Zoot Money

George Bruno "Zoot" Money (born 17 July 1942 in Bournemouth, Hampshire) is an English vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader. He is best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band. Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, he was drawn to rock and roll music and became a leading light in the vibrant music scene of Bournemouth and Soho during the 1960s. He took his stage name 'Zoot' from Zoot Sims after seeing him in concert.
Money has been associated with The Animals, Eric Burdon, Steve Marriott, Kevin Coyne, Kevin Ayers, Humble Pie, Alexis Korner, Snowy White, Mick Taylor, Spencer Davis, Vivian Stanshall, Geno Washington, Brian Friel, the Hard Travelers, Widowmaker and Alan Price. He is also known as a bit part and character actor.
(Read more at Wikipedia.)
== Links to Peel ==
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Zoot Money and His Big Roll Band became a popular live band during the British R&B boom of the mid-1960s, when Peel was living in the USA. Their records were less successful than their live performances, but Money was one of the "characters" of the London scene and his on-stage and off-stage exploits often landed him in the gossip columns of the British pop press, so Peel would have read about him there. This is shown by an item in his "The British Scene" column in the Kmentertainer, which may have been adapted from a British pop paper report. It describes the opening of the Bag O'Nails club in London as "a sort of 16th century type freak-out". The "assembled ravers" who attended included Eric Burdon and Alan Price, and "Zoot Money, predictably, removed his trousers". Money's only chart success, however, was with the 1966 single "Big Time Operator", which reached #25 in the UK singles charts and was also included in Peel's KMEN British Pop Top Ten.
In 1967, Money cut back on his clowning and formed Dantalian's Chariot, a band which was more in line with the styles of music Peel was playing on the Perfumed Garden and Top Gear. They didn't last long, but after they split Money released a solo album before joining Eric Burdon And The Animals. He appeared on their second Top Gear session and later recorded two sessions for Peel as a solo artist. However, much of his post 1970 work was as a sideman and session player, appearing on records by many artists, including those listed above as well as Peel favourites like Andy Roberts, Lonnie Donegan and Scaffold.
== Festive Fifty Entries ==
*No entries.
== Sessions ==
*Two sessions as solo artist. No known commercial release.
*Also recorded Peel sessions with Eric Burdon & The Animals (#2, 1968), Kevin Ayers (#5, 1976) and Viv Stanshall (#5, 1977).
1. Recorded 1972-04-16. First broadcast 19 May 1972. Repeated 07 July 1972.
*It Ain't Easy / Good To Be Alive / My Father / Three Times Corner (not broadcast until repeat)
2. Recorded 1973-05-13. First broadcast 23 August 1973. Repeated 13 September 1973.
*Good To Be Alive / Open Road /Up To Now / Three Times Corner / Heaven And Earth (not broadcast until repeat)
== Other Shows Played ==
* No known plays as solo artist. 
* See Dantalian's Chariot.
;KMEN British Pop Top Ten
*02 Sep 1966: Bigtime Operator (9)
*09 Sep 1966: Bigtime Operator (7)
*16 Sep 1966: Bigtime Operator (7)
*23 Sep 1966: Bigtime Operator (9)
== See Also ==
*Gigography 1967 
*Gigography 1971
*International Times: Perfumed Garden Column
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
* Official site
* Other
Category:Artists