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Richard Elliot
Biography
T I M E L I N E :
1960's / 1960 - Richard Joel Elliot born
Jan. 16 in Glasgow, Scotland / 1963 - The Elliot family moves to the Los Angeles
Suburbs
1970's / 1971 - Richard takes up saxophone
"I started to play sax at age 11 in Junior High for no other reason than
I liked the shape. Saxophone was strictly recreational until high school. My
high school band teacher was also a studio musician and he got me thinking about
music as a career." / 1977 - Richard lands European tour w/ The Pointer
Sisters & Natalie Cole. / Joined Kittyhawk Studio Work for Smokey Robinson,
The Four Tops, The Temptations and The YellowJackets.
1980's / Begins touring with The YellowJackets.
Tours / Plays with Melissa Manchester and Rick Springfield. Joined Tower Of
Power (TOP) full time in 1982 - 1987 / 1984 Huey Lewis and the News - Sports
/ Tour w/TOP / 1986 Huey Lewis and the News - FORE / Tour w/TOP / 1986 - Trolltown
/ 1987 - Initial Approach / 1988 - Power of Suggestion / 1989 - Take to the
Skies
1990's / 1990 - What's Inside / 1991 - On
The Town - #1 NAC (New Adult Contemporary) / 1993 - Soul Embrace - #1 NAC /
1994 - After Dark - #1 NAC / 1995 - City Speak / 1996 - PacificNet Internet
Service Provider is Launched. / 1997 - Jumpin' Off - #1 NAC / 1999 - Chill Factor
- #1 NAC
2000's / 2000 - The Best of Richard Elliot
/ 2000 - Myonica is launched. / 2001 - Crush - #1 NAC / 2001 - Ballads / 2003
- Ricochet / 2004 - Groovin for Grover Tour, Jazz Nights in Germany Tour, The
3 Smooth Tenors Show in Chicago. / 2005 - Artizen Music Group created / 2005
- Metro Blue - 6/28/05
Richard Elliot Metro Blue
Debut album for the ARTizen label hits
stores June 28th, co-headlining the Jazz Attack Tour
Like a booming metropolis, saxman Richard Elliot is a rhythmic
force of funk and fire, diverse and distinctive, passionate and powerful, soulful
and seductive. A consistent chart-topper, Elliot released the Metro Blue album
on June 28th. It's his fourteenth solo collection, yet his debut for the newly
launched ARTizen Music Group record label, of which he is a partner. Elliot's
emotive sax and Rick Braun's muted trumpet and flugelhorn help set the tone
on the first track being serviced to smooth jazz radio, a cover of The Stylistics'
moody classic, "People Make The World Go Round."
Metro Blue was produced by Braun and Elliot, who collaborated
on nine original songs. Joining them in the studio were Jeff Lorber, Peter White,
Brian Culbertson, Dwight Sills, Gregg Karukas, Lenny Castro, Rex Rideout, Ronnie
Garret, Nate Philips and Phil Davis. The record sounds slick and contemporary
yet recalls dusty vintage funk records from the 1970s when hot horn sections
and cool keyboards helped create the vibe. On tracks like "Inside Out,"
"Say It's So," "Mystique," and "Maxi's," Elliot's
sax is muscular and robust, blowing big hooky choruses over R&B beats and
dance grooves. When the tempo slows, as on "Camella" (named for Elliot's
wife), "People Make The World Go Round," and the title track, Elliot
chills, backing off the intensity in favor of romance and gentle melodies.
"This album release really represents a turning point
for me," said Elliot. "The creative experience of working with Rick
(Braun) coupled with the freedom of controlling our own destiny with the new
label is pushing me into new directions creatively. I feel so lucky to be working
with such inventive and creative people."
To help launch and support the album release, Elliot is teaming
with Braun, White and Jonathan Butler for the luminous Jazz Attack U.S. concert
tour, with dates now through summer. Although his career began in a recording
studio backing Motown legends such as Smokey Robinson and The Temptations, the
stage has always been a big part of Elliot's repertoire ever since he was a
teenager when he toured with Melissa Manchester. He went on to spend five formative
years performing with Tower Of Power. While his highly successful solo recording
career has made him an icon in the contemporary jazz radio world, Elliot has
always devoted a tremendous amount of time and energy to his live performance
schedule, one that helped him connect with fans across the country, forging
an enduring relationship.
Off stage, the Scotland-born, Los Angeles-reared Elliot has
demonstrated his astute entrepreneurial skills as a co-founder of innovative
Internet multimedia company PacificNet. He's now partnered with Braun, their
long-time manager Steve Chapman, and industry veteran Al Evers to create the
ARTizen Music Group. Although the initial releases will be new product from
Elliot and Braun, other artists will be signed to the label for new releases
and ARTizen will release catalogue pieces from veteran artists. The Sherman
Oaks, California-based record company is distributed in the United States by
Ryko Distribution.
Solo Discography
On the Manhattan Label:
1986 Trolltown - # CDP 7966822
1987 Initial Approach - # CDP 796683 2
1988 Power of Suggestion - # CDP 7 96684 2
1989 Take to the Skies - # CDP 7 96685 2
1990 What's Inside - CDP 7 96686 2
24.09.1991 On The Town - CDP 7 96687 2
01.12.1993 Soul Embrace - CDP 0777 98946 2 8
On the Blue Note Contemporary Label:
18.10.1994 After Dark - #72438 27838
02.04.1996 City Speak - # 72438 262021
On the Metro Blue Label:
18.11.1997 Jumpin' Off - # 7243 8 38251 2 7
On the Blue Note Label:
13.07.1999 Chill Factor - #7243 8 57431 2 7
21.11.2000 The Best of - # 7243 5 30249 2 5
06.11.2001 Ballads - Blue Note 5358682
On the GRP Label:
21.08.2001 Crush - GRP 314 549 744-2
29.04.2003 Ricochet - GRP 440 065 553-2
On the Artizen Music Group Label:
28.06.2005 Metro Blue
Richard Elliot's "Metro Blue"
album contains the following songs:
Inside Out / Chill Bill / Camella / Mystique / Coastline /
Mango Tango / People Make The World Go Round (Radio 5/2/5) / Maxi's / Say It's
So / Metro Blue
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More info here:
mail@richardelliot.com
www.richardelliot.com
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