Cat Ellington

Background

Cat Ellington was born Kimberly Monique Hart to parents Linda Hart and entrepreneur Ezell Ellington-Jenkins on the 28th of November, 1970, in Chicago, Illinois. She was nicknamed "Cat" by one of her teachers in 1980 and later adopted and added her father's surname to provide the moniker with a more syllabic flair.

Ellington, the youngest of two children, grew up in a single-parent household on Chicago's South Side. A native Hyde Park-Kenwood clan, she and her older brother RaVan, led by their mother, Linda, a coder who graduated from the DeVry Institute of Technology, would later inhabit several other historic districts on the city's South Side, including Bronzeville, Jackson Park Highlands, Washington Park, and Douglas before a career opportunity motivated Linda to move her family to Saint Paul, Minnesota in the summer of 1983.

In the summer of 1991, a then 20-year-old Cat returned to her native Chicago, where she pursued her dream of a career in the entertainment industry. Today, the award-winning artist splits her residential time between Chicago, Maplewood, and her summer property in Chatham, MA.

Education

1974-1977 — Ellington attended William W. Carter Elementary School in Chicago, where she was rooted in literacy.

1977-1980 — She attended Edmund Burke Elementary School in Chicago, where her studies included reading, writing, language skills, and physical education.

1980-1983 — Ellington attended John C. Haines Elementary School in Chicago, studying music, English, creative writing, and literature.

1984-1988 — She attended Highland Park Senior High School in St. Paul Minnesota, where her fields of study included band, creative writing, English, literature, and performing arts.

1988- 1989 — Ellington attended Brooks Beauty School, School of Cosmetology in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she studied hair design and aesthetics before dropping out of her courses.

Career

Cat Ellington has had an insatiable attraction to music since she was old enough to understand. And she wrote her first song in 1981. A work she titled The Baby's Song. The piece laid the foundation for a song catalog that, with time, decades even, would grow to hundreds of song works spanning 24 genres.

In 1993, Ellington, commissioned by Vital Vision Productions, LLC, a Chicago-based film production company founded by her husband, filmmaker Joseph Strickland, took on the task of casting the director's debut feature film Dual Mania. And although it would take more than twenty years for the psychological thriller to be released, Ellington and Strickland continued to carry their creative baby to term, soon watching proudly as the film became a film festival darling, racking up over 15 festival award wins worldwide. Cat also contributed to the music department on the feature film, writing and composing original songs for its soundtrack, including the R&B/jazz ballad I Do, which won the 2019 Vegas Movie Award for Best Song.

In 2018, Quill Pen Ink Publishing published Ellington's first book, Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 1, which marked the beginning of the famed nine-book series (of literary criticism) that would span five years. In addition to the Reviews by Cat Ellington series, the prolific publisher would go on to publish a library of other titles from both the Cat Ellington™ Literary Collection and the Cat Ellington™ Poetry Collection, including More Imaginative Than Ordinary Speech, Memoirs in Gogyohka, You Can Quote Me On That, and Strike a Prose.

It was in 2020 that Vital Vision Records released Dual Mania (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), on which Ellington wrote five original songs, four performed by Minneapolis songstress Jaki Cavins: I Do, I'm Still in Love, The Book of Us, and Something in Your Eyes. Gett Out, the first release from the Heavy Metal Collection of the Cat Ellington song catalog, a track Ellington co-wrote with filmmaker Joseph Strickland, was performed by Hippo Campus trumpeter DeCarlo Jackson. Due to a misprint with the original 2020 release, the soundtrack was re-released in July of 2021, followed by the December 2021 release of Instrumentals: Music from the Motion Picture Dual Mania, the debut EP credited to Ellington and Strickland as primary artists. Like its soundtrack counterpart, Instrumentals was co-produced by Cat Ellington, Princeton Brown, and Greg Schutte; and executive produced by Joseph Strickland.

In 2022, Cat Ellington landed her first professional film role as a voice-over actress. The multi-talented artist will voice a series of characters for an upcoming feature film currently in production.

Cat Ellington will cast Joseph Strickland's second film project, "The Crimson Sun." Additionally, she will also write the original soundtrack for the film.

Achievements

• In October 1979, a then 8-year-old Cat Ellington wrote her first book review of Eleanor Clymer's classic children's tale, "Hamburgers and Ice Cream for Dessert," under the tutelage of a librarian mentor.
  
  In January 1981, Cat Ellington wrote her first song, "The Baby's Song," at age ten.
  
  In 1982, she founded Black Jaguar Songs, later renamed The Black Jaguar Music Company, after completing the musical composition for her third song "Gluttony (The Shell)."
  
  From 1993-1996, Cat Ellington placed the entire cast for the multi-award-winning feature film "Dual Mania."
  
  In 1996, Ellington founded The Centaur Casting Agency two months after "Dual Mania" commenced production.
  
  Soon after she completed 14 works of poetry for her literary collection in 2005, Cat Ellington founded Quill Pen Ink Publishing.
  
  From April 2018 to November 2019, Cat Ellington authored seven published books and co-authored one.
  
  In 2019, Cat Ellington won the Vegas Movie Awards award for Best Song for "I Do," the first of five original songs she wrote for Dual Mania (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
  
  In 2020, Vital Vision Records released Dual Mania (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), to which Cat Ellington supplied five original songs. The soundtrack album was re-issued in July 2021.
  
  In 2021, Vital Vision Records released Instrumentals: Music from the Motion Picture Dual Mania, the first release from Cat Ellington's discography as a primary artist.

Works

More photos

• album

  • ‎Dual Mania (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Jaki Cavins, Marcus Robson & De Carlo Jackson on Apple Music

    (Listen to Dual Mania (The Original Motion Picture Soundtr...)

    2021
  • ‎Instrumentals: Music from the Motion Picture Dual Mania - EP by Cat Ellington & Joseph Strickland on Apple Music

    (Listen to Instrumentals: Music from the Motion Picture Du...)

    2021

• book

  • Reviews by Cat Ellington : the complete anthology / Cat Ellington.

    (Library of Congress Authorized Series / Physical Descript...)

    2018
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington : a trilogy of unique critiques / Cat Ellington.

    (Library of Congress Authorized Series / Physical Descript...)

    2019
  • Dual Mania: Music from the Original Soundtrack Album - Piano/Guitar/Chords - Sheet Music Book - Kindle edition by Ellington, Cat, Strickland, Joseph, Strickland, Joseph. Arts & Photography Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

    (Dual Mania: Music from the Original Soundtrack Album - Pi...)

    2024
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: A Trilogy of Unique Critiques #2 (The Unique Critique Trilogies)

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: A Trilogy of Unique Critiques #...)

    2022
  • Something in Your Eyes: Sheet Music (The Cat Ellington Sheet Music Collection Book 4)

    (Something in Your Eyes: Sheet Music (The Cat Ellington Sh...)

    2021
  • I'm Still in Love: Sheet Music (The Cat Ellington Sheet Music Collection Book 3)

    (I'm Still in Love: Sheet Music (The Cat Ellington Sheet M...)

    2021
  • The Book of Us: Sheet Music (The Cat Ellington Sheet Music Collection 2)

    (The Book of Us: Sheet Music (The Cat Ellington Sheet Musi...)

    2021
  • The Five-Star Review: A Collection of Cat Ellington's Top-Rated Book Reviews from 1981-2021

    (The Five-Star Review: A Collection of Cat Ellington's Top...)

    2021
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: A Trilogy of Unique Critiques #1 (The Unique Critique Trilogies)

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: A Trilogy of Unique Critiques #...)

    2019
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: A Trilogy of Unique Critiques #3 (The Unique Critique Trilogies)

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: A Trilogy of Unique Critiques #...)

    2024
  • I Do: Sheet Music (The Cat Ellington Sheet Music Collection Book 1)

    (I Do: Sheet Music (The Cat Ellington Sheet Music Collecti...)

    2021
  • The Complete Works: Reviews by Cat Ellington, Books 1-9: Ellington, Cat, Kimono, Naras, Strickland, Joseph: 9798218381097: Books

    (The Complete Works: Reviews by Cat Ellington, Books 1-9 [...)

    2024
  • The Arts of Literary Criticism: Thrillers in Tanka, Book 1

    (The Arts of Literary Criticism: Thrillers in Tanka, Book ...)

  • Gett Out: Sheet Music (The Cat Ellington Sheet Music Collection Book 5)

    (Buy Gett Out: Sheet Music (The Cat Ellington Sheet Music ...)

    2021
  • The Making of Dual Mania: Filmmaking Chicago Style

    (The Making of Dual Mania: Filmmaking Chicago Style - Kind...)

    2018
  • More Imaginative Than Ordinary Speech: The Poetry of Cat Ellington

    (More Imaginative Than Ordinary Speech: The Poetry of Cat ...)

    2019
  • Strike a Prose: A Framework of Memories and Commentaries in Poetry

    (Strike a Prose: A Framework of Memories and Commentaries ...)

    2022
  • You Can Quote Me On That: A Collection of Quotes by Cat Ellington

    (You Can Quote Me On That: A Collection of Quotes by Cat E...)

    2020
  • Memoirs in Gogyohka: A Book of Short Poems and Memoirs

    (Memoirs in Gogyohka: A Book of Short Poems and Memoirs [E...)

    2019
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 1

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 1 ...)

    2018
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 2

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 2 ...)

    2018
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 3

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 3 ...)

    2019
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 4

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 4 ...)

    2020
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 5

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 5 ...)

    2021
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 6

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 6 ...)

    2021
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 7

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 7 ...)

    2022
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 8

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 8 ...)

    2023
  • Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 9

    (Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 9 ...)

    2023

• movie

  • Dual Mania (2020) - IMDb IMDb, an Amazon company

    (Dual Mania: Directed by Joseph Strickland. With Lara Phil...)

    2020

• song

  • Something In Your Eyes (Instrumental) - composed by Cat Ellington | Spotify

    (Listen to Something In Your Eyes (Instrumental) on Spotif...)

    2021
  • I'm Still In Love (Instrumental) - composed by Cat Ellington | Spotify

    (Listen to I'm Still In Love (Instrumental) on Spotify. So...)

    2021
  • The Book Of Us (Instrumental) - composed by Cat Ellington | Spotify

    (Listen to The Book Of Us (Instrumental) on Spotify. Song ...)

    2021
  • Gett Out (Instrumental) - composed by Cat Ellington, Joseph Strickland | Spotify

    (Listen to Gett Out (Instrumental) on Spotify. Song · Cat ...)

    2021
  • Something in Your Eyes - song and lyrics by Cat Ellington, performed by Jaki Cavins | Spotify

    (Listen to Something in Your Eyes on Spotify. Song · Cat E...)

    2021
  • I Do (Instrumental) - composed by Cat Ellington | Spotify

    (Listen to I Do (Instrumental) on Spotify. Song · Cat Elli...)

    2021
  • I'm Still in Love - song and lyrics by Cat Ellington, performed by Jaki Cavins | Spotify

    (Listen to I'm Still in Love on Spotify. Song · Cat Elling...)

    2021
  • The Book of Us - song and lyrics by Cat Ellington, performed Jaki Cavins | Spotify

    (Listen to The Book of Us on Spotify. Song · Cat Ellington...)

    2021
  • Gett Out - song and lyrics by Cat Ellington, Joseph Strickland, performed by DeCarlo Jackson | Spotify

    (Listen to Gett Out on Spotify. Song · Cat Ellington, Jose...)

    2021
  • I Do - song and lyrics by Cat Ellington, performed by Jaki Cavins | Spotify

    (Listen to I Do on Spotify. Song · Cat Ellington, Jaki Cav...)

    2021

Religion

Cat Ellington has confessed her spiritual beliefs and lifestyle rooted in Pentecostal Christianity.

Politics

She is deeply liberal, and her political views are staunchly democratic. At age 21, she voted for the first time in the November 1992 election for Bill Clinton. She both supported and voted for Barack Obama when he ran for president in 2008; and then again in his 2012 re-election campaign. In 2020, she cast her vote for Joe Biden, who would go on to win the presidency.

Views

She is highly opinionated and believes in and stands for truth, social justice, racial equality, education, animal welfare, and the solidarity of humanity.

Quotations: “If God ever commands the spirit of wisdom to depart from me, well, I reckon that I'll never be able to compose the written word again. Not in music, and not in literature. If there is a blank page before me, it wouldn't matter if my right hand held a thousand dollar ink pen from the House of Montblanc, or an ink pen branded Paper Mate, not one word would be jotted from the ink of either or, and the page would remain blank.”

“Songwriters are the architects of the music industry. Without a songwriter, there could not, and would not be a music industry. We create the Blueprint”

“As a working professional in the entertainment industry, I have come to truly cherish both my creative freedom and my independence. Because I, for one, know how precious and priceless they are.”

“Nothing in the world terrifies me more than to have the words stop coming. If I can't write, I could be of no use."

“Writing is my earthly calling. The world of words is the perfect Utopia in whose rapture I am altogther caught up."

“Men and women in the creative arts should be free to express themselves, creatively, without interference from those who are without honor where having talent is concerned."

“I don't just dare, I quadruple dare.”

“Diversity is key where my casting duties are concerned. And as a casting director, I will always assemble multi-cultural ensembles. Always.”

“The first thing I look for, in addition to a performer's range, is a performer's look in comparison to the character. That is very important to me as a casting director."

“I'll admit that I am a woman who is very hard to impress.”

“Honestly, if I weren’t married to Joseph Strickland, I would most definitely be married to Jesse L. Martin.”

"My soul is hugged and kissed by art."

"Songwriters are the salt of the Earth."

"The style in which I express myself, poetically, is one of appreciable literary inspiration."

"I'm not narcissistic or arrogant, I'm just terribly self-confident."

"Mariah Carey is my number one fan."

Membership

Cat Ellington was a member of the Chicago Writers Association.

• 

  Songwriting member (Cat Ellington) and publishing member (The Black Jaguar Music Company.)

  American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) , United States

  2003 - present

• 

  Songwriting member.

  Harry Fox Agency , United States

  2003 - present

• 

  Philanthropic member.

  National Council of Negro Women , United States

  2015 - present

• 

  Poet member.

  Academy of American Poets , United States

  2016 - present

• 

  Author member.

  The Authors Guild , United States

  2020 - present

• 

  SCL Gold Member.

  The Society of Composers & Lyricists , United States

  2022 - present

• 

  Elected songwriting member.

  Guild of International Songwriters and Composers , England

  2015 - present

• 

  Member, American Sailing Association.

  American Sailing Association , United States

  2026 - present

Personality

Born under the star sign Sagittarius, Cat Ellington lives up to many of the zodiac's traits: fiery, adventurous, blunt, playful, an avid traveler, and painstakingly independent.

Physical Characteristics: Cat struggled with obesity during her preteens. She eventually shed the extra pounds after suffering through a stage of anorexia and bulimia, and with time would heal and adopt a healthier diet and exercise routine: for decades, she has managed to keep her weight balanced, although she still battles with it from time to time. Cat Ellington is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs about 68 kilos. Her skin is brown, her hair is dark brown, and her eyes are brown. Cat is more voluptuous in her bustline and hips, and her body is measured 46-29-50 inches.

Quotes from others about the person

• Filmmaker Joseph Strickland: “Cat Ellington is the Bo Jackson of the creative arts. Everything she does, she does extremely well. And I'm proud of her. I'm proud to say that a woman as beautiful and gifted as she is has a solid place in both my personal and professional lives."

Interests

• Reading, art, theater, travel, shopping, wine, cheese, coffee, charm bracelet-collecting, handbag-collecting, jet-skiing, sailing, scuba diving, deep-sea diving, marine biology, geology, astronomy, astrology, oceanography.

• Philosophers & Thinkers

  Friedrich Nietzsche

• Politicians

  Civil rights activists Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., and Dorothy Tillman, former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, former President Jimmy Carter, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Chicago Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Preckwinkle, U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Representative Luis Gutiérrez, former President Bill Clinton, former President Barack Obama, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, President Joe Biden.

• Writers

  Iceberg Slim, Donald Goines, Stephen King, Rod Serling, James Baldwin, Roger Ebert, Gwendolyn Brooks, Jackie Collins, Carl Hiaasen, Langston Hughes, John Grisham, Ann Rule, James Patterson, Aesop, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Dean Koontz, Bianca Sloane, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Danielle Steel, Jordan Belcher, Terry McMillan, V.C. Andrews.

• Artists

  Gustave Caillebotte, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, William "Bill" Walker, Claude Monet, Leonardo da Vinci, Johannes Vermeer, Henri Matisse.

• Sport & Clubs

  Regatta, sailing, NHL hockey, volleyball, rowing, water polo, and tennis.

• Athletes

  Brendan Shanahan, Mark Messier, Dave Andreychuk, Chris Chelios, Althea Gibson, Shayne Corson, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Roberts, Cam Neely, Michael Jordan, James Spithill, Magic Johnson, Dennis Rodman, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson.

• Music & Bands

  Jazz, R&B, gospel, rock-n-roll, pop, folk, country, soft rock, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Chicago, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Steely Dan, Ashford & Simpson, The Whispers, Cameo, Sly and the Family Stone, Urban Knights, Seals & Crofts, Air Supply, Neil Diamond, Dan Fogelberg, Wings, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joan Baez, Todd Rundgren, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Neil Sedaka, Shooting Star, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Bad Company, Dionne Warwick, Jethro Tull, ELO, Fleetwood Mac, Donna Summer, Foreigner, Carly Simon, Anne Murray, Van Halen, Quiet Riot, Stone Temple Pilots, Kenny Rogers, Elton John, Don McLean, Rod Stewart, James Taylor, Night Ranger, Barry Manilow, Ray, Goodman & Brown, Bad Company, David Bowie, Led Zepplin, Jim Croce, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Def Leppard, Billy Joel, ABBA, Deep Purple, Molly Hatchet, Alabama, Kenny Loggins, The Spinners, Janis Joplin, Al Green, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Crusaders, The Moody Blues, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Cars, Enchantment, The Stylistics, Joni Mitchell, The Doobie Brothers, Supertramp, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, The O'Jays, Gordon Lightfoot, The Rolling Stones, The Commodores, Eric Clapton, The Bee Gees, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, The Eagles, The Doors, Parliament-Funkadelic, The Ohio Players, The Gap Band, AC/DC, Metallica, The Delfonics, Cream, The Jackson 5, .38 Special, Journey, REO Speedwagon, and many more, according to CelebRiot.

Connections

She is married to film director Joseph Strickland on New Year's Eve, 1994, and the couple share three children: Nathaniel Strickland, Nairobi Strickland, and author Naras Kimono.

Father:

Ezell Ellington-Jenkins

Mother:

Linda Marie Hart

Brother:

RaVan Hart

husband:

Joseph Strickland

(born 9 November 1962)

Joseph Strickland is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, author, songwriter, and the husband of American songwriter Cat Ellington.

Son:

Nathaniel Strickland

(b. 1996)

Son:

Nairobi Strickland

(b. 1999)

Daughter:

Naras Kimono

(born 23 August 2004)

Naras Kimono is an American author and artist. She made her writing debut at age sixteen as a co-author of Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 4, the fourth installment in the famous book series created by her mother, Cat Ellington, in 2018.

References

• Memoirs in Gogyohka : A Book of Short Poems and Memoirs | WorldCat.org Hot on the heels of More Imaginative Than Ordinary Speech: The Poetry of Cat Ellington comes a riveting and remarkably uplifting compilation of free verse that was erected to witness the uncommon life
  2019
• You Can Quote Me On That : A Collection of Quotes by Cat Ellington | WorldCat.org You Can Quote Me On That: A Collection of Quotes by Cat Ellington, a fun-filled assemblage of recitations that were spoken by the woman herself.Comprising over 300 public quotes that span seven years,
  2020
• Strickland Targeting Fall to Film Latest Thriller, The Crimson Sun | Screen Magazine Cat Ellington set to cast Joseph Strickland's second feature film.
  2021
• Strike a Prose : A framework of Memories and Commentaries in Poetry | WorldCat.org Strike a prose : a framework of memories and commentaries in poetry | WorldCat.org
  2022