Took's arrangements contributed to transforming Bolan's music from the straightforward rock 'n roll it had previously been into an exotic brew of musical styles designed to appeal to Bolan's new audience of hippies. Took contributed harmony backing vocals, which are more noticeable in live recordings than on studio recordings, and provided bongos, African drums, kazoo, pixiphone, and Chinese gong. The flower-power unit, championed by John Peel onto the club and stage circuit and thence into the record shops, released three albums and achieved two top 40 hits. After one disastrous concert at the Electric Garden in London, Bolan and Took reduced the band to a duo, busking in subways on acoustic guitar and bongos, Took having been obliged to sell his full drum kit to pay the rent until paying gigs started to come in. At the age of 17, having played drums for some months with a mod band named the Waterproof Sparrows (bass player John Rains), he answered an advert in Melody Maker for Tyrannosaurus Rex, the electric band that Marc Bolan was forming following his departure from John's Children.
He took his name from the character Peregrin Took, a hobbit in J. Took was born Stephen Ross Porter in Eltham, London, on 28 July 1949, and attended Shooters Hill School.
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