Judy, Ken, and Carey had played the Boston coffee house circuit in the folk group Norm and Judy in 1964-65, and then began rehearsing as an electric band named the Blues Crew in late 1965. They briefly adopted the name "the Prophets" in the spring but played only one gig. That summer Richard Griggs and Dave Kinsman replaced the original bass player and drummer, at which point Carey switched to electric bass. The band renamed itself Ill Wind and began working regularly. This original lineup lasted from June until December 1966, at which point Judy left the band to take a teaching job in Hawaii.