Underground rock star: Edward Bear guitarist Roger Ellis auditions for TTC licence

Now in his mid-60s, Ellis still performs for throngs of people — though their attention is fleeting.

Ellis is one of 75 musicians licensed to play in TTC stations. He picks his guitar for change from subway riders, a gig he’s been at five or six days a week since 1997.

“People say to me, ‘You won a Juno, I thought you were a millionaire,’” he said with a chuckle at York-Mills station one afternoon, minutes before rush hour commuters streamed through the hallway.

“We were very lucky with ‘Last Song,’” he said. “We had our five minutes of fame, or whatever it is.”

Ellis’s warm voice filled the station. Dressed in faded jeans and a T-shirt, he drew glances from passersby seemingly ignorant of his rock star past.

Born in Margate, a seaside English town, Ellis sailed to Canada at age 10. It was Oct. 9, 1957 — John Lennon’s birthday. He taught himself to play guitar in the early ’60s and joined Edward Bear in 1970.

The band split up in 1974. For Ellis, it was too tough to both play the bar scene and raise a family. Instead, he held a number of jobs, usually as a driver for employers such as Canada Post and Purolator, and didn’t return to music full-time until his two daughters were grown.

Canada Day concerts on Parliament Hill, stints on the Midnight Special and meeting Dick Clark are distant memories these days. When he’s not playing the TTC, Ellis now performs at seniors’ homes. He also writes and records music, sometimes with former Edward Bear lead singer Larry Evoy. He is grateful to be in the business.

“It brings me a lot of pleasure. I’m lucky to still do it.”

Ellis sings for two or three hours at a time so as not to damage his vocal cords, then switches to instrumentals. He often composes songs — the one he wrote at Queen’s Park shares its name with the station, and “For Elyse” is dedicated to his beloved wife, who died of MS in 1989.

A man pauses to buy his CD as he sings “Scarborough Fair.” Ellis “can’t and won’t” say how much he makes, but after an hour about $15 worth of loonies and toonies (and a subway token) were scattered in his guitar case.

Some days the pay is $1 an hour; others, it’s $30.

“There’s no guarantees, that’s for sure.”

Nearly 200 musicians audition annually at the CNE for the 74 coveted TTC licences (one is reserved for Billy James, who has played the subways since 1978). If chosen, the mishmash of guitar players, violinists and singers pay $150 for the privilege to play for riders.

But the stakes are higher this year. To save money, the TTC cut auditions to once every three years. The licences now cost $197.75 and will give musicians job security until 2015.

Ellis is nervous for his seven-minute trial Sunday morning, but says it’s just part of the gig.

“We know each other down here. It’s a great group of musicians; we’re good friends. If one doesn’t make it for whatever reason, it’s too bad. We miss them.”

Sometimes if two musicians happen to be in the same spot (there’s a schedule so this can be avoided), they team up and play together, Ellis said.

It reminds him of his band. He misses playing onstage with his friends more than he misses the audience.

“If the band is really on and the audience is really into it, it’s like magic,” he said. “Those are the best memories.”

But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t made cherished memories in his 15 years playing concerts in subway stations. Sometimes people stop, crowds gather. They sing along. Children dance.

On World Youth Day, Ellis played “Let It Be” at Finch station. The whole hallway was full of kids, all singing along.

“Magic happens from time to time.”

Ellis will audition just outside the west end of the food building at the CNE Sunday at 10:50 a.m.