Robert Hartley Elliott (born 8 December 1941) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

rock drummer, best known for playing with

The Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...

. He has been described as "one of the very finest drummers in all of pop/rock".

Early life

Elliott discovered jazz music when he was 10 or 11 and wanted to become a drummer. He attended

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

Grammar School, but is a self-taught drummer, who learnt to drum with home-made brushes and sticks, on tins and other household items, by copying

Chico Hamilton Foreststorn "Chico" Hamilton (September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He came to prominence as sideman for Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Lena Horne. Hamilton became a bandleader, ...

of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of "Sing, Sing, S ...

of the Benny Goodman Orchestra. Elliott was an original member of Johnny Theakston and The Tremeloes, who formed in 1959. Fronted by the vocalist

Johnny Theakston Shane Fenton and the Fentones were an English rock and roll group formed in 1960. Shane Fenton, the band's namesake, was actually the stage name of two different musicians; when the first Shane Fenton, real name Johnny Theakston, suddenly died, h ...

, Elliott drummed alongside guitarists Jerry Wilcox and Mick Hay, and bassist William "Bonny" Oliver. In late 1960 they sent a demo tape to BBC Radio's Saturday Club, calling themselves Shane Fenton & The Fentones, but Theakston died before they received a reply. Having been offered an audition, the band's roadie Bernard Jewry (later known as

Alvin Stardust Bernard William Jewry (27 September 1942 – 23 October 2014), known professionally as Shane Fenton and later as Alvin Stardust, was an English rock singer and stage actor. Performing first as Shane Fenton in the 1960s, Jewry had a moderately s ...

), stepped in as vocalist, adopting the stage name Shane Fenton at Theakston's mother's request. Tommy Sanderson became their manager, and negotiated a record deal with EMI who released "I'm a Moody Guy", which reached 19 on the UK singles chart. The next three singles failed to chart, "Cindy's Birthday" was then a minor hit, before the following three singles also flopped, and the band broke up in April 1963. Elliott also played in Ricky Shaw and the Dolphins, a Manchester band led by guitarist

Tony Hicks Anthony Christopher Hicks (born 16 December 1945) is an English guitarist and singer who has been a member of the British rock/pop band the Hollies since 1963, and as such was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. His main rol ...

who left to join

in April 1963. Shortly after, the Hollies drummer Don Rathbone left and Elliott also joined the Hollies, whilst Jewry and Sanderson became the band's joint managers. *''For Elliott's career with The Hollies, see

'' As of 2021 Elliott still plays with the Hollies, and has recorded with almost no other band since 1963. In September 1973,

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

offered him the position of drummer in his band

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

, but Elliott declined due to commitments with The Hollies. Prominent drummers who were influenced by Elliott include

Gilson Lavis David Leslie Gilson Lavis ( , born 27 June 1951, Bedford, England) is an English drummer and portrait artist. He gained fame as the drummer with band Squeeze in the 1970s and 80s. Lavis is currently the drummer for Jools Holland's Rhythm and ...

Ric Lee Richard "Ric" Lee (born 20 October 1945) is an English drummer of the blues rock band Ten Years After. Biography Lee was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. Was a founding member of his first band, The Falcons. He was also a drumme ...

Cozy Powell Cozy Powell (born Colin Trevor Flooks; 29 December 1947 – 5 April 1998) was an English rock drummer who made his name with major rock bands and artists such as The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Gary Moore, Robert Plant, ...

and

Ian Paice Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only membe ...

Personal life

Elliott had a long relationship with Maureen Hicks. Thanks to this relationship Elliott would meet Maureen's brother, Tony Hicks. Bobby is now married to Susan (Suzy) Elliott

Kit

*Toms:- 8"x10", 9"x12", 11"x14", 13"x16" Birch wood & laminate shells, made by

Drum Workshop Drum Workshop, Inc. (also known as DW Drums or DW) is an American drum kit and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Current products by DW include drum sets, snare drums, and hardware. History Drum Workshop was founded ...

of Oxnard, California *Bass:- 18"x22" with DW 9000 double bass drum pedals *Snare:- 6.5" x 14" Ludwig hammered metal SD. *Cymbals:-

Zildjian :''Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)'' The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded ...

12" Splash, 14" hi hats, 17" & 18" Custom K Dark Crash, 19" K Thin Dark Crash, 20" Medium Ride *Timbales:- LP 'Tito Puente' 12" & 13"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Bobby 1941 births Living people English rock drummers People from Burnley Musicians from Manchester The Hollies members