Kelly Groucutt: Bass player with the Electric Light Orchestra

With their strong melodies and symphonic orchestrations, the Electric Light Orchestra (or ELO) became one of the biggest groups of the 1970s.

When Kelly Groucutt replaced Mike de Albuquerque on bass in 1974, he was soon creating layers of vocal harmonies with the lead singer and songwriter, Jeff Lynne. Since ELO disbanded in 1986, Groucutt fronted various line-ups with previous members and was about to undertake a nationwide tour as part of the latest reincarnation, The Orchestra, in May.

Michael William Groucutt was born in Coseley, outside Wolverhampton, in 1945. He left school at 15 to work in a sheet metal factory, where a co-worker suggested that he should join a rock 'n' roll band. Groucutt taught himself to play the guitar and bass and played in bands around Birmingham and Wolverhampton. While in the early 1970s comedy band Sight and Sound, he would impersonate Gilbert O'Sullivan and, with a wig, Nancy Sinatra. In 1974, he played in a band called Barefoot, doing cabaret at the Snobs club in Birmingham.

The city was a hotbed of musical activity, with successful groups including the Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, the Move and ELO. Roy Wood of the Move and Jeff Lynne of the Idle Race had formed ELO in 1972 and although they made successful records, they did not work well together, and Wood left. Their manager, Don Arden, curiously described it as "the best thing that could happen to ELO" – but he was right. Arden knew how to market the band and encourage Lynne's creativity, but he was also a tough character. At one show in Italy, an Italian poked Arden in the chest to get his attention: Arden beat him up, only to discover that he had humiliated the Chief of Police.

In 1974, while ELO were making Face the Music, Jeff Lynne, Bev Bevan (drums) and Richard Tandy (keyboards) came to see Groucutt in Snobs and invited him to be the new bass player and take part in an imminent tour. Groucutt told me in 1999 that he could hardly believe his good fortune.

"I'd not played to more than 300 people at once and I'd never been out of the country, didn't have a passport and had never flown," he said. "When they offered me the job, I said, 'Please take me away as I'm being buried alive in this club.' It was done so quickly that I had to visit the passport office as there was no time to do it by post. I learnt the songs on a plane to America and my first ELO show was in Detroit to 4,000 people. They were touring to promote the Eldorado album and I ended up with a gold disc even though I hadn't played on it!"

As there were already two Mikes in the band (Mike Edwards and Mik Kaminski), they called him Kelly, a nickname used by his father. As Kelly Groucutt, he played on several of ELO's albums: Face the Music (1975), A New World Record (1976), Out of the Blue (1977), Discovery (1979), the film soundtrack to Xanadu with Olivia Newton-John (1980) and Time (1981).

Groucutt's lead vocals were valued by the band. He sang lead on the manic "Poker" (1975) and the hit single "The Diary of Horace Wimp" (1979). Onstage, he relished singing the mock operatic part in "Rockaria!" Yet the writing process of ELO was what Groucutt really enjoyed.

"Those days were tremendous," said Groucutt. "Jeff would have the idea for a song and he, Richard Tandy and myself would sit down and work things out together. He would want to get the backing track down first, and then he would write the words. Those were my best times with Jeff: he was no fun on the road as he would get really fed up with it."

From 1979, Groucutt recorded his own songs for a solo album, eventually released as Kelly in 1982. Groucutt played all the guitars, and several of ELO were involved – Bevan, Tandy, Kaminski and Louis Clark. Although the single, "Am I a Dreamer" didn't make the charts, it received considerable airplay.

At the time of making Secret Messages (1983), Groucutt fell out with Lynne as he felt that he should be sharing in the group's considerable royalties. Lynne told him to read his contract: he had been recruited as a salaried employee. Groucutt sued and although he received £300,000, he had to leave the band.

Groucutt wrote and recorded the title song for the TV series MiniPops, but at the last minute, the director Mike Mansfield decided against theme music. In 1985 he wrote and recorded songs for an EP, We Love Animals, for the RSPCA.

When Jeff Lynne disbanded ELO, Kaminski and Groucutt formed OrKestra with the intention of playing their hits as well as making a new album, Beyond the Dream. Meanwhile, Bev Bevan asked Lynne for permission to make a new album under the ELO banner. When Lynne refused, he started ELO Part II with Louis Clark. The two bands realised that they could be very successful if they amalgamated and as ELO Part II, they sometimes toured with symphony orchestras, something that the original ELO never did. Their live album, Moment Of Truth (1994), has been endlessly repackaged.

Bevan left in November 1999 and at the same time sold his 50 per cent share in the ELO name and the full rights to ELO Part II to Jeff Lynne. Lynne's first task was to stop ELO Part II, although it is hard to appreciate why, as he was receiving royalties from the songs that they played. By way of contrast, Noddy Holder never objected to Slade II. They renamed themselves The Orchestra and took great care over how their concerts were promoted. They released an album of new songs, No Rewind, in 2001.

Groucutt always enjoyed touring and was just as happy playing with a local, little known band called Session 60 as he was doing a one-man performance in a pub. Most of all, he loved playing with Orchestra. "My favourite moment is when we start "Mr Blue Sky". It's a happy song with no particular message. It's like when the sun comes out on a rainy day: it just makes you feel good."

Michael William Groucutt (Kelly Groucutt), singer and guitarist: born 8 September 1945 Coseley, Staffordshire; twice married (three sons, one daughter); died Worcester 19 February 2009.