Louis Eliot

The Honourable Louis Robert Eliot (born 11 April 1968 in Plymouth) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, formerly of Kinky Machine and Rialto.
Eliot is the second son of Peregrine Eliot, 10th Earl of St Germans, and grew up at Port Eliot, a 6,000-acre estate on the Tamar Estuary where his family have lived since 1564. He is the heir presumptive to the earldom, which is currently held by his nephew.

Biography

Rialto had three UK top 40 hits in the late Nineties: "Monday Morning 5.19"; "Untouchable", "Dream Another Dream". Their biggest sales were in South East Asia, notably South Korea, where they displaced Celine Dion's "My Love Will Go On" from the number one spot with double Platinum album sales for "Rialto". Beset by record company wrangles, they were signed and dropped by Warners twice within four years.

In 2002, Eliot released his first solo EP, Everybody Loves You When You're Dead. A chance meeting with ex-Roxy Music member and Smiths producer John Porter led to recording sessions in Los Angeles. These became the basis for Eliot's first critically acclaimed solo album, The Long Way Round, released in 2004 (Sunday Times' Album of the Week). In 2010 he released Kittows Moor under the name Louis Eliot and The Embers. "A winning blend of rustic charm and urban cool… a savvy pop brain with the lyrical articulacy of a Costello or a Weller." Uncut magazine. "Louis Eliot has welded the sound of barn-bound folk to that of pure pop and emerged with an album that boasts ultra-friendly, individually shaped songs, guaranteed to warm both hearts and feet." Mojo magazine. As a solo artist, he has toured with Sinead O'Connor, Thea Gilmore, Lloyd Cole, Robyn Hitchcock and in 2013, the Proclaimers. As a session musician Eliot has backed Skye Edwards from Morcheeba, Evan Dando of The Lemonheads and since 2011, has been the guitarist for Grace Jones on various world tours.

As a songwriter Eliot's credits include Eg White's solo album, "Adventure Man" ("Weird Friendless Kid" was also recorded by Emiliana Torrini); His music has been used in TV commercials for the Guardian and UPS. "Life" and "Shelter You", recorded by Lily Allen (released February 2014), were co-written with the late Tarka Cordell and feature on Cordell's album "Wide Awake in a Dream". Eliot has featured in advertising campaigns for Burberry, Toast and Balanciaga and appeared in Katy England's short film "Made in England" in 2013.

He is the son of Jacquetta St Germans (née Lampson) and Peregrine Nicholas Eliot, 10th Earl of St Germans, founder of The Elephant Fayre. As a child Louis Eliot was taught guitar by Hawkwind guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton. He attended Chelsea School of Art and studied Graphic Design at Sir John Cass in London. Eliot now lives in Cornwall, with his partner, daughter of poet Hugo Williams, and their two children. He plays a key role in the organisation of Port Eliot Festival and Kernow in the City.

Eliot currently performs with former Supergrass drummer Danny Goffey in his solo venture Vangoffey.

Discography

• Everybody Loves You When You're Dead (2002)
• The Long Way Round (2004)
• Kittow's Moor (2010) (Fullfill)