Biography
Zoot Money ranked among the unsung stalwarts of British rock & roll, earning widespread admiration from fellow musicians and packing English venues on a regular basis without ever achieving substantial record sales at home or abroad. Born George Bruno Money in Bournemouth during 1942, he came from an Italian-immigrant household whose paternal lineage traced back to England. Music attracted him early; at school he first took up the French horn and performed as a boy soprano in the choir. Rhythm & blues and the emerging rock & roll style seized his attention in the mid-1950s, prompting him to abandon the horn for keyboards inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles. By the start of the 1960s he had forged a personal approach to the Hammond organ. The nickname that defined most of his career originated at a Zoot Sims concert he attended.
He moved through several keyboard slots, among them the Don Robb Band—whose guitarist performed under the name Andy Somers (later Summers)—and the jazz-oriented Wes Minster Five, a semi-professional unit whose roster included pianist Dave Greenslade, drummer Jon Hiseman, bassist Tony Reeves, and saxophonist Clive Burrows. Burrows joined the initial incarnation of the Big Roll Band before Johnny Almond replaced him, an interruption for Money’s brief tenure with Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated preceding the classic lineup’s stabilization. That ensemble settled in London with Money handling vocals, piano, and organ, Somers on guitar, Nick Newell and Almond on saxophones, Paul Williams on bass and vocals, and Colin Allen on drums. The group quickly dominated London’s expanding R&B and jazz circuit through Money’s fervent readings of American R&B material, his flamboyant stage presence, and the unit’s instrumental precision; his resourceful use of the Hammond, before the Mellotron’s arrival, further distinguished their sound.
Decca Records issued the band’s first single, “The Uncle Willie” backed with “Zoot’s Suit,” in 1964. The following year they switched to EMI’s Columbia imprint and debuted with “Good” coupled to “Bring It Home to Me,” followed by “Please Stay” b/w “You Know You’ll Cry” and “Something Is Worrying Me” b/w “Stubborn Kind of Fellow,” none of which charted. An album titled It Should Have Been Me appeared as well, yet neither the LP nor its singles conveyed the visceral excitement the group generated live. In spring 1965 the Animals, then neighbors and rivals in London, offered Money the keyboard chair vacated abruptly by co-founder Alan Price. At that moment the Animals held a number-seven British placing with their treatment of “Bring It on Home to Me” alongside American hits and global touring prospects. Money declined, preferring a frontman role over sideman duties.
The Big Roll Band enjoyed particular success at Klook’s Kleek, the Hampstead club above the Railway Hotel, and on 31 May 1966 they captured a performance there for the EMI-Columbia live album Zoot!, later regarded as a benchmark of its period. Although never as widely circulated as the Animals’ In the Beginning, the recording reached the United States via Columbia’s Epic subsidiary, where it attracted scant notice. By late 1966, however, shifting tastes toward psychedelia rendered the Big Roll Band’s name and repertoire increasingly dated. In 1967 the ensemble morphed into Dantalian’s Chariot, retaining Somers on guitar yet failing to locate a viable psychedelic identity. Late that year Eric Burdon, now leading Eric Burdon & the Animals, extended an invitation that Money accepted. The resulting lineup featured Burdon’s commanding vocals, guitarists Vic Briggs and John Weider, bassist Danny McCulloch, and drummer Barry Jenkins.
Sean Egan’s biography Animal Tracks records that Money’s arrival, credited contractually as George Bruno, unsettled internal relationships owing to his prior friendship with Burdon. An early engagement in New Orleans faltered when Money’s British slang inquiry whether the crowd was “pissed” was misinterpreted by American listeners, prompting police intervention and an abrupt end to the show. The band nevertheless issued Every One of Us in July 1968 in the United States, containing the Burdon-Money composition “New York 1963-America 1968.” Briggs and McCulloch departed soon afterward; Andy Summers, recently of Soft Machine, rejoined on bass and guitar alongside Weider for the final album Love Is. Recorded hastily in October 1968 and released before Christmas, the set included extended readings of “River Deep, Mountain High” and “Ring of Fire,” Burdon’s “I’m Dying, Or Am I?,” and two pieces Money carried over from Dantalian’s Chariot—“Gemini” and “The Madman (Running Through the Fields).” The group had already dissolved by the time Love Is reached stores, yet it still climbed to number 123 on the American chart.
Reissues of later Animals material kept both Every One of Us and Love Is among Money’s most visible 1960s recordings in the United States. He and Summers remained in America and explored acting opportunities. Money released the solo album Zoot Money, produced by Briggs, and contributed to sessions for Centipede, Grimms, Kevin Coyne, and Kevin Ayers while maintaining projects with Alexis Korner until Korner’s death in 1984. In 1980 he signed with Paul McCartney’s MPL label and issued Mr. Money. Songwriting credits included “It Never Rains But It Pours,” and he served as music director for the BBC series Tutti Frutti. Subsequent collaborations encompassed Mick Taylor, Georgie Fame, Alan Price, the re-formed Humble Pie, Spencer Davis, the re-formed Foundations, and Geno Washington’s Soul Train. His most prominent international appearance came with the original Animals’ 1983 reunion tour. During the 1990s he reconstituted the Big Roll Band, often featuring Colin Allen, and continued performing with the group into the twenty-first century. He also toured Britain alongside Ray Dorset, Paul Williams, and Long John Baldry as the British Legends of Rhythm & Blues. In 2004 he reunited with Alan Price, Cliff Bennett, and Tony Sheridan, maintaining a particularly devoted audience in Germany. Zoot Money died on 8 September 2024 at the age of 82.
He moved through several keyboard slots, among them the Don Robb Band—whose guitarist performed under the name Andy Somers (later Summers)—and the jazz-oriented Wes Minster Five, a semi-professional unit whose roster included pianist Dave Greenslade, drummer Jon Hiseman, bassist Tony Reeves, and saxophonist Clive Burrows. Burrows joined the initial incarnation of the Big Roll Band before Johnny Almond replaced him, an interruption for Money’s brief tenure with Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated preceding the classic lineup’s stabilization. That ensemble settled in London with Money handling vocals, piano, and organ, Somers on guitar, Nick Newell and Almond on saxophones, Paul Williams on bass and vocals, and Colin Allen on drums. The group quickly dominated London’s expanding R&B and jazz circuit through Money’s fervent readings of American R&B material, his flamboyant stage presence, and the unit’s instrumental precision; his resourceful use of the Hammond, before the Mellotron’s arrival, further distinguished their sound.
Decca Records issued the band’s first single, “The Uncle Willie” backed with “Zoot’s Suit,” in 1964. The following year they switched to EMI’s Columbia imprint and debuted with “Good” coupled to “Bring It Home to Me,” followed by “Please Stay” b/w “You Know You’ll Cry” and “Something Is Worrying Me” b/w “Stubborn Kind of Fellow,” none of which charted. An album titled It Should Have Been Me appeared as well, yet neither the LP nor its singles conveyed the visceral excitement the group generated live. In spring 1965 the Animals, then neighbors and rivals in London, offered Money the keyboard chair vacated abruptly by co-founder Alan Price. At that moment the Animals held a number-seven British placing with their treatment of “Bring It on Home to Me” alongside American hits and global touring prospects. Money declined, preferring a frontman role over sideman duties.
The Big Roll Band enjoyed particular success at Klook’s Kleek, the Hampstead club above the Railway Hotel, and on 31 May 1966 they captured a performance there for the EMI-Columbia live album Zoot!, later regarded as a benchmark of its period. Although never as widely circulated as the Animals’ In the Beginning, the recording reached the United States via Columbia’s Epic subsidiary, where it attracted scant notice. By late 1966, however, shifting tastes toward psychedelia rendered the Big Roll Band’s name and repertoire increasingly dated. In 1967 the ensemble morphed into Dantalian’s Chariot, retaining Somers on guitar yet failing to locate a viable psychedelic identity. Late that year Eric Burdon, now leading Eric Burdon & the Animals, extended an invitation that Money accepted. The resulting lineup featured Burdon’s commanding vocals, guitarists Vic Briggs and John Weider, bassist Danny McCulloch, and drummer Barry Jenkins.
Sean Egan’s biography Animal Tracks records that Money’s arrival, credited contractually as George Bruno, unsettled internal relationships owing to his prior friendship with Burdon. An early engagement in New Orleans faltered when Money’s British slang inquiry whether the crowd was “pissed” was misinterpreted by American listeners, prompting police intervention and an abrupt end to the show. The band nevertheless issued Every One of Us in July 1968 in the United States, containing the Burdon-Money composition “New York 1963-America 1968.” Briggs and McCulloch departed soon afterward; Andy Summers, recently of Soft Machine, rejoined on bass and guitar alongside Weider for the final album Love Is. Recorded hastily in October 1968 and released before Christmas, the set included extended readings of “River Deep, Mountain High” and “Ring of Fire,” Burdon’s “I’m Dying, Or Am I?,” and two pieces Money carried over from Dantalian’s Chariot—“Gemini” and “The Madman (Running Through the Fields).” The group had already dissolved by the time Love Is reached stores, yet it still climbed to number 123 on the American chart.
Reissues of later Animals material kept both Every One of Us and Love Is among Money’s most visible 1960s recordings in the United States. He and Summers remained in America and explored acting opportunities. Money released the solo album Zoot Money, produced by Briggs, and contributed to sessions for Centipede, Grimms, Kevin Coyne, and Kevin Ayers while maintaining projects with Alexis Korner until Korner’s death in 1984. In 1980 he signed with Paul McCartney’s MPL label and issued Mr. Money. Songwriting credits included “It Never Rains But It Pours,” and he served as music director for the BBC series Tutti Frutti. Subsequent collaborations encompassed Mick Taylor, Georgie Fame, Alan Price, the re-formed Humble Pie, Spencer Davis, the re-formed Foundations, and Geno Washington’s Soul Train. His most prominent international appearance came with the original Animals’ 1983 reunion tour. During the 1990s he reconstituted the Big Roll Band, often featuring Colin Allen, and continued performing with the group into the twenty-first century. He also toured Britain alongside Ray Dorset, Paul Williams, and Long John Baldry as the British Legends of Rhythm & Blues. In 2004 he reunited with Alan Price, Cliff Bennett, and Tony Sheridan, maintaining a particularly devoted audience in Germany. Zoot Money died on 8 September 2024 at the age of 82.
Albums
