Ragged Jack

Lyman Ellerman, a Riverton area native, moved to Nashville, Tn several years ago to pursue songwriting as a career. Though the persistent and vibrant songwriter has yet to score a major cut, the intense workout of songwriting on a daily basis honed his already sharp composing skills and increased his song output immensely. A natural bandleader as a singer and guitarist since his youth, Ellerman hooked up with an East Tennessee band at the encouragement of manager and music publisher Mike Kinnamon and created Ragged Jack. Then turning to the Springfield area for musicians, Ellerman teamed up with longtime cohort Jerry Turley, one of the best bassists anywhere, and lead guitarists Dave Lumsden and Joe Cooke. Recently Lumsden left and keyboardist Harry Lounsberry came on board as Scott Mundstock stayed steady behind the drums. With a full length album recorded and ready for release, the group continues to define new territory in the Southern Rock genre while always putting on one rockin' live show - Illinois Times by: Tom Irwin

ENTERTAINBR.COM

Ragged Jack Rocks Ruby’s Roadhouse
By Susan D. Mustafa
It’s been a few years since Lyman Ellerman, Nashville songwriter and front man of Ragged Jack, left Baton Rouge to follow a dream. Like so many others, the chance of that dream coming true was slim to none. Ellerman, however, is one of those talented few whose perseverance paid off through the signing of a publishing deal.
Ellerman and his band, along with Nashville powerhouse Mike Kinnamon, senior partner of Music Central Publishing LLC, recently returned to Louisiana to celebrate with a stunning performance at Ruby’s Roadhouse in Mandeville. Along with band members, guitarist Jason Morgan, bassist Jerry Turley and drummer Gary Welch, Lyman showcased his evolution as an artist to a packed house.
“It was so good to be back in Louisiana,” Ellerman said. “There’s such a great appreciation for music here. People don’t hesitate to let you know that they like what you’re doing, and that’s a cool feeling for any band. It makes us play that much better.”

Originally, the lead singer of Redd Skyy, Ellerman hails from small town Illinois just outside of Springfield. He began singing and playing guitar when he was a teenager and writing songs from ideas that sprang into his mind at the age of 10. He and longtime friend, Turley, practiced their craft together as young men, but eventually went their separate ways. In 2000, they joined forces again to create
Redd Skyy and built a solid base of fans that stretched across the country. The
band’s Naked in Memphis CD, soon proved that it could indeed capture its
unique blend of southern rock and country music in a recording studio.
But then Nashville and Kinnamon came calling, and Ellerman felt compelled
to follow his dream there. He wanted to write with those who knew how to create
hit after hit for radio, to hone his craft and learn from the best. For the past few
years, that’s what he’s done. “Sitting in a room with legendary songwriters like
Buddy Brock, Will Nance and George McCorkle of the Marshall Tucker Band,
who unfortunately passed away in June of last year, is an incredible feeling. To
watch them work and learn from them has been a dream come true for me,” Ellerman said.
The songwriter soon formed Ragged Jack and began playing his new tunes to audiences across the south who responded with loud hoots and hollers and the pounding of feet on crowded dance floors.
Schooled by the best, Ellerman’s songwriting abilities attracted the notice of label executives, and the songwriter who had spent a lifetime dedicated to his music found himself finally writing his name on the dotted line—signing a publishing deal that made him an insider in the illusive world of songwriting.
“I have watched Lyman grow as an artist. He takes his craft seriously and has an incredible talent for creating songs that resonate with audiences,” Kinnamon said. “I knew when I brought him to Nashville that he would be a successful writer.”

Kinnamon, too, has experienced his share of success in Nashville. As the manager of a plethora of successful bands, including the Grammy-nominated Bering Strait, Kinnamon has a demonstrated ability for spotting talent and turning it into success. Along with veteran music visionaries Tom Lysaght, Bud Reneau and Steve Goetzman, Kinnamon recently formed Music Central Publishing, and its sister companies Music Central Records and Music Central Management, all of which operate under the umbrella of MuseAegis Entertainment Complx. - Entertain Baton Rouge

November 28, 2007

For immediate release

Contact:
Mike Kinnamon
Music Central Publishing, LLC
(615) 256-0392


NASHVILLE, Tenn.---Songwriter: Lyman Ellerman has signed a multi-year publishing deal with Music Central Publishing, LLC.
Hailing from Illinois, Ellerman gained an extensive fan following across the country as the lead singer of Ragged Jack. Playing mostly
originals in his live shows, Ellerman's songs, ranging from traditional country to relentless southern rock grooves, resonate with an audience
as diverse as his music.
Co-writing with legends such as Buddy Brock, Wil Nance and the late George McCorkle, Ellerman has spent the last four years in
Nashville honing his craft.
"We are excited to bring Lyman Ellerman on board", said Mike Kinnamon, senior partner of Music Central Publishing. "We look
forward to many years of hits for this talented songwriter."
Kinnamon helped Ellerman learn the business ropes when the songwriter first came to Nashville four years ago. "I feel honored that
Music Central Publishing has placed its faith in me," Ellerman said. "During the years I've spent in Nashville, I haven't allowed myself to get
too excited about the things that happen with my career, but this time, I told my wife, 'We can get excited now.' I trust Mike Kinnamon
completely. He shares my desire to make music that gets back to what's real, music that really means something."
Music Central Publishing, and its three other Music Central banner companies including management, production and records, were
created earlier this year by partners Kinnamon, Tom Lysaght, Bud Reneau and Steve Goetzman. The Music Central mission is to set new
standards in all genres of music by partnering with writers and artists who are truly unique.
"Lyman is a part of our vision to set new standards," Kinnamon said. "The music he creates is different. It stands above what is being
played on the radio today, and that's what Music Central is all about."
- Music Row Magazine

Ragged Jack rolls on
By Tom Irwin

Ragged Jack -

When Lyman Ellerman sings “life is a wheel, let it roll, let it roll, let it roll,” you know he means it in his heart and soul. The song is the title track from a new CD recorded in Nashville last fall by Ellerman’s group Ragged Jack, available to the public for the first time Saturday (Jan. 23, 8:30 p.m.) during a release party at the Fieldhouse. The record presents a cross-section of Southern rock sounds that represent the philosophy and style of Ragged Jack’s persona as a band.

“This is the kind of music Ragged Jack is going to keep making,” said Ellerman. “We are now where we’ve wanted to be for a long time and this is the spot we feel most comfortable at with our sound.”

Ellerman, a Riverton area native, moved to Nashville, Tenn., several years ago to pursue a commercial songwriting career within the country music industry prominent in Music City, USA. With hundreds of works crafted during his tenure in the business, the intense regimen of daily songwriting honed the tunesmith’s skills and led to a backlog of material. As every writer or person familiar with the “for hire” songwriter scene knows, coming up with an idea for someone or something else is a totally different experience than penning tunes for personal reasons. What is deemed a hit by the establishment is not usually a writer’s all-time favorite or a meaningful cut.

“This is Southern alternative rock and the music I want to play,” he said. “We’re not trying to hit the target of being commercial. It is definitely not Nashville, but there is a market for it.”

Ellerman, a bandleader as a singer and guitarist since his teens, hooked up with an East Tennessee band a few years ago at the encouragement of manager and music publisher Mike Kinnamon to make Ragged Jack. After the group evolved through several versions with different players from the Nashville area, Ellerman returned to his home turf in the Springfield area to find musicians. Teaming up with longtime cohort, bassist and vocalist Jerry Turley, and then adding lead guitarists David Lumsden and Joe Cooke, plus keyboardist Harry Lounsberry, with drummer Scott Mundstock as a constant, the band found a strong rhythm and clear dynamic to sustain the songs through the recording process. Lumsden, heard on eight recorded tracks, no longer performs consistently in concert with the band due to practical reasons, but the rest of the group consolidated well and gelled into a powerful combination of tasteful chops and solid playing.

Ellerman’s daughter, Jessica Stout, adds harmony vocals on six tracks to complete the lineup of music makers. Production credits fall to Ellerman and Kinnamon with the added inclusion of veteran music industry musician and producer Jamie LaRitz. The Nashville based guitar ace also worked on the latest disc by Bret Michaels of Poison, toured as a sideman with many famous and successful acts, and holds a fine track record as a demo producer in Nashville by working in his own Dog Ear Studios.

As for Ellerman, he’s already getting started on another record, this one representing his acoustic-oriented singer-songwriter side. As he states in one of my favorite tracks on Life is a Wheel, Ellerman got “the soles of his shoes out of the Sangamon mud” while maintaining a steady commitment to pursue and enact the lifelong dream of making music a reality.

Ragged Jack performs songs for the CD release of Life is a Wheel at 8:30pm, Sat., Jan. 23, at the Fieldhouse. The disc is available at the show and online at CD Baby, Amazon, www.raggedjack.com and www.myspace.com/raggedjack.

Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com
- Illinois Times

Southern Rock IS NOT DEAD! Ragged Jack is the future! Look 4 IT
author: WQNA Radio "Big Music Show" : Ray Von
Skynyrd, Tucker, and the Allmans all have to patch together a band to put on the road to try and keep Southern Rock alive. No longer, the future is HERE! I'm an indie DJ, on an indie station. I play what I want, not what I'm told, and I CHOOSE to play this Ragged Jack CD; on the air and off. Every cut is worthy of air-play. All the members are true craftsmen with real talent, who love what they do, and work to perfect their product; be it a CD, or a live show. Catch them if you can! - WQNA Radio

This is just the perfect album for an iPod! A great mix of funny, sad, poignant thought provoking tunes! Expertly written, crafted, & performed. Real music for real guys and gals that work, drink, live in the real world. I defy you to show me the weak song in this lineup. It's burning up the list on my "MOST PLAYED". Ray Von Rave On! - Ray Von Rave On! DJ