A singer, pianist, organist, bandleader and actor.

Both his parents were Italian immigrants, although his father's family (really called Money) were originally English.

At school Money played the French horn and sang in the choir, but it was not long before he switched to rock and roll, inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, and soon became a leading light on Bournemouth's music scene. He named himself Zoot after the jazz saxophonist, Zoot Sims.

In 1961 Money formed the first incarnation of the Big Roll Band. Over the next two years, the line-up settled into Andy Summers (later of the Police) on guitar, Nick Newall on saxophone and Colin Allen on drums, with Money on piano and Hammond organ.

This line-up continued for a few years with various interruptions. The first was when Money, spotted by Alexis Korner's then manager, was invited to play with Korner's Blues Incorporated for a temporary spell. Money decided to stay in London and the other Big Rollers soon joined him.

Before long The Big Roll Band, taking over a residency previously held by Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames and then the Animals, were playing regularly at the Flamingo, a Soho club renowned for its wild all-nighters. They played a cooking mixture of soul, jazz and R&B, peppered with the flamboyant antics of frontman Money. Nurturing a passion for Ray Charles, the Hammond organ and the odd alcoholic beverage, Money was a popular live attraction with the UK's 'in-crowd' as the blues and R&B movement of the early part of the decade progressed into the Swinging Sixties.

In 1967, the Big Roll Band became Dantalian's Chariot, with a distinctly psychedelic outlook. In spite of a singular lack of chart success, the band found themselves at the heart of the new counterculture, sharing bills with bands such as Pink Floyd, Soft Machine and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown.

A brief stint in America with Eric Burdon's new Animals followed and Money decided to stay there for a while. At this point he began picking up acting roles, starting a parallel career which has continued ever since, with character appearances in many high profile film and TV dramas.

On the musical side, during the 1970s Money performed with Centipede, Kevin Coyne and Kevin Ayers, among others, before signing up in 1980 to Paul McCartney's label, MPL, to record the album Mr. Money.

Over the years, Money has also worked with Alexis Korner (independently of Blues Incorporated), Spencer Davis, Geno Washington and various incarnations of the Animals and Alan Price, with whom he continues to perform.

In early 2006 the British Blues Quintet was formed when Money and his long-time collaborator, drummer Colin Allen, teamed up with Allen's former bandmate from Stone The Crows, vocalist Maggie Bell, bassist Colin Hodgkinson (Alexis Korner, Whitesnake, Jan Hammer and Spencer Davis) and guitarist Miller Anderson (Savoy Brown, T-Rex, Chicken Shack and Spencer Davis).

Alongside the most recent incarnation of Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, which includes longtime Van Morrison guitarist Ronnie Johnson and former Womble Paul McCallum on bass, Money maintains a busy touring schedule around the UK and Europe.