Alfred James Rogers (April 21, 1941 – September 23, 2021), known as Pee Wee Ellis due to his diminutive stature, was an American saxophonist, composer, and arranger.

While attending Madison High School he played professionally with jazz musicians including Ron Carter and Chuck Mangione.

[3] Ellis told Martin Chilton, writing for the London Independent in 2020, about the response to the song: "In two weeks, it was like it had swept across the country.

He worked as an arranger and musical director for CTI Records' Kudu label, collaborating with artists like George Benson, Hank Crawford and Esther Phillips.

In the late 1970s, he moved to San Francisco and formed a band with former Miles Davis sideman David Liebman,[13] with whom he recorded "The Chicken", that was to become a favourite of Jaco Pastorius.

In 1995, showing the diversity of his musical interests and talents, Ellis played tenor sax and arranged the horns for the album Worotan, by Mali's Oumou Sangare, the so-called "Songbird of Wassoulou" and worked with many other artists on the World Circuit label including Ali Farka Toure, Cheikh Lo, Anga Diaz and renowned Cuban bassist Cachao.

Special guests in the project included Vusi Mahlasela, Maceo Parker, Cheikh Lo, Mahotella Queens and Ghanaian rapper Ty.

In July 2014, Pee Wee Ellis was honored with a doctorate by Bath Spa University, and he continued to support local music as patron (and a principal performer) of the Bristol International Blues and Jazz Festival.

[15] Ellis was played by rapper Black Thought (credited as Tariq Trotter) in the 2014 biographical film Get on Up about James Brown.

With Ginger Baker With Brass Fever With George Benson With Hank Crawford With Dave Liebman With Jack McDuff With the Rebirth Brass Band, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker and Lenny Kravitz With Shirley Scott With Sonny Stitt With Leon Thomas With Ali Farka Touré