Zoot Money – born George Money on July 17, 1942, in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England - was an R&B musician whose skill on the Hammond organ made him an almost indispensable presence on the British music scene in the 1960s and 1970s. Alongside accompanying a long list of great artists, he also fronted his own Zoot Money's Big Roll Band. Obsessed with music at a young age, he learned the French horn and sang in the choir at school. In 1961, he formed and fronted the Big Roll Band which came and went with various players over the years. While singing with his own band, Zoot Money performed on Hammond organ with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, and The Animals. He worked in America for a time with Eric Burdon's New Animals. Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band released a series of singles including “The Uncle Willie” (1964), “Bring It on Home to Me” (1965), “Please Stay” (1965), and “Big Time Operator” (1966), which reached number 25 in the UK. They also released the albums It Should’ve Been Me (1965) and Zoot! (1966). Zoot Money also released a series of well-received solo releases – including Transition (1968), Welcome to My Head (1969), Zoot Money (1970), Mr. Money (1980), and more – but commercial success eluded him. However, he remained a popular sideman and recorded with artists such as Peter Green, Lonnie Donegan, Long John Baldry, Kevin Coyne, Georgie Fame, Kevin Ayers, Grimms, Alan Price, Eric Burdon, Alvin Lee, Alexis Korner, and many others. In the 1980s, he was musical director of the BBC television series Tutti Frutti which launched the careers of Robbie Coltrane and Emma Thompson. Zoot Money also had 43 acting credits on British television program such as sitcom Get Back and long-running police drama The Bill. He continued to be a popular live performer, and his 1960s recordings were gathered together on compilations such as A Big Time Operator (2005). Zoot Money died on September 8, 2024, at the age of 82.
