An early line-up had Zoot Money as vocalist and Al Kirtley on piano[1] but in the band's best-known form Money himself played Hammond organ. Bassist/vocalist Paul Williams and baritone saxophonist Clive Burrows had previously been with the Wes Minster Five. Burrows was eventually replaced on baritone sax by Johnny Almond, Burrows going on to appear with The Alan Price Set and with Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band.[2]
Roger Collis on guitar was replaced in the classic line-up by Andy Summers (then Somers), who had played with Money in the Don Robb Band.[3] Early bassist Mike "Monty" Montgomery was eventually replaced by Johnny King while drummer Johnny Hammond gave way to Pete Brookes in 1962, who was subsequently himself replaced by Colin Allen.
In 1964 The Big Roll Band started playing regularly at The Flamingo Club in Soho, London, featuring Money's flamboyant frontman antics. The outfit signed with Decca Records, releasing a solitary 45rpm single that year before switching to EMI's Columbia label. In 1965 four more singles appeared and their first album, It Should Have Been Me, was issued in October. Money refused Alan Price's keyboard chair with The Animals in order to remain a vocalist. The next July "Big Time Operator" was the group's most successful single, appearing at number 25 in UK charts.[4] Zoot Live At Klooks Kleek, was released in October of that year and hit number 23.[4] It also appeared in the United States on the Epic Records label but lacked promotion.[3]
Money joined Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated for a short spell before rejoining the band, but fashions were drifting from straight RnB towards more experimental sounds and an emphasis on songwriting. Although a popular fixture on the London club circuit in the early to mid-1960s, they had had little commercial success.[5] In July 1967 the Big Roll Band became Dantalian's Chariot before Money accepted a renewed offer to join Eric Burdon in his reformed Animals. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.