#derronellies

DERRON “GHOSTMAN868″ ELLIES

Date of birth: February 9th, 1983

Place of birth: Sangre Grande

Hometown: Manzanilla

Email: [email protected]

Mobile: +18687446939

I started playing the steelpan in 1993, at ten years of age at Manzanilla Police Youth Club's steel orchestra. My high school years at Queen's Royal College were spent honing my skills and knowledge QRC Scout Band and Magnum Bands.

Currently I am the holder of Certificate in Music which I obtained from the then Centre for Creative & Festival Arts in UWI St Augustine in 2003. In June 2015 I gained my certificate from the Ministry of Arts & Multiculturalism which recognizes me with Steelpan Performance as a registered member of the National Registry of Artists and Cultural Workers.

Throughout my twenty-two years of active music involvement, local collaborations have been with individuals such as The Mighty Sparrow, Roger Boothman, Nigel Rojas, David Rudder, Destra Garcia and Kees Dieffenthaller. Band performances - with Los Tocadores, Blue Culture, De No Name Band (led by Ken Corbie), Rhapsody Next Generation and Orange Sky. Musical stage performances include the inaugural "Live At The Hyatt- Rhythm Nation" series alongside Nigel Rojas in 2014; and Jesus Christ Superstar Stage Show put on by the Bagasse Company in 2006.

Internationally collaborations are as follows: India in 2011 to perform with the band Orange Sky; China in 2012 to perform at the International Spring Music Festival with the Noel La Pierre and the band Faces. In 2014 and 2015 in New Orleans to perform with Zydeco player, Bruce Sunpie Barnes and his band the Louisiana Sunspots; with the Americana band Common ‘Taters and the Turn-Ups, the Dixieland band Roamin’ Jasmine and with the legendary New Orleans Tremé Brass Band.

There’s so much more in store for GhostMan868! Come, walk with me!

Bands He Played With:

Blue Culture

Orange Sky (Acoustic Project Band)

Los Tocadores Parang Group

Pamberi Steel Orchestra

All Aces Steel Orchestra

Pan Stereonetts Steel Orchestra

St James Tripolians Steel Orchestra

Sangre Grande Cordettes Steel Orchestra

PHI Band

QRC Scout Band

QRC Magnum

Sangre Grande Police Youth Club Steel Orchestra

Manzanilla Police Youth Club Steel Orchestra

Rhapsody Next Generation (currently Musical Director)

Kaskadoux

Morning Call Ensemble

Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots

The Roamin’ Jasmine

Projects Worked On:

Nigel Rojas & the Ladybug Orchestra Acoustic Project

Rembunction's Album (Return of the Calypso Man)

Roger Boothman's Art Exhibition & Thanksgiving Functions

Los Tocadores Albums (Del Corazon, Christmas Parang feat. Jennifer McPherson)

Jesus Christ Superstar 2006 (produced by The Bagasse Co.)

Synergy Soca Star 2010 with Nesta "Sekon Sta" Boxill

Bmobile Power Soca Monarch 2010 with JW and Blaze, who won the title

Featured on the track "Back And Forth" off the mixtape "Stop The Stickage Vol.1 by DJ Andy-Himself, 2010

Make It Hapn's Album (Bless This Mess), 2011

Nicki Minaj's video for Pound The Alarm, 2012

AndyVenture's single (Sounds A Trinidad), 2012

Suns Of Dub's Mp3 Set (Journey To Port Of Spain), 2012

Major Lazer & Walshy Fire present Suns of Dub (Official Mixtape), 2013

The Common ‘Taters & The Turn-ups (Wildlife Refugee), 2015

Journeys he Made:

Washington, DC & Canada with T&T Police Youth Club Org., 1996

Maryland & Virginia with QRC Scouts, 2001 

New York & Washington, DC with Los Tocadores, 2002-2007

Martinique with UWI Festival Steel Ensemble, 2005

Tobago with Orange Sky Acoustic Project Band, 2006-2007

Jamaica with UWI Connection Rhythm Section, 2007

St Lucia with Amrit Samaroo @ Digicel Pantime Steel Orch., 2007 

India (Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore) with Orange Sky alongside a tourism delegation from Trinidad & Tobago, 2011

Opened for Trey Songz at Tobago Jazz Experience (World Beat) at Pigeon Point with Orange Sky, 2011

China with Noel La Pierre's band Faces for the Shanghai International Music Festival, 2012

Opened for Tarrus Riley at Tobago Jazz Experience (Speyside Jazz, the opening night) with Rhapsody NG, 2014

Performed with Morning Call Ensemble at the Morning Call Cafe, City Park, New Orleans, 2014

Performed with Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and Matt “Dogmeat” Hempsey at the New Orleans Jazz National Park, The Old Mint Museum, opp. Frenchmen Street, New Orleans 2014

Performed with Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and the Louisiana Sunspots at Dos Jefes Cigar Bar, Tchoupitoulas Avenue, New Orleans 2014

Performed with Treme Brass Band at Candlelight Lounge, Tuba Fats Square, New Orleans 2015

Performed with Roamin’ Jasmine at the New Orleans Jazz Market, MLK Boulevard, New Orleans 2015

Performed with Roamin’ Jasmine at Fritzel’s Jazz Joint, Bourbon Street, New Orleans 2015

Performed with Khari Lee and the New Creative Collective at the New Orleans Jazz Market, MLK Boulevard, New Orleans 2015

Favourite Experiences:

Opening alongside Orange Sky for Damian & Stephen Marley, 2007

Performing alongside Pundit Bhajan Sopori in an impromptu performance at the High Commissioner's residence in Delhi, India, 2011

Doing the introduction to Nicki Minaj's Pound The Alarm video, 2012

Performing alongside Nigel Rojas at the "Live At The Hyatt" Las Vegas-themed Carnival Concert series, 2014

Working with The Common ‘Taters & The Turn-Ups in New Orleans, 2014

Performing in New Orleans in 2014 with Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and the Louisiana Sunspots, and in 2015 with The Roamin’ Jasmine and The New Creative Collective

For other works done by GhostMan868, feel free to visit his ReverbNation page, his YouTube playlist or his profile at SoundCloud.com...enjoy!

Articles about him:

What’s the BuddZ, tell me what’s happening: The JazZ BuddZ  ?

By M. Minchie Israel (April 8th, 2012)

"Pound The Alarm" Video is Finally Here!! We Love it, but What do you Think?

By Entertainment Macco- August 1st, 2012

Derron Ellies, The Steel-Pan Whisperer

By Nicole Seepersad- December 13th, 2013

Derron Ellies: Pan Man With A Passion 

By @LeannMarie27 for RedymixDMT.com- February, 2015

The Pan Player From Manzanilla: Music Is Ellies’ First Love

By Peter Ray Blood for Trinidad Guardian- August 13th, 2015

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To contact Derron "GhostMan868" Ellies:

Mobile-> +18687446939

Management-> +18687404854