The Foundations

The Foundations

The Foundations are a British soul band active from 1967 to 1970. The group is made up of both West Indian and white musicians, and is best known for two major hits: “Baby, Now That I’ve Found You”, which reaches number one in the UK singles chart and later enters the US Top 10, and “Build Me Up Buttercup”, which tops the Billboard Hot 100. “Build Me Up Buttercup” is co-written by Michael d’Abo, the vocalist with Manfred Mann.

The band is notable for being one of the few acts outside the Tamla Motown label to use the Motown Sound successfully. In terms of its line-up and musical style, it anticipates the later sound of Hot Chocolate. The original vocalist, Clem Curtis, leaves the group in 1968 and moves to the United States for a solo career on the club circuit, with encouragement from Wilson Pickett and Sam & Dave; he also plays Las Vegas with The Righteous Brothers. Curtis is replaced by Colin Young.

The Foundations’ final hit is “Born To Live and Born To Die”, which is less pop-oriented and more sophisticated than their earlier singles. The group splits in 1970, when the rhythm section breaks away to form the progressive group Pluto. After returning to the UK, Curtis forms a new version of the group, which has little success on record but enjoys a profitable period on the 1960s nostalgia circuit.