RICHARD ELLIOT
If you are one of the lucky ones, you can recall a moment in time when a portal to an entire new world was opened for you, and a fire was lit within. For Richard Elliot, that moment was when his sister, ten years his senior, took a leap of faith and invited him to listen to her record collection. The only caveat was that he takes good care of her records and put them back where they belong.
Elliot not only took good care of the music, but the music has been taking care of him for over four decades. The chart-topping Grammy-nominated saxophonist recalls, “My sister had everything from Joni Mitchell, Carlos Santana and Dave Brubeck to Smokey Robinson, The Temptations and The Four Tops. I got a chance to be exposed at a young age to a lot of great music.”
That inspiration ran deep, and Elliot went on to work with all three of the aforementioned Motown legends. His enviable credits also include a five-year stint with the funk and soul horns of Tower of Power and when he was just a lad worked with Natalie Cole and the Pointer Sisters.
A man of many talents, Elliot, who once moonlighted as a software engineer, is also a pilot. In fact, the saxman is in the process of building his own two-seat plane in his garage. On September 6, 2024, the Scottish-born, LA raised and San Diego based renaissance man will release his 21st recording as a leader, Straight Up Down, on Shanachie Entertainment.
