Clem Curtis
Encyclopedia
Clem Curtis is a singer and former lead vocalist of sixties British soul group The Foundations
.
and won most of his fights as a professional boxer. His mother was a popular singer in Trinidad and Clem Curtis claims that this contributed to his ear for music.
Also He arrived at a cruise ship called the "Azura" which docked in Southhampton England. In his experience of a cruise he met a young group of teenagers from the H20 teenager club in the Manhattan bar.
. He joined the group after hearing from his uncle that Ramong, the lead singer of the group, was looking for backing singers and he should give it a try. Curtis at this time was a former pro boxer and his singing experience was limited to singing with his uncle when he came around the house with the guitar. After losing their original lead singer Ramong, taking on board Arthur Brown
temporarily for a few weeks, going through a few name changes they became The Foundations
and emerged in January 1967 with Clem Curtis as their lead singer. The Foundations would go on to have worldwide hits with "Baby Now That I've Found You
", "Build Me Up Buttercup
" etc.
Curtis is the lead voice on their hits "Baby Now That I've Found You", "Back on My Feet Again
" and "Any Old Time (You're Lonely and Sad)".
After having found success with The Foundations, two hit singles and releasing two albums, some problems started with their songwriter producer Tony Macaulay
as well as some problems within the group. Curtis felt that after their hit a couple of The Foundations members were taking things a little too easy thinking that they didn't need to work so hard now that they'd scored a hit. After being disillusioned with the band, he along with another member, Mike Elliott
, left The Foundations in 1968 just after recording a version of "It's All Right", a song that they had been belting out live to crowds for some time. So he went over to pursue a solo career in the United States. This was probably helped along by the encouragement of Sammy Davis, Jr.
who became friends. He stuck around long enough to help the band audition a replacement. His replacement was a singer called Colin Young
.
, staying with The Cowsills
etc., he wasn't getting much work done and he decided to come back to England. He returned to the UK in the early 1970s and did some work with Donnie Elbert
and Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon
and later reformed a version of The Foundations.
Over the years, Curtis has fronted various lineups of The Foundations, as well as appearing on his own as a solo artist. He has recorded
and released records
on various record label
s which include EMI
, Opium, Pye Records
, RCA Records
, Riverdale and various others.
In 1977 Clem Curtis and The Foundations nearly got into the Eurovision final with "Where Were You When I Needed Your Love", a John Macleod
and Dave Meyers composition. They came third in the heats and were picked as a favourite to win but an electricians' strike ruined their chances and "Rock Bottom" by Lynsey de Paul
and Mike Moran was the winner.
In the late 1980s, Curtis joined the lineup of "The Corporation", also referred to as "the Traveling Wrinklies", which was a parody of sorts, of the popular Traveling Wilburys
. The Traveling Wrinklies were composed of Curtis, Mike Pender
, Brian Poole
, Tony Crane and Reg Presley
, former lead singer of The Troggs
. They released a single
"Ain't Nothing But A House Party" on the Corporation label in 1988.
Also around the same time, in or around the late 1980s, Clem Curtis teamed up with original Foundations guitarist Alan Warner
to re-cut the original Foundations hits.
Curtis has appeared on stage as the Lion in The Wiz
at the Lyric Hammersmith
, and gave a successful gospel stage performance in Amen Corner at The Lyric
in Shaftesbury Avenue
. He has also appeared on TV chat shows, British reality television series Airport
and had a bit part in the ITV
series The Bill
.
Curtis is still recording and performing today, he can regularly be seen as part of the "soul explosion" night with former Flirtations singer Earnestine Pearce and Jimmy James
(of 'Jimmy James and the Vagabonds' fame) at resorts such as Butlins
and Warner Leisure Hotels
in the United Kingdom.He has acquired the unofficial title of "The Godfather of English Soul".
In 2005, Curtis and Lord Large released "Stuck in a Wind Up
" and "Move Over Daddy", which is a hit with the Northern Soul
crowd.
Since reforming The Foundations in the early 1970s Clem Curtis has kept it going all along and in spite of a totally unconnected American band somehow adopting the Foundations name and covering their material and adding to the confusion. Original lead singer Curtis has kept fans entertained with the Foundations original hits as he has done during the last four decades since returning to the UK in 1971.
Clem Curtis is currently residing in the small town of Olney, near Milton Keynes
, England
, United Kingdom
.
12"
The Foundations
The Foundations were a British soul band, active from 1967 to 1970. The group, made up of West Indians, White British, and a Sri Lankan, are best known for their two biggest hits, "Baby Now That I've Found You" , written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod; and "Build Me Up Buttercup" The Foundations...
.
Early years
Curtis came to England at the age of fifteen and later found employment as an interior decorator. He entered boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and won most of his fights as a professional boxer. His mother was a popular singer in Trinidad and Clem Curtis claims that this contributed to his ear for music.
Also He arrived at a cruise ship called the "Azura" which docked in Southhampton England. In his experience of a cruise he met a young group of teenagers from the H20 teenager club in the Manhattan bar.
1966 to 1968
Between 1966 and 1967 Curtis joined a group called The Ramong SoundThe Ramong Sound
The Ramong Sound was a British R&B, soul and ska band, active from 1965 to 1966.-History:The Ramong Sound was a London based outfit, that featured two black lead singers doing Sam & Dave styled duets, one of them being former professional boxer Clem Curtis, and the other being Raymond Morrison aka...
. He joined the group after hearing from his uncle that Ramong, the lead singer of the group, was looking for backing singers and he should give it a try. Curtis at this time was a former pro boxer and his singing experience was limited to singing with his uncle when he came around the house with the guitar. After losing their original lead singer Ramong, taking on board Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown (musician)
Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
temporarily for a few weeks, going through a few name changes they became The Foundations
The Foundations
The Foundations were a British soul band, active from 1967 to 1970. The group, made up of West Indians, White British, and a Sri Lankan, are best known for their two biggest hits, "Baby Now That I've Found You" , written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod; and "Build Me Up Buttercup" The Foundations...
and emerged in January 1967 with Clem Curtis as their lead singer. The Foundations would go on to have worldwide hits with "Baby Now That I've Found You
Baby Now That I've Found You
"Baby, Now That I've Found You" is a song written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod. Part of the song was written in the same bar of a Soho tavern where Karl Marx is supposed to have written Das Kapital. The lyrics are a plea that an unnamed subject not break up with the singer.-Original recording...
", "Build Me Up Buttercup
Build Me Up Buttercup
"Build Me Up Buttercup" is the name of a song written by Mike d'Abo and Tony Macaulay, and released by The Foundations with Colin Young singing the lead vocals in 1968. This was the third major hit for The Foundations. Colin Young replaced Clem Curtis in 1968 and this was the first Foundations hit...
" etc.
Curtis is the lead voice on their hits "Baby Now That I've Found You", "Back on My Feet Again
Back On My Feet Again
Back on My Feet Again is the second single released by the Foundations. It was the follow-up to their hit single "Baby, Now That I've Found You". It was written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod and produced by Tony Macaulay. It charted at number 18 in the UK...
" and "Any Old Time (You're Lonely and Sad)".
After having found success with The Foundations, two hit singles and releasing two albums, some problems started with their songwriter producer Tony Macaulay
Tony Macaulay
Tony Macaulay is a British author, composer for musical theatre, and songwriter, though it was the latter that made him a household name early in his career...
as well as some problems within the group. Curtis felt that after their hit a couple of The Foundations members were taking things a little too easy thinking that they didn't need to work so hard now that they'd scored a hit. After being disillusioned with the band, he along with another member, Mike Elliott
Mike Elliott (saxophonist)
Mike Elliott is a saxophonist who was born in Jamaica on 6 August 1929. He played on Ska recordings in the early 1960s as well as some Pop / Soul hits in the late 1960s.-Early 1960s:...
, left The Foundations in 1968 just after recording a version of "It's All Right", a song that they had been belting out live to crowds for some time. So he went over to pursue a solo career in the United States. This was probably helped along by the encouragement of Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
who became friends. He stuck around long enough to help the band audition a replacement. His replacement was a singer called Colin Young
Colin Young
Colin Young is a singer known for being a member of The Foundations. In the mid-sixties, he came to England for a holiday with his father and he decided to stay...
.
1970s to present
After some well received club appearances and having a balls dance and hanging out with artists like Wilson PickettWilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
, staying with The Cowsills
The Cowsills
The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island. They specialized in harmonies and the ability to sing and play music at an early age. The band was formed in the spring of 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and Barry, then shortly thereafter added John...
etc., he wasn't getting much work done and he decided to come back to England. He returned to the UK in the early 1970s and did some work with Donnie Elbert
Donnie Elbert
Donnie Elbert was an American soul singer, who had a prolific career from the mid 1950s to the late 1970s...
and Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon
Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon
Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon were a U.S. vocal soul group, prominent in the late 1960s and early 1970s.-Career:Originally known simply as The Bandwagon, they were formed in 1967 and featured Artie Fullilove, Billy Bradley, Terry Lewis and lead singer Johnny Johnson Johnny Johnson and the...
and later reformed a version of The Foundations.
Over the years, Curtis has fronted various lineups of The Foundations, as well as appearing on his own as a solo artist. He has recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
and released records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
on various record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s which include EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, Opium, Pye Records
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
, RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, Riverdale and various others.
In 1977 Clem Curtis and The Foundations nearly got into the Eurovision final with "Where Were You When I Needed Your Love", a John Macleod
John Macleod (songwriter)
-Career:In the 1960s, Macleod co-wrote songs with Tony Macaulay. They had major success with The Foundations, when they recorded "Baby Now That I've Found You", and it topped the UK Singles Chart in 1967, followed by Long John Baldry's "Let the Heartaches Begin"; Paper Dolls' "Something Here In My...
and Dave Meyers composition. They came third in the heats and were picked as a favourite to win but an electricians' strike ruined their chances and "Rock Bottom" by Lynsey de Paul
Lynsey De Paul
Lynsey de Paul is an English singer-songwriter. Allmusic journalist, Craig Harris stated, "one of the first successful female singer-songwriters in England, de Paul has had an illustrious career".-Early life:De Paul was born to Meta and Herbert Rubin, a property developer...
and Mike Moran was the winner.
In the late 1980s, Curtis joined the lineup of "The Corporation", also referred to as "the Traveling Wrinklies", which was a parody of sorts, of the popular Traveling Wilburys
Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys were an English–American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, accompanied by drummer Jim Keltner...
. The Traveling Wrinklies were composed of Curtis, Mike Pender
Mike Pender
Mike Pender was an original founding member of Merseybeat group The Searchers. He is best known as the lead vocalist on many hit singles by The Searchers, including the song "Needles and Pins"...
, Brian Poole
The Tremeloes
The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, Essex, and still active today.-Career:They formed as Brian Poole and the Tremoloes influenced by Buddy Holly and The Crickets...
, Tony Crane and Reg Presley
Reg Presley
Reg Presley is an English singer-songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer with prominent 1960s rock and roll band The Troggs, whose best known hit was "Wild Thing", though their only UK number one single was "With A Girl Like You"...
, former lead singer of The Troggs
The Troggs
The Troggs are an English rock band from the 1960s that had a number of hits in UK and the US. Their most famous songs include, "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You", and "Love Is All Around"...
. They released a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Ain't Nothing But A House Party" on the Corporation label in 1988.
Also around the same time, in or around the late 1980s, Clem Curtis teamed up with original Foundations guitarist Alan Warner
Alan Warner (musician)
Alan Warner is a musician.As a boy he originally wanted to play trumpet but ended up with a toy accordion...
to re-cut the original Foundations hits.
Curtis has appeared on stage as the Lion in The Wiz
The Wiz
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
at the Lyric Hammersmith
Lyric Hammersmith
The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on King Street, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which takes pride in its original, "groundbreaking" productions....
, and gave a successful gospel stage performance in Amen Corner at The Lyric
Lyric Theatre (London)
The Lyric Theatre is a West End theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster.Designed by architect C. J. Phipps, it was built by producer Henry Leslie with profits from the Alfred Cellier and B. C. Stephenson hit, Dorothy, which he transferred from the Prince of Wales Theatre to open...
in Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue is a major street in central London, England, named after Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, that runs in a north-easterly direction from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus....
. He has also appeared on TV chat shows, British reality television series Airport
Airport (TV series)
Airport is a British documentary television series based at London Heathrow Airport, the world's busiest international airport, broadcast by the BBC and syndicated to Dave, part of the UKTV network....
and had a bit part in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
series The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
.
Curtis is still recording and performing today, he can regularly be seen as part of the "soul explosion" night with former Flirtations singer Earnestine Pearce and Jimmy James
Jimmy James (Singer)
Jimmy James is a soul music singer, known for songs like Come To Me Softly, Now Is the Time and I'll Go Where the Music Takes Me.-The Vagabonds:...
(of 'Jimmy James and the Vagabonds' fame) at resorts such as Butlins
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
and Warner Leisure Hotels
Warner Leisure Hotels
Warner Leisure Hotels is a private company owned by Bourne Leisure Limited who have 13 historical hotels located in various countryside and coastal regions of the UK....
in the United Kingdom.He has acquired the unofficial title of "The Godfather of English Soul".
In 2005, Curtis and Lord Large released "Stuck in a Wind Up
Stuck In A Wind Up
"Stuck In A Wind Up" is the name of a song released by Lord Large on the Acid Jazz label with former The Foundations front man Clem Curtis singing the lead vocals. The B side is a Ska track called Move Over Daddy....
" and "Move Over Daddy", which is a hit with the Northern Soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
crowd.
Since reforming The Foundations in the early 1970s Clem Curtis has kept it going all along and in spite of a totally unconnected American band somehow adopting the Foundations name and covering their material and adding to the confusion. Original lead singer Curtis has kept fans entertained with the Foundations original hits as he has done during the last four decades since returning to the UK in 1971.
Clem Curtis is currently residing in the small town of Olney, near Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Discography (selective)
7"- Clem Curtis - Marie Take A Chance / Caravan - United Artists UP 2263 1969
- Clem Curtis - Mountain Over The Hill / Time Alone Will Tell - PYE 7N 45070 - 1971
- Clem Curtis - I've Never Found A Girl (To Love Me Like You Do) / Point Of No Return PYE 7N 45149
- Clem Curtis - I Don't Care What People Say / Shame On You - EMI EMI 2159 - 1974
- Clem Curtis - Unchained Melody / Need Your Love - RCA PB 5175 - 1978
- Lord Large Featuring Clem Curtis - Stuck In A Wind Up / Move Over Daddy - Acid Jazz AJX 174 S 2005
12"
- Clem Curtis - Unchained Melody, Need Your Love / Need Your Love - RCA Victor PC 5175 - 1979
- Clem Curtis - Dancing in the Street / Scottish Beat Party - Pressure DD 1006 - 198?
- Clem Curtis & The Foundations - * Baby Now That I've Found You (Extended Version) / Baby Now That I've Found You (7" Version), Baby Now That I've Found You (Busk Mix) - Opium Records OPINT 001 - 1987
- The Promise, Feat Clem Curtis - Promise (The Saxual Mix), Promise (The Funky Trip) / Promise (Jon's In The Garage), Promise (Original Honesty Mix), Promise (Drummie Zeb Dubbed Up Mix) - Hard Discs HARD T 3 - 1992