Bernard Michael Elliott was born in
Erith,
Kent, on 17 November 1942. He attended Picardy School in
Belvedere, before forming his own beat group, which became Bern Elliott and the Bluecaps before changing their name to become Bern Elliott and the Fenmen in 1961. The group performed over the next two years in clubs in
Hamburg, Germany, and were signed to a recording contract with
Decca in early 1963. "
Money" was released by several artists at the time, but Bern Elliott and the Fenmen were unique as a group in registering a
UK Singles Chart Top 20 hit with the song in December 1963. Frontman Bern Elliott died from heart failure in
Margate, Kent on 13 September 2022, at the age of 79. On 9 May 2023, Jon Povey died at the age of 80. == Band members ==