Kelly Groucutt; Bass player with the Electric Light Orchestra (Independent)
Hyfler/Rosner
Orchestra
By Spencer Leigh
Saturday, 28 February 2009
With their strong melodies and symphonic orchestrations, the
Electric Light Orchestra (or ELO) became one of the biggest
groups of the 1970s.
When Kelly Groucutt replaced Mike de Albuquerque on bass in
1974, he was soon creating layers of vocal harmonies with
the lead singer and songwriter, Jeff Lynne. Since ELO
disbanded in 1986, Groucutt fronted various line-ups with
previous members and was about to undertake a nationwide
tour as part of the latest reincarnation, The Orchestra, in
May.
Michael William Groucutt was born in Coseley, outside
Wolverhampton, in 1945. He left school at 15 to work in a
sheet metal factory, where a co-worker suggested that he
should join a rock 'n' roll band. Groucutt taught himself to
play the guitar and bass and played in bands around
Birmingham and Wolverhampton. While in the early 1970s
comedy band Sight and Sound, he would impersonate Gilbert
O'Sullivan and, with a wig, Nancy Sinatra. In 1974, he
played in a band called Barefoot, doing cabaret at the Snobs
club in Birmingham.
The city was a hotbed of musical activity, with successful
groups including the Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, Black
Sabbath, the Move and ELO. Roy Wood of the Move and Jeff
Lynne of the Idle Race had formed ELO in 1972 and although
they made successful records, they did not work well
together, and Wood left. Their manager, Don Arden, curiously
described it as "the best thing that could happen to ELO" -
but he was right. Arden knew how to market the band and
encourage Lynne's creativity, but he was also a tough
character. At one show in Italy, an Italian poked Arden in
the chest to get his attention: Arden beat him up, only to
discover that he had humiliated the Chief of Police.
In 1974, while ELO were making Face the Music, Jeff Lynne,
Bev Bevan (drums) and Richard Tandy (keyboards) came to see
Groucutt in Snobs and invited him to be the new bass player
and take part in an imminent tour. Groucutt told me in 1999
that he could hardly believe his good fortune.
"I'd not played to more than 300 people at once and I'd
never been out of the country, didn't have a passport and
had never flown," he said. "When they offered me the job, I
said, 'Please take me away as I'm being buried alive in this
club.' It was done so quickly that I had to visit the
passport office as there was no time to do it by post. I
learnt the songs on a plane to America and my first ELO show
was in Detroit to 4,000 people. They were touring to promote
the Eldorado album and I ended up with a gold disc even
though I hadn't played on it!"
As there were already two Mikes in the band (Mike Edwards
and Mik Kaminski), they called him Kelly, a nickname used by
his father. As Kelly Groucutt, he played on several of ELO's
albums: Face the Music (1975), A New World Record (1976),
Out of the Blue (1977), Discovery (1979), the film
soundtrack to Xanadu with Olivia Newton-John (1980) and Time
(1981).
Groucutt's lead vocals were valued by the band. He sang lead
on the manic "Poker" (1975) and the hit single "The Diary of
Horace Wimp" (1979). Onstage, he relished singing the mock
operatic part in "Rockaria!" Yet the writing process of ELO
was what Groucutt really enjoyed.
"Those days were tremendous," said Groucutt. "Jeff would
have the idea for a song and he, Richard Tandy and myself
would sit down and work things out together. He would want
to get the backing track down first, and then he would write
the words. Those were my best times with Jeff: he was no fun
on the road as he would get really fed up with it."
From 1979, Groucutt recorded his own songs for a solo album,
eventually released as Kelly in 1982. Groucutt played all
the guitars, and several of ELO were involved - Bevan,
Tandy, Kaminski and Louis Clark. Although the single, "Am I
a Dreamer" didn't make the charts, it received considerable
airplay.
At the time of making Secret Messages (1983), Groucutt fell
out with Lynne as he felt that he should be sharing in the
group's considerable royalties. Lynne told him to read his
contract: he had been recruited as a salaried employee.
Groucutt sued and although he received £300,000, he had to
leave the band.
Groucutt wrote and recorded the title song for the TV series
MiniPops, but at the last minute, the director Mike
Mansfield decided against theme music. In 1985 he wrote and
recorded songs for an EP, We Love Animals, for the RSPCA.
When Jeff Lynne disbanded ELO, Kaminski and Groucutt formed
OrKestra with the intention of playing their hits as well as
making a new album, Beyond the Dream. Meanwhile, Bev Bevan
asked Lynne for permission to make a new album under the ELO
banner. When Lynne refused, he started ELO Part II with
Louis Clark. The two bands realised that they could be very
successful if they amalgamated and as ELO Part II, they
sometimes toured with symphony orchestras, something that
the original ELO never did. Their live album, Moment Of
Truth (1994), has been endlessly repackaged.
Bevan left in November 1999 and at the same time sold his 50
per cent share in the ELO name and the full rights to ELO
Part II to Jeff Lynne. Lynne's first task was to stop ELO
Part II, although it is hard to appreciate why, as he was
receiving royalties from the songs that they played. By way
of contrast, Noddy Holder never objected to Slade II. They
renamed themselves The Orchestra and took great care over
how their concerts were promoted. They released an album of
new songs, No Rewind, in 2001.
Groucutt always enjoyed touring and was just as happy
playing with a local, little known band called Session 60 as
he was doing a one-man performance in a pub. Most of all, he
loved playing with Orchestra. "My favourite moment is when
we start "Mr Blue Sky". It's a happy song with no particular
message. It's like when the sun comes out on a rainy day: it
just makes you feel good."
Michael William Groucutt (Kelly Groucutt), singer and
guitarist: born 8 September 1945 Coseley, Staffordshire;
twice married (three sons, one daughter); died Worcester 19
February 2009.