Having met at Birmingham University , Andy and Phil kicked the whole thing off in 1972, , playing small folk venues in their native Nottingham under the name of The Jack Russell Two. Even at the beginning there was a hint of the bizarre in some of these venues, which included Frodo's Bistro, where the roof leaked over the tiniest stage in the world, the roughest pub in Netherfield, where patrons were accustomed to exit through (closed) windows, and an Italian restaurant where they serenaded the patrons with protest songs.

A musical direction was emerging out of the remains of the British contemporary folk movement of the late sixties. Among the traditional folk songs, the Al Stewart and Incredible String Band numbers, was a strong admixture of American folk-rock and some wacky original material - We Met at the Bangladesharama (You Were Wearing Your Mother's Shawl) or Bull Necked Dog .Audiences were warm and appreciative, but the business raised eyebrows in this most conformist of eras.

Back in Birmingham, training to be teachers in 1973, Phil met Martin Berry, who had a superb set of original songs and whose breathy vocal had already featured in Pneumatic Bliss, a band who had enjoyed some success in the Turkish charts. 1973 saw the founding of the Big Ears music venue at The Fighting Cocks in Moseley. Before this, there we plenty of rock venues in Birmingham and plenty of folk venues, but there was nowhere for progressive acoustic music. Big Ears filled a significant gap, allowing a real musical cross-over, and it was this club that gave Andy, Phil and Martin, now The Jack Russell Funtette, a real musical showcase. This venue was the unplugged musical capital of 70s Birmingham, attracting acoustic players who had progressed beyond The Irish Rover and rock musicians who wanted to play something more subtle. It was a great musical melting pot, characterised by mutual respect among musicians who cared more about music than the categories they fell into.