Quite simply the biggest character on the British rhythm and blues scene since the early 1960s, Zoot Money was born George Bruno Money on 17 July 1942 in Bournemouth, Dorset, England. Part of a large and noisy family, both his parents were Italian immigrants, although his father’s family (really called Money) were originally English. At school Zoot played the French horn and sang in the choir, but it wasn’t long before he heard the call from the pied pipers of rock and roll (aka Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles – what a combination!) and found himself transformed into a leading light on Bournemouth’s vibrant music scene.