Clouds
Ian Ellis (born 1943) was playing in The Premiers, a band from Edinburgh,
alongside drummer Harry Hughes (born 1944) in early 1964. When keyboardist Billy
Ritchie (born 1944) joined, the group moved away from guitars towards an
organ-centric approach and renamed itself 1-2-3. Having found little success in
Scotland, the trio relocated to London, where they secured a headline residency
at the Marquee Club in 1967, an unusual step for an unknown act. During that
residency the band was signed by Brian Epstein's NEMS management company, with
Epstein famous for his link to The Beatles...
