'Life's Dream' As RVC Singer Opens For Zac Brown Band At Jones Beach
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY —Ellis Melillo, who grew up in Rockville Centre, was bitten by the singing bug when she was just 5 years old. Her songwriting prowess waited until she was 11.
Melillo, who moved to Nashville in 2021, is about to have a “pinch me” moment. She’ll open for Zac Brown Band later this summer at Jones Beach.
“It is my life’s dream to play at Jones Beach,” Melillo told Patch. “Any time I meditate and I manifest, I pictured myself on that stage. So it’s kind of surreal.”
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It’s not just a homecoming at Jones Beach, it’s where Melillo saw her first concert at age 5 —Britney Spears.
“She came home that night, I was putting her to bed and said to me, ‘Daddy, this changed my life,'” her father Robert Melillo told Patch. ‘”That’s all I want to be. I want to be a singer.'”
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Over the years, she watched Zac Brown Band many times at Jones Beach as well. Not only is she the opening act, but her just-released EP was produced by Brown. The first single “Penny Lane,” dropped on July 21.
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“I’m really happy,” she said. “It’s all starting to work out.”
Melillo honed her musical skills at the University of Delaware. Later, she studied acting and was busy performing in Manhattan. But so many talented musicians don’t get a break.
Melillo got hers, thanks to her dad, Robert, who’s a neurologist in Rockville Centre working with people with developmental disabilities.
“Zac has a camp called Camp Southern Ground that he started a few years ago,” he said. “When he first started that, he asked me to help him, [as] part of that camp was working with kids with disabilities.”
Through their interactions, Brown became aware of Melillo’s talent.
“But once he heard her music, he really wanted to be involved with her and her career,” he said.
And she’s been on the fast track ever since. After sending Brown a sample, they met at his house in 2020.
Another “pinch me” moment could happen on the Sept. 16 and 17 shows at Jones Beach, where the country superstars could join her on stage.
“I hope so. Oh, believe me, I know his songs. I’ve been a huge fan my whole life,” she said.
Robert Melillo said the feeling is mutual.
“He’s been a fan of hers since day one,” he said.
Melillo also credits Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette and Belinda Carlisle as influences.
As for the Zac Brown Band, Melillo’s father said only three dates on the tour are sold out. One of those is at Jones Beach.
“He has a huge fanbase in New York and it’s obviously very exciting,” he said.
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