BORN IN SCOTLAND AND TRANSPLANTED TO LOS ANGELES AT THE AGE OF THREE, RICHARD ELLIOT WAS CAPTIVATED BY R&B AND SMITTEN WITH THE MOTOWN SOUND. AT AGE SIXTEEN ELLIOT RECALLS “I WATCHED THIS BIG MAN ON STAGE. I WAS MESMERIZED. DEXTER GORDON BLEW THE FIRST NOTE, HIS HUGE SOUND BLEW ME AWAY.”

A YOUNG RICHARD ELLIOT POLISHED HIS CHOPS SERVING AS A SIDEMAN FOR GIANTS, INCLUDING THE YELLOWJACKETS, NATALIE COLE, AND MOTOWN HITMAKERS SMOKEY ROBINSON AND THE TEMPTATIONS. BUT MANY FIRST HEARD THE SAXOPHONE VIRTUOSITY OF RICHARD ELLIOT IN THE 1980S, AS A TOURING MUSICIAN WITH THE BAY AREA SOUL-FUNK OUTFIT, TOWER OF POWER.

IN THAT TIME, HE RELEASED HIS DEBUT SOLO ALBUM, “TROLLTOWN”, AND THE ENSUING SUCCESS ENCOURAGED HIM TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF AS A SOLO ARTIST. BY THE LATE ’80S, ELLIOT WAS SIGNED TO BLUE NOTE RECORDS, WHERE HE WORKED WITH THE LEGENDARY RECORD EXECUTIVE, BRUCE LUNDVALL, AN EARLY CHAMPION OF ELLIOT’S WORK.

SINCE THEN, RICHARD ELLIOT HAS RELEASED MORE THAN 20 ALBUMS. HIS LIST OF #1 ALBUMS INCLUDE “ON THE TOWN”, “SOUL EMBRACE”, “AFTER DARK”, “AND JUMPIN’ OFF”, AND ELLIOT HOLDS A CONSISTENT PRESENCE AT THE TOP OF THE BILLBOARD CHARTS. HE HAS ALSO ENJOYED THE DISTINCTION OF HAVING TWO RELEASES CHART SIMULTANEOUSLY; “CHILL FACTOR” REMAINED ON BILLBOARD’S CONTEMPORARY JAZZ CHART FOR OVER 94 WEEKS, WITH THE “THE BEST OF RICHARD ELLIOT” 26 WEEKS SIMULTANEOUSLY.