What do you say when someone passes away? How do you celebrate their life and everything they did? How do you help their grieving family members and friends? Ellis Kell was a beloved musician in the Quad Cities who inspired many people with his music. To honor him and his life, the Quad Cities will be celebrating and remembering what he gave to the community. On Saturday, January 21 at 4:00 p.m. till 11:00 p.m., The River Music Experience will be holding a benefit concert for his family in the Great Hall of the RiverCenter titled “Peace, Love & the Joy of Music: Ellis Kell Family Benefit... Read More

It sounds unrealistic and perhaps a bit cliché, but there are some people you can never imagine dying, because they’re so full of life. Ellis Kell was one of those people. The local music legend passed away from cancer early the morning of Dec. 16. It had been known for a while that Ellis was battling the disease, but I, like everyone else, thought that surely a man this strong, this full of life, this force of nature, was going to beat it. He didn’t. And so, he joins his beloved daughter, Karli Rose, once more, in another life, beyond this one. To be honest, the entire thing has felt surreal.... Read More