parents followed his a career as Orion a few years later? That is nice, wonder what they thought of him changing career from the horses to the music business? I heard Jimmys father, Furness was not too happy with him doing that.

I believe his first wife was a woman named Mildred Martin and that she was also from a family who raised horses(?). Would love to talk to her but I have not been successful in tracking her down. I did talk briefly to Jimmys son but he wasn't all that interested in talking about his father... He still lives at the farm but does not deal with horses.

Thanks for the info on Larry Bracknell, did not know of him. May be difficult to track down but will give it a try. :)

Smitty, thanks a lot for the artice on the Ellis' family! Awesome find!

btw, do any of you know if there excist any video footage of Jimmy on a horse? Don't know if these contests were videotaped or not?

Ken, very doubtful, but possible on the video. Celebration, Inc. would be the ones to contact I think.
There is a short clip of True Grit on this board with Fleming riding I think, but that probably wouldn't interest you.

MM..............what about Priscilla Talley. Would she have any info on Jimmy???

Great article to refresh my memory...looking at the customer names:

Reeves Lane is still active in the industry and I believe he's still in Edison, GA.

Dr Parker of Butler, AL may be the father of Mike Parker, of Butler, AL, who's daughter I believe is Kim Parker Baldwin-Lewis, now of Dothan, AL.
She still shows out of Edwards Stables in GA. I do know she is on Facebook, as she is a friend of friends. Might be able to confirm that her grandfather was an Ellis customer and her father might have some background information. I checked her friends list and did not see a Mike Parker....I may have her pedigree wrong...but it's worth a try. Customers are usually privy to the local gossip.

I do not believe Jimmy's son ever really showed much....if so while he was very young.

Ken, I have emailed some folks who I know would have information and given them your email address. Perhaps they will respond to you privately.

I have contacted Priscilla, Sarah Coffee and Sarah Lynn. I know they all have better memories of Jimmy than I, and much more information , in general. Perhaps they will join us or contact Ken.

Sarah Lynn I'm afraid has declined to join us.

Priscilla is active on the Facebook page, but I get the impression she hasn't the time for this board.

Don't know about Sarah Coffee, but give it a try!



.......any of those three could potentially be GREAT contributors to this site.

Jack Greene (photographer) was just getting started down in AL back around this time. He's the only one that's still active and if he has old shots of Jimmy, you could access him for rights. He is also on Facebook....I have several win shots by Jack from the early 70's that were made all around on the Alabama show circuit and the Ellises were at all the one night shows back then. Good possibility that Jack might have something....

Most of the other photgraphers who were regulars in ALabama at that time are now deceased....Jim Dixon, Elbert Williams

I think all 3 have their energies focused elsewhere....I do hear from all of them sporatically, but they might respond to him privately. Especially Sarah, given her journalistic background.

Again I can only thank you both for being of such great help! I will keep checking in here and my e-mail to follow up this great thread. Never knew Jimmy was this known in the business. Learned a lot here! :)

I will try to post some photos I have of Jimmy here. Maybe you guys have some info on them...

Ken,

Here's a couple more of Jimmy. You may have already seen these, but they are two of the best I've found:

Thanks, those are really great ones!! :)

I will also try Facebook to contact the mentioned people! Hope I am jsut as lucky there as Iwas here.. :-)

Hi Ken...In your original post I believe you were asking if Les Nelson was still living? Sadly Mr Nelson has also passed away. I read an article on his death just recently but cannot find it today...very strange?? I tried by googling his name; which I would have thought was what I did the first time; but can't seem to find it. I may have run across it in another search?? If I am not mistaken; he passed in August of 1967 or '68...I remember August but the year I am not sure of??

I showed TWHs in the '60s and '70s; left the business in '75. I knew Jimmy but not real well. He was very popular in the show ring and out. Sometimes I think his talent as a horseman was overshadowed by his talent as a performer/singer. Don't get me wrong; he was a Fantastic singer!! And was also a talented horseman!! I may not have run into Jimmy quite as often as some because I did a lot of my showing in Tn; but I did show on the Southern Circuit so our paths did cross. We both went to the larger shows and we had the same circle of friends (even though he was a little older than me)...back in those days all the riders/exhibitors would go to the "after-show exhibitor parties" together. Now you talk about Fun...those were FUN!! And many of us were lucky enough to hear Jimmy sing if he could be persuaded to do so. I never attended any of his ORION performances; but I did hear him sing at a party and I remember being so surprised to hear such a polished and professional sound. Such a tragic loss!

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Hi Hill,
Thank you for your answer. Sorry to hear Mr Nelson passed on. I also was told there had been a fire to his house so all his photos were likely lost there. Huge loss.

So you have been around for a while, very cool. As I said I never knew Jimmy was so well known for his horse training-talent! It is awesome to come in here brand new and learn all this and get to know so many helpful and nice people. :) I discovered Jimmy thru his music and in my opinion he had a voice second to none. A genuine talent who was sadly overshadowed by his likeness to Elvis Presley. But one also get to wonder how far he would have gone if he had continued in the horse business...

So what would you say was the area Jimmy was most active in?

Thanks,
Kenneth

Fantastic version of the song "Ebony Eyes" from 1979! Can you believe the voice! :)