Ellis (6)

British rock group. Formed in December 1971, the group was the brainchild of former vocalist of The Love Affair, Steve Ellis and celebrated keyboard player Zoot Money. After 1971's Love Affair disbanding, the vocalist Steve Ellis set out to make a solo album. Then, agree with record label CBS, he instead decided to form a new band. The 1st member to join was the known keyboard player George 'Zoot' Money. Completing the original line-up were the guitarist Andy Gee (ex-Peter Bardens band), the bassist Jim Leverton (ex-Fat Mattress) and the drummer David Lutton (ex-Eire Apparent). They begun to rehearsing, before in the cottage of Roger Daltrey (Ellis good friend) and then in the studio of Mitch Mitchell (ex-Jimi Hendrix Experience). Eventually, the band recorded his debut album "Riding On The Crest Of A Slump", at Olympic Studios in West London, with Daltrey as the producer. After the release of the album in 1972, the bassist Jim Leverton quit and was replaced by Nick South from the prog act Second Hand. For the 2nd album, the band went for Mike Vernon (of record label Blue Horizon fame) as the producer of choice. It was mostly recorded at Morgan Studios in London and also at Olympic. At the recordings featured friendly various musicians such as Boz Burrell (King Crimson, Bad Company), Julie Tippetts, Maggie Nicols, Mike Patto, Roger Chapman (Family) and Colin Allen (Stone The Crows). The album, called "Why Not?", was issued in 1973 but it wasn't the success the band hoped for. So, after some gigs on the university circuit, the group broke-up.