Formed in Scotland as a psych-folk group, the lineup comprised David McNiven (born 4 November 1945 in Glasgow, Scotland), who handled guitar, vocals, piano and flute, Angie Rew (born 25 September 1946 in Edinburgh, Scotland), responsible for guitar, vocals, organ and African drums, and Carolyn Davis (born 15 August 1946 in Edinburgh, Scotland), who played guitar, vocals, bass, tambourine and buzz horn. Their first long-player, issued by Decca Records in 1969, consisted chiefly of songs they had written themselves. Davis had already departed when the follow-up appeared, although she still contributed vocals and guitar to the single track ‘Purple Hazy Melancholy’. That album, titled The Strange Tale Of Captain Shannon And The Hunchback From Gigha, contained the surreal text of ‘Hymn For Sylvia’ and placed greater emphasis on electric instruments than its predecessor; Danny Thompson supplied bass while Terry Cox added guitar. Amaryllis arrived in 1971 yet failed to bring the group mainstream attention. Rew and McNiven subsequently wed, after which he composed material for the BBC comedy unit and created several film scores. Rew later operated the touring children’s theatre ensemble Hullaballoo, serving as its writer, composer, actor and director. McNiven joined Tracy Nelson on tour in 1990, while Davis enrolled as a full-time media-studies student.
