official website

Shipley was one of the most promising rock stars of the 1980's. She was discovered by music mogul Tommy Mottola, who signed her to her first recording contract. Over the time span of five years, Ellen recorded three critically acclaimed albums, Ellen Shipley (NY International Records), Breaking Through The Ice Age (RCA), and Call of the Wild (Capitol Records).

 

Embraced by critics and fans alike, she toured extensively, performing on stage and television worldwide. In 1980, she was a featured musical guest on NBC's legendary Saturday Night Live. In addition to her solo work, Shipley was one of the era’s most sought-after studio voices, contributing to many of the biggest albums of the decade.

 

Throughout 1988 and 1989, Shipley focused on her love of songwriting, which culminated in the creation of four international Top 10 Hits - "Heaven is a Place on Earth","Circle in the Sand", and "Leave A Light On" performed by Belinda Carlisle, and "I Come Undone" performed by Jennifer Rush (an original song from Shipley's solo album Call of the Wild). "Heaven is a Place On Earth" was a number one single in the US and a top ten hit in 27 countries. During that time, Ellen also made her first foray into record producing, helming the debut album by the acclaimed all-female rock group, The Graces (consisting of Meredith Brooks, Charlotte Caffey and Gia Ciambotti). 

 

Having built a long-lasting relationship with Belinda Carlisle, Ellen contributed a further constant stream of hits for Carlisle well into the 1990s , which appeared on her smash albums Runaway Horses, Live Your Life Be Free, Real and A Woman and A Man. 

 

An extraordinarily versatile songwriter, Shipley has had success in every genre of music, contributing tracks to albums by recording artists  such as Faith Hill, Kenny Rogers, Oleta Adams, Kim Wilde, Anita Baker, and Dionne Warwick. She wrote "Yearbook Song" for the Hanson Brothers debut album, Middle of Nowhere, and "I Drive Myself Crazy" for multiplatinum boy band sensation N'Sync. She has also collaborated with some of the greatest songwriters and producers in popular music, including Eric Kaz, Rick Nowels, Billy Steinberg, Alan Rich, and Patty Smyth. In edition to numerous awards and accolades, Ellen received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song for Anita Baker's 1995 hit "Body and Soul."

 

Recently, Shipley returned to the studio to write and record "Goodbye Just Go" with Belinda Carlisle for her long-awaited legacy compilation, Anthology. In addition, she wrote "A Million Miles Away" with 1980s teen legend Tiffany for her solo album A Million Miles. 

​

Beloved and respected within the music business for over three decades, Shipley has become a mentor to a whole new generation of songwriters, performers and music lovers. A Los Angeles native but New Yorker at heart, Shipley continues to influence singers and songwriters with timeless anthems. From pop to broadway, live performance to songwriting, Ellen Shipley will always be able to reach into our souls with her music and show us that heaven is truly a place on earth.