 Since the release of his first solo collection a decade ago, Richard Elliot has established his legitimate claim to a share of the smooth jazz kingdom. Album after album had landed at the top of what he prefers to label "contemporary instrumental" heap. His version of the oft-covered "When a Man Loves a Woman" is a radio format classic. On stage, Elliot's an entertainer whose showmanship, enthusiasm and passion intimately touch the hearts of concert-goers. A serious fan of rhythm and blues while growing up, Elliot got his first professional gig as a teenager, touring Europe backing Natalie Cole and The Pointer Sisters. From R&B/pop to fusion, Elliot subsequently joined the cutting-edge ensemble Kittyhawk. Studio work with Motown legends including Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops and The Temptations ensued and confirmed Elliot's career choice. "Originally my parents weren't too thrilled about me becoming a professional musician, but I told them that if music didn't work out, I wanted to be a fighter pilot. Somehow becoming a musician didn't sound too bad to them after all," Elliot laughed. The Yellowjackets provided his next major break, asking him to play on their second album and tour. During a year-long break from the highly-regarded fusion outfit, Elliot joined Melisssa Manchester's touring unit and played sporadically with Tower of Power. In 1982, the icon horn troupe asked him to be full-time; thus began what he called "the most important, most educational and most influential five years of my career." Deciding the time was right to go solo, in 1987 Elliot released the first of five albums for the former Enigma Records. His latest, Jumpin' Off, is his fifth release for the Metro Blue/Blue Note Records family (City Speak, After Dark, Soul Embrace and On the Town are the other titles). Outside of music, Elliot is a found partner in PacificNet, a flourishing multimedia company that creates websites for entertainment industry businesses and provides access to the internet. When he's not making records or touring, he's in an office daily on the phones and in meetings.
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