July 2003 ~ Featuring Eric Ollis
In my opinion, Southern Gospel Music has been blessed with many great pianists. Names like Roger Bennett and Andrew Ishee are usually the first to come to my mind. Not only are they great musicians, but also I consider them to be close friends. This month I want to share with you a little about another good friend of mine who plays piano for the Dixie Melody Boys. If you have seen the Dixie Melody Boys in the past 13 years, then you have seen Eric Ollis sitting at the piano. Eric is one of Southern Gospel's best pianists, however to often overlooked. He is extremely solid in his playing and has some great fills, and has a great down to earth personality to match. He may not turn flips at the piano and put on a show for the crowd, but believe me he can evermore play the piano! In fact, this month at the Canadian Gospel Music Fan Festival, in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, Eric will join the cast of Roger Bennett's Pianorama. I am looking forward to sharing the stage with Eric Ollis along with Roger Bennett, Derrell Stewart, and Andrew Ishee.

Eric has been playing the piano for the Dixie Melody Boys for 13 years, which is actually a long time for a pianist to stay with the same group. To my knowledge, other than the legendary Florida Boys pianist Derrell Stewart and the Inspirations pianist Martin Cook, no other group traveling today has had the same pianist for as long as the Dixie Melody Boys have had Eric Ollis.

Eric Ollis was born on September 10, 1970. He is the son of James and Jean Ollis. He has one brother, Greg. His hometown is Morganton, North Carolina. Eric was saved at a Sunday night church service in 1985. His home church is Stones Creek Advent Christian Church.

Eric and his wife Laura were married on August 23, 1993. They live in Erwin, North Carolina. They have two sons, a five-year-old named Payton, and Michael who is three years old. Eric credits his wife Laura and his parents as his biggest supporters. He wants to thank his parents for bringing him up in a Christian home and encouraging his playing, and his wife for allowing him to travel and play while she stays at home being such a great mom.

His biggest influences are Derrell Stewart, Gerald Wolfe, and Sue Whitfield. All three are excellent pianists. His hobbies include hunting and fishing and he collects guns. On the road with the Dixie Melody Boys, his jobs include driving the bus, doing the mechanic work, playing piano, and Eric states, "whatever the old man wants".

Before joining the Dixie Melody Boys, Eric played for a group called the Crusaders, from Erwin, NC. Eric joined the Dixie Melody Boys in September 1990 when he was 20 years old. When I asked him how he got the job, he sent me to Ed O'Neal to get the full story. Ed told me that in 1990 he needed a pianist. He had five guys on the list to try out. Eric lived the closest to the group and tried out first. The other four were to meet with Ed at the National Quartet Convention when it was in Nashville, Tennessee. Eric asked Ed if he could ride with the group to the convention since he had never been and told Ed that he would work the table for them.

Throughout the 1990 convention, not the first guy showed up to try out for the group. Ed was disappointed because he knew most of the guys and he couldn't believe that they told him that they would be there but didn't show. On their way home from the convention, the guys in the group told Ed what happened. During the entire week in Nashville, Eric sat behind the Dixie Melody Boys table and as the pianists came looking to try out for Ed, Eric told them all that the job was already taken. Ed says that he had no other choice but to hire Eric, and that was about 13 years ago! That decision has proven to be a wise one for Ed, as Eric has stuck in there with him and has done a wonderful job. Eric wants to thank Ed for giving him a job and letting him play piano for the group.

Be sure to visit the Dixie Melody Boys online at www.dixiemelodyboys.com. I always enjoy working with these guys and listening to them sing. Since I have been writing for the U.S. Gospel News, I have featured Devin McGlamery and Harold Reed. This article makes three of the members that I have featured, which is more than any other group. That alone should prove how much I like this group! They are all genuine guys that enjoy what they do. Ed O'Neal has done an excellent job of keeping a class act group on the road. Their newest member is baritone vocalist Jeremy Wilkerson. I had the opportunity to hear him for the first time at the Great Western Quartet Convention. They are sounding better than ever! Keep these guys in your prayers and make plans to go see them when you have the chance!