Early in his career Greg Ridley played under the name of Dino as guitarist for "Dino & the Danubes" before joining bands such as the "Ramrods". Ridley and Mike Harrison formed The V.I.P.s in 1964, playing blues based music. The band added guitarist Luther Grosvenor and American keyboard player Gary Wright, before changing their name to Spooky Tooth[3] in 1968. Spooky Tooth signed to Island and recorded two albums It's All About Spooky Tooth (1968) and Spooky Two (1969).[4]
In January 1969 Ridley was approached by Steve Marriott from the Small Faces[1] - who was forming a new band, called Humble Pie. The line up also included guitarist Peter Frampton from The Herd and drummer Jerry Shirley. Humble Pie's first album As Safe As Yesterday Is was released and a second album Town and Country was also released in the same year.
A contract with A&M Records and a re-working of their sound into a harder brand of music, coupled with extensive touring of United States followed. A double album Performance Rockin' the Fillmore, featuring a now historic recording of a raw performance of rare quality, catapulted Humble Pie into rock history. Ridley's powerful bass playing anchored the band's performance and was at the centre of their sound. In addition Ridley and drummer Jerry Shirley comprised one of the most respected rhythm sections in Rock music during this period.