Atlanta Musician Elgin Wells Perishes in Plane Crash

Veteran Atlanta musician Elgin Wells, a man of many talents and interests, perished on April 25th when his small airplane that he was piloting crashed in Zhengzhou, China during rehearsal sessions for an upcoming airshow there. Encouraged by his father, a fighter squadron commander during WWII and later a career pilot with Delta, Elgin began flying in 1968 at age 18, eventually becoming an aerobatic pilot and flying instructor. His self-designed aircraft, the Starjammer, boasted over 250 LEDs and a 4,000-watt soundsystem, combining performance aerobatics and music together for both daytime and nighttime airshows.

Forming his jazz ensemble in 1973, the Peachtree Corners vocalist and multi-instrumentalist’s musical career spanned more than four decades, with 13 albums to his credit. He played over 20 instruments, and designed and built violins and electric guitars. For many years, he played a regular gig at Ray’s on the River. More recently, he found a home at Eddie Owen’s Red Clay Music Foundry in Duluth, where he gave private music lessons. His last show there was October 20th, 2017.

We offer our sincere condolences to Elgin’s family, friends and fans.