The Id, Featuring Jeff St John - Big Time Operator (1966)

Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band - Big Time Operator (1966)

(Tony Colton - Ray Smith)
 UK
Original version
#25 UK

Single on Columbia July 1966, producer John Harris, by R&B club band with loads of showmanship led by George ‘Zoot’ Money (b.1942).

Zoot Money was a singer and keyboardist who had first formed the Big Roll Band in Bournemouth in 1961, before spending some time with Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated in London. After that, the Big Roll Band regrouped in London and became a popular live band.  

Money, with guitarist Andy Somers and drummer Colin Allen, both from the Big Roll Band, later formed Dantalian’s Chariot (they were on Nuggets II with Madman Running Through The Fields).

Zoot Money went on to the New Animals, later joined by Andy Somers who would find fame with Police, changing the spelling of his name to Summers along the way.

The writers, Tony Colton and Ray Smith, were frequent collaborators, especially in the R&B big band genre. Colton and Smith wrote Big Time Operator after they were asked to provide material for Zoot Money.

They shared management with Money through the Gunnell Agency, and they all performed at Rik Gunnell’s Flamingo Club. The Flamingo was a key venue in London’s jazz and R&B scene, where midnight-dawn allnighters featured many leading lights of British soul-R&B, including Georgie Fame, Chris Farlowe, Geno Washington and Cliff Bennett.

Zoot Money recorded or performed some other Colton-Smith songs: Let’s Run For Cover, The Star of the Show, Nick Nack (produced by Colton & Smith) and Train Train.

Tony Colton recorded under his own name and with Tony Colton & The Big Boss Band.

I Stand Accused, written by Colton & Smith, is best known in versions by The Merseybeats (1965), and by Elvis Costello (on Get Happy!! 1980). It was first recorded by Tony Colton & The Big Boss Band (1965) YouTube.

Colton’s songwriting partner Ray Smith started out as a jazz guitarist and played in skiffle groups before moving on to rock and pop, playing in the bands of several notable British artists before establishing himself as a songwriter and composer. His name is often seen in writer credits with Tony Colton, also with Albert Lee: the three of them wrote Country Boy, the 1985 #1 country hit for Ricky Skaggs.

In the late 60s-early 70s Colton and Smith were in Poet And The One Man Band and then Heads Hands & Feet, with Albert Lee and Chas Hodges (later of Chas & Dave).

References, further reading: 1. Correspondence with Tony Colton (via email). 2. Zoot Money (and the Big Roll Band) at 45-rpm.org.uk. 3. Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band from British Beat Boom [archived]. 4. ZootMoney.org [archived]. 5. Dantalion’s Chariot post at Dr. Schluss’ Garage Of Psychedelic Obscurities 6. TonyColton.net [archived] 7. Mod R&B Super Group? (Shotgun Express who recorded Colton & Smith’s “I Could Feel The Whole World Turn Round”), post at Anorak Thing. 8. Discographies for Zoot Money, Tony Colton and Tony Colton & The Big Boss Band at 45Cat (some label shots included). 9. Rik Gunnell obituary, The Guardian, 18 June 2007.

Thanks to Kees van der Hoeven for clarification.