Clem Curtis

Clem Curtis (born 28 November 1940, Trinidad, West Indies – died 27 March 2017, Olney, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom) was a Trinidadian-born British singer. From 1966 until 1968, he was the lead vocalist for the soul group The Foundations. He was originally known as Curtis Clements having come to England when he was 15. During his youth, he and two white friends got in trouble with the police and were charged with theft. Curtis was the only one who received a custodial sentence. Prior to The Foundations, he was an interior decorator and became a professional boxer, winning most of his fights. One day his uncle told him that the lead singer of The Ramong Sound, Raymond Morrison was looking for a back up singer (or singers), so he joined the group. Prior to that, Curtis's singing experience was limited to singing at parties. When Morrison was detained for six months at the pleasure of Her Majesty, another singer Arthur Brown was brought in. The band was then fronted by Curtis and Brown. Brown only stayed for around 6 weeks and when he left, Curtis became the lead singer. Curtis sang lead on the hits, "Baby, Now That I've Found You", "Back on My Feet Again" and " Any Old Time You're Lonely and Sad". He also sang on the first two Foundations albums, From the Foundations (Pye NPL 18296) and Rocking the Foundations (Pye NSPL.18227). He also sang lead on a couple of EP only songs, "Its All Right" from the EP of the same title and "a live version of 96 Tears" from the Baby, Now That I've Found You EP. It is possible that in 1968, he had recorded other songs with the band but his vocals were stripped and replaced with vocals by Colin Young who would replace him in 1968. On the self titled The Foundations album ( Marble Arch MALS 1157) which features Colin Young on lead, there appears to be the ghosting of his voice on "Tomorrow" and one other Song. Some of the tracks on the album with vocals by Young appear to have the same instrumental backing as the tracks he sang on. Having left the group in 1968, he began his solo career recording "Marie Take a Chance" / Caravan" and had relocated to the US. Coming back to England in the early 70s, he recorded for Pye, beginning with "Mountain Over the Hill" / "Time Alone Will Tell", released in 1971 and "I've Never Found A Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)" / "Point Of No Return", released in 1972. That single is now a very popular Northern Soul item. Other singles followed and leading his version of The Foundations, they came 3rd in the Eurovision 77 with "Where Were You When I Needed Your Love?" . They were picked to be the winners but due to a strike by the electricians, they were not televised which ruined their chances. Throughout the remainder of the 1970s to the 1980s, he continued to record releasing solo singles or with Clem Curtis & The Foundations. In the late 1980s, he was a member of The Corporation (The Travelling Wrinklies) and they had a minor hit with "Ain't Nothing But A House Party". In the 1990s, he teamed up with original Foundations guitarist, Alan Warner, musicians Andy Bennett, Vince Cross and producer Keith Bateman . They re-recorded the Foundations' old hits, plus some new songs including., "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay", "Let's Stay Together", and a Cuttie Williams' song "Keep On Loving You" which appeared on their deceptively titled release, Greatest Hits which is an actual album of new recordings, not a compilation! Working with Nixon Rosembert, Clem also recorded a single "Miss You Baby" (Toucan Tango 1999) which didn't get a release. During the 2000s, his vocals appeared on Native Hipsters' album, There Goes Concorde Again..., singing the chorus of "Mr. Magic", as well as on the ... various artists compilation, Bck to the Future with his version of Simply Red's "Something's Got Me Started". He recorded more songs which resulted in the release of the Lord Large Feat. Clem Curtis single, Stuck in a Wind Up". It was first released on 2 Bit and then the Acid Jazz label. "Stuck In a Wind Up" has become popular on the Northern Soul scene and appears on various compilations. Some other songs he recorded with Lord Large appear on The Lord's First XI. Throughout the rest of the 2000's Curtis was a popular live attraction as well as being known for his impromptu appearances at the Onley Wine Bar. He contributed one song, "Dial My Number" to the "Northern Soul 2010" album which was released in 2010. On January 28th, 2017, two months before his death, still suffering from pneumonia, he left hospital to appear on stage with Earnestine Pearce and Jimmy James. He was married to Russian jazz singer and pianist Elena Safonova. Various sources point to Hot Chocolate percussionist Derek Lewis as being his brother.