Famed Musician John Ellison Inspired by Rochester Woman to Write ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — John Ellison wrote the song “(She’s) Some Kind of Wonderful” in 1967 as a member of the Rochester group Soul Brothers Six. Since then, more than 70 other artists have covered the song, including Huey Lewis and the News, Joss Stone, Rod Stewart and Grand Funk Railroad.

In 1959, at age 17, Ellison moved from West Virginia to Rochester. He was inspired to write the song by his girlfriend Ann White. They had been dating for several years when Soul Brothers Six were invited to move to Philadelphia to record their music. Ellison admits that he wasn’t ready to settle down and wanted to pursue his music career full-time.

“She wanted something more serious,” he said. But he says his girlfriend wished him luck. “She said, ‘Here’s some lunch in case you’re hungry,’ and we were standing there hugging. I said, ‘You know, you’re a wonderful person and I’m going to write a song about you,’” Ellison recalled. “Somewhere around Syracuse, New York, I got hungry, so I ate the sandwich and started writing on the bag.”

This song launched Ellison’s musical career.

“It’s been a blessing for me. It’s great that my song has been covered so many times. A lot of people don’t realize that the leftovers of songwriting can be really good, so I’ve been blessed,” he said. At 82, John has performed all over the world. As for his girlfriend at the time, he says they lost touch over the years, but he knew she was the inspiration for the hit record.

In May, Ellison was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame. His story is similar to that of other black musicians who were chasing their dreams in the 1950s and ’60s. Racism is a familiar refrain. He recalls being called a racial slur after outperforming other singers at a competition in West Virginia.

“The two judges started arguing. ‘There’s no way we’re letting this N____ win this contest.’” He describes how he felt at that moment. “It was like someone had stuck a knife in my body. I lost because of something I couldn’t change: the color of my skin.”

Ellison says that encounter and many others have made him more determined.

“The rumor has spread that John Ellison was a great songwriter.”

He currently collects royalties on about 300 songs he has written over six decades. “I have accomplished a lot and I give the good Lord credit for that,” he proclaims.

Ellison’s creativity and talent include cooking. “I like to eat healthy and I’ve discovered that I like my food to be flavorful, so I find that a lot of seasonings are overloaded with salt, dyes and things that are not good for you.” In 2000, he began producing his own seasonings for meats and other foods. Some Kind of Wonderful gourmet season is low in sodium, all natural and free of gluten and MSG.

“It’s in 640 supermarkets. Every time I told someone it was called Some Kind of Wonderful, they’d say, ‘Oh, that sounds like the song,’ and I’d say, ‘Yeah, I wrote that song,'” he adds.

Ellison is working with a local entrepreneur to bring Some Kind of Wonderful Foods to Rochester grocery stores.