Mike Elliott (born 6 August 1929) is a Jamaican-born British saxophonist. He played on ska recordings in the early 1960s and on pop and soul music hits in the late 1960s. He is best known as a co-founding member of the British band
The Foundations
The Foundations were a British soul band who were primarily active between 1967 and 1970. The group's background was West Indian, White British and Sri Lankan. Their 1967 debut single " Baby Now That I've Found You" reached number one in the ...
, and played on their hit singles "
Baby, Now That I've Found You" and "
Build Me Up Buttercup".
Background
Mike Elliott was born on 6 August 1929 in Kingston,
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
to parents George and Etheline. He had six brothers and three sisters.
In November 1967 Mike was living in a Paddington flat, identifying as a Rastafari, with a liking for progressive jazz.
[''Disc and Music Echo'', November 4, 1967 ]
Page 11 Eight faces that laid the FOUNDATIONS of a hit! ★ Mike Elliott
/ref>
Career
Late 1950s to early 1960s
Elliott was also a member of The Cabin Boys, led by Colin Hicks the brother of British rock 'n' roll singer Tommy Steele
Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.
After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele recor ...
.
;Planetone and Rico's Combo period
Elliott was a member of Rico's Combo who were a house / studio band led by Jamaican trombonist Rico Rodriguez. Besides Rodriguez on Trombone and Elliott on saxophone, the band included another saxophonist Lovett Brown and Jackie Edwards on piano etc. When Rodriguez wasn't present, the ensemble appeared to be called The Planets. They played on early 1960s Jamaican Ska recordings issued on the Planetone
Planetone was a British independent record label, that issued ska recordings in the early 1960s.
History
The label's founder was Sonny Roberts. It is possible that this was the first black owned record label in England. The basement studio w ...
label such as "London Here I Come" bw "Midnight In Ethiopia" and "Hitch and Scramble" bw "Gee's Boogie" (recorded in 1962).[Tapirs ]
PLANETONE 7"S
/ref>
Elliott also recorded under his own name for the Planetone label. The Planetone singles were shared with other artists. His recording "This Love of Mine
"This Love of Mine" is a popular Great American Songbook, American song that was first recorded in 1941 by Tommy Dorsey and His orchestra, with a vocal by Frank Sinatra. Frank Sinatra, Sinatra wrote the words and Sol Parker and Hank Sanicola wrote ...
" appeared on the flip side of Terry Moon's "Moon Man" (Planetone RC11), "J.K. Shuffle" appeared as the flip side to Basil John's "Drink and Drive" (Planetone RC 12). "This Love of Mine" would actually appear again in 1964 as the A side on Carnival
Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
Carnival typi ...
CV 7008. The B side was "Things Are Getting Better" by Young Satchmo.[Tapirs ]
CARNIVAL 7"S
/ref>
;Other ventures
At some stage, Elliott had played with jazz saxophonists Tubby Hayes
Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes (30 January 1935 – 8 June 1973) was a British jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his virtuosic musicianship on tenor saxophone and for performing in jazz groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and trump ...
and Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott Order of the British Empire, OBE (born Ronald Schatt; 28 January 1927 – 23 December 1996) was a British jazz Tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner. He co-founded Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London's Soho district ...
.
Mid to late 1960s
;The Foundations
By 1967 he was a member of the multi-racial English soul group The Foundations
The Foundations were a British soul band who were primarily active between 1967 and 1970. The group's background was West Indian, White British and Sri Lankan. Their 1967 debut single " Baby Now That I've Found You" reached number one in the ...
who would be known for their million selling hits with " Baby, Now That I've Found You" and " Build Me Up Buttercup" etc. The group had evolved out of The Ramong Sound which featured Ramong Morrison. He had come into the group via a Foundations member who he had met. The member told him that the group was looking for a tenor sax man. At 38 years of age he was the oldest member of the group and was nearly 20 years older than the youngest member of the group 18-year-old Tim Harris. He was part of their three-man brass section playing Tenor Sax
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...
alongside fellow Jamaican tenor saxophonist and flautist Pat Burke and Dominican trombonist Eric Allandale
Eric Allandale (born Eric Allandale Dubuisson 4 March 1936 – 23 August 2001) was a trombonist, songwriter, and bandleader. During the 1960s, he was in number of bands in various genres which included jazz pop and soul.
Background Early life
...
. The other members were Clem Curtis
Clem Curtis (born Curtis Clements; 28 November 1940 – 27 March 2017) was a Trinidadian British singer, who was the original lead vocalist of sixties soul group the Foundations.
Background Early life
Born in Trinidad as Curtis Clements, he a ...
(Curtis Clements) on vocals, Peter Macbeth (Peter McGrath) on bass, Allan Warner on lead guitar, and Tony Gomesz on organ. At some stage the group had been discovered by Ron Fairway the manager of a group called The Ways and Means. Fairway introduced them to Barry Class.
In the early period, the Foundations were struggling to make ends meet. Some of the members were staying on the premises of a club that they managed themselves. The premises at one time had been a gambling den. They played music nightly and took care of the cooking and cleaning. They would get to bed around 6am or 7am, sleep until 4pm, and open again at 8pm. Sometimes they barely made enough money to cover the rent, occasionally living off leftovers and a couple of pounds of rice. Elliott's situation hadn't been the best either. According to the " 'Before this record, WE were just what you'd call 'bums" say the Foundations" that appeared in the 11 November, 1967 issue of ''Record Mirror
''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...
'', Elliott had been residing and paying rent for a top floor flat that was in a condemned house where the roof had been removed. Lead singer Clem Curtis recalled going to see him one morning. Elliott was in bed when Curtis knocked on his door. He asked him, "Hey, Mike, where's your roof gone?". Elliott replied, "I don't know, man, they just came and knocked it off."
In an article from the December, 1967 issue of '' Beat Instrumental'' by Crotus Pike, Elliott who was playing a Conn Mark 10 saxophone, and had played with the like of jazz greats Tubby Hayes
Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes (30 January 1935 – 8 June 1973) was a British jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his virtuosic musicianship on tenor saxophone and for performing in jazz groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and trump ...
and Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott Order of the British Empire, OBE (born Ronald Schatt; 28 January 1927 – 23 December 1996) was a British jazz Tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner. He co-founded Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London's Soho district ...
explained that the transition to pop and soul had been automatic for him. But he did say that the melody line in a group like the Foundations was more important and that he explained saying, "I try very hard to give the vocalist a proper harmony, so he can put over the tune at its best".
In the 14 December 1967 issue of ''Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
'', Eric Allandale was supposedly interviewed for the Blind Date section. The accompanying scetch was of Mike Elliott, not Eric Allandale! This error could also suggest that Elliott was the interviewee instead of Allandale.
While with The Foundations, Elliott came no. 9 in the Brass & Woodwind category of the 1967 '' Beat Instrumental'' Gold Star Awards which were displayed in the magazine's February, 1968 issue.[Pop Dose, April 19, 2018 ]
Soul Serenade: The Foundations, “Baby, Now That I’ve Found You”
/ref>
;Recording and performance
Eliott's time with the Foundations from the first hit in 1967 until he would leave around the same time as Clem Curtis did in August 1968 puts him on their first three hit singles, " Baby, Now That I've Found You", " Back on My Feet Again" and " Any Old Time (You're Lonely And Sad)". The time-line also puts him with the group in January, 1968 on the French television show, ''Bouton Rouge''. Their appearance was recorded on the 30th of that month, He also would have played on their PYE debut album '' From the Foundations'', a live album '' Rocking the Foundations'', ''Top of the Pops'' live broadcast recordings from 11 October 1967 to 8 March 1968, and other recordings during that period. He also played on three Foundations tracks at a John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
session in January 1968.
;Other activities
In 1968 The Foundations were experiencing some problems within their group as well as problems with their songwriter and producer Tony Macaulay who wouldn't allow them to record their own compositions. Around that time the band had recorded a track called "It's All Right", a live favourite of theirs and quite possibly the last Foundations recording he played on. He left around the same time as the Foundations lead singer Clem Curtis
Clem Curtis (born Curtis Clements; 28 November 1940 – 27 March 2017) was a Trinidadian British singer, who was the original lead vocalist of sixties soul group the Foundations.
Background Early life
Born in Trinidad as Curtis Clements, he a ...
, who left to pursue a solo career.
Some sources say that Elliott's departure signalled the internal dissatisfaction.[NM]
NME Artists The Foundations
He wasn't replaced.
1970s
In 1972 Elliott appeared on the scene again with a single released on the Ackee
The ackee (''Blighia sapida''), also known as acki, akee, or ackee apple, is a fruit of the Sapindaceae ( soapberry) family, as are the lychee and the longan. It is native to tropical West Africa. The scientific name honours Captain William B ...
Record label. The record was "Milk and Honey", credited to Mike Elliot, backed with "Burst A Shirt" which is credited to Mike Elliot with Harvey & Errol.[45 Ca]
Artist: Mike Elliot Milk And Honey
/ref>[Reggae Label Art Archives ]
Ackee ACK 151 # Mike Elliott – Milk & Honey / Mike Elliott & Errol – Bust A Shirt (Ackee) 1972 UK 7”
/ref> "Milk And Honey" would turn up as the flip side of Junior English's "One And Only" which was produced by Lord Koos.
Elliott supposedly had some involvement with another reggae single released on Supreme SUP 225 by Eugene & Burst and backed with a track by Denzil & Burst. The songs were "Let It Fall" on side 1 and "Can't Change" on side 2. This was released on the label in 1971. The recordings were produced by Sidney Crooks. The book ''Tighten Up!: The History of Reggae in the UK'' alleges that Eugene and Burst are Eugene Paul and Mike Elliott. It also says that the Denzil and Burst are Denzil Dennis and Mike Elliott.[''Tighten Up!: The History of Reggae in the UK'', by Michael De Koningh, Marc Griffiths · 2003 - ]
Page 328
/ref>
During his time, Elliott along Sonny Burke had also worked with Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton
Edward Thornton (born 1931), better known as "Tan Tan", is a Jamaican trumpeter, whose career began in the 1950s.
Biography
Thornton was born in 1931 and attended the Alpha Boys School.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to ...
.
Later years
In a 2022 interview with Strange Brew, Foundations guitarist Alan Warner was talking about the relationship the band had with Tony Macaulay. He also talked about the members and in reference to Mike Elliott said, "The oldest guy in the band he was about forty". Then said "Funny enough I found out the other day, that he's still around. He celebrated his 90th ... or ninety something birthday the other day, I couldn't believe it!"[Apple Podcasts, The Strange Brew ]
Alan Warner – The Foundations, Alan Warner, guitarist for The Foundations, talks about the group’s history including the hits ‘Baby Now That I - 34:28
/ref>
Discography
Singles
References
External links
* griefbird66 channel
The Foundations live french TV 1968 (video)
* edward lancheister channel
Mike Elliot - JK Shuffle
* Grovetownyute74 channel
Mike Elliot-This Love Of Mine (Carnival 45's Vol 1) (audio)
* Mr Charlie Chalk channel
Mike Elliott - Milk & Honey (audio)
* Mr Charlie Chalk channel
Mike Elliott with Harvey & Errol - Burst A Shirt (audio)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Mike
1929 births
Living people
British jazz saxophonists
British male saxophonists
Jamaican reggae musicians
Jamaican ska musicians
Jamaican saxophonists
Jamaican jazz saxophonists
Soul-jazz saxophonists
Colin Hicks & The Cabin Boys members
The Foundations members
21st-century saxophonists
British male jazz musicians
Rock and roll musicians
British rock and roll musicians
Ackee Records artists
Carnival Records (UK label) artists