The seeds of Fortune were planted by brothers Richard and Mick Fortune, who came from a family of professional musicians. Their mother was a singer and their father a singer and bassist. Richard started playing the guitar when he was 16 and went on to play guitar and tour with the likes of Buddy Miles, Booker T & The MGs, and Spirit, while Mick started out as an accordion, keyboard, and trombone player before switching to drums. The brothers formed Fortune in the '70s and cut a self-titled album, "Fortune" for Warner Brothers in 1978, but by 1982 had totally revamped the group. A key acquisition for the new version of the band being the recruitment of Roger Scott Craig. A classically trained pianist from the age of 8, the Irish born keyboard player was previously known for a successful stint with the Scouse pop group Liverpool Express in the '70s. The lineup was rounded out by Larry 'L.A.' Greene, also of Top Gun soundtrack fame, on vocals and Detroit area session player and Elton John bassist Bob Birch.