Wishbone Ash started life in the West Country in the 1960s. Bass player Martin Turner was born October 1, 1947 at Torquay; he was classically trained from an early age and could sing music straight off the page; later he took up guitar, and then switched to bass. He and his brother Glenn formed The Torinoes in November 1963 playing covers. By 1966 The Torinoes had become Empty Vessels, a three-piece; the original drummer Adrian Smith was replaced by Steve Upton who was born at Wrexham in Wales on May 24, 1946. Later still, Empty Vessels became Tanglewood. After deciding to make their career in music the band placed an ad for a lead guitarist in Melody Maker which was how they met David Turner (known as Ted) and Andy Powell. Ted Turner, who was not related to Martin, was born August 2, 1950. He came from Birmingham; Andy Powell was born at Stepney on February 19, 1950. Powell said his original hero was Bruce Welch of The Shadows.
The band played their first date as Wishbone Ash supporting Aynsley Dunbar's Retaliation at Dunstable Civic Hall on November 10, 1969. The following August they signed a five-album deal with Decca and released their eponymous debut album on December 4. Early on in their career they picked up an influential fan: the DJ John Peel, who described their music as "original, exciting and beautifully played" in the Radio Times the same month they made their TV debut.
In February 1971, they released their first single, "Blind Eye" backed by "Queen Of Torture." Like most Ash singles, it bombed.
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