ORIGINAL STARS

Clem Curtis & The Foundations

Born on the tropical island of Trinidad in 1940, Clem Curtis first came to Britain at the age of 15 and with the help of a friend found work as an interior decorator. He later entered the world of boxing, winning all but three of his seventeen fights.

Clem admits that he always had a natural ear for music, a gift he inherited from his mother who had been a popular jazz singer back in Trinidad. By the age of 25 he decided that there must be an easier way to earn a living than being a boxer. After nearly 30 years in the music business he jokes that now he's "not quite so sure, but I wouldn't change a thing".

After leaving the boxing profession, Clem met up with some musicians in London's Bayswater area, who eventually asked him to become the lead singer in their new band. The group actually opened its own coffee bar in Bayswater called The Butterfly, where they would play and entertain the customers.

The big break finally came when Clem and his colleagues met up with Ron Fairway and Barry Cass who offered to become their managers. A recording contract with Pye soon followed and the Tony McCauley/John McCloud composition Baby Now That I've Found You became the very first release for Clem Curtis and The Foundations. After much initial airplay on Radio Caroline the record went to the top of the charts in September 1967.

This chart-topping success led to numerous radio and TV appearances for The Foundations, together with further hit singles over the following two-year period. The group embarked on a world tour where they appeared alongside performers such as Janis Joplin, The Byrds and 5th Dimension, playing in thirty different US States alone.

Clem Curtis met and became good friends with the late great, Sammy Davis Jnr., who with the help of some important American contacts, helped persuade Clem to leave the group and move to America in order to try his hand as a solo performer. Clem undertook work on the US club circuit, encouraged by the likes of Wilson Pickett and Sam and Dave. In Las Vegas Clem Curtis performed with The Righteous Brothers.

When he finally returned to the UK, Clem decided to re-form The Foundations and the current line-up is well established as firm favourites on the 60's circuit, including recent appearances at the London Palladium and Albert Hall, as well as at clubs, hotels, and concerts around the world.

Their classic hits, together with an element of soul and jazz are currently providing a winning formula with audiences of all ages.

Hits from Clem Curtis and The Foundations:
* Baby Now That I've Found You - 16 Weeks in Charts - No. 1
* Build Me Up Buttercup - 15 Weeks in Charts - No. 2
* In The Bad Bad Old Days - 10 Weeks in Charts - No. 8
* Back On My Feet Again - 10 Weeks in Charts - No. 18
and many more....

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