But the history of these musicians was far removed from the sound of Struck It Rich. In the early seventies, brothers John and Ed were key members of a pop and rock band with John playing drums and Ed playing bass guitar. They performed songs by the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, yet even then the strong vocal harmonies were apparent. In time the line up of this band changed and so too did its style of music. Rick Green, a new member of this band, was an enthusiastic Country Music fan and it was largely his influence that redirected the band towards country. Ed decided to switch from bass guitar to pedal steel guitar and quickly become an early pioneer of the instrument in the UK. Their success came to an end when Rick emigrated and John went to university. Ed then went on to join the Country Cousins and later, the Ned Porridge Country Band.

Meanwhile Sandie had moved from classical piano to develop her vocal and guitar talents in the pop, folk and country fields. Spotted by the Ned Porridge Band as their potential "secret weapon", she was invited to perform a regular short spot as part of their show. At about the same time, John, who was about to complete his university course, was invited to join as the new drummer. The vocal harmonies, the inclusion of a pedal steel guitar and the guest
appearance of a female vocalist all contributed to the Ned Porridge Country Band becoming legendary on the UK Country Music scene. It was during this time that Ed met Bev who
regularly attended their performances, and it wasn't long before Ed and Bev were married, as too were John and Sandie. Eventually the pressure of extensive travelling and heavy work commitments meant that John, Sandie, and Ed had to leave the band. Later John and Sandie went on to become key members of Obsons Choice and Ed freelanced with many other bands.

Then in 1989 Sandie, John, Bev and Ed decided to form a totally new style of band called Pan For Gold. This was quite a turning point as John switched from drums to mandolin, Ed switched from pedal steel to Dobro and Bev entered on bass guitar. Although amplified, it was essentially an "un-plugged" band with a very acoustic country sound featuring strong vocal harmonies. The band gained rapid acclaim, appearing at theatres, festivals and clubs. They were also featured in the TV series "Music Makers". But the Country Music scene was
changing and the demand and emphasis was turning towards strong dance material. As a
result the band changed its direction and its name whilst retaining many of the features that had proven so successful in the past. Struck It Rich was born and played its first gig in
October 1992.

During the lifetime of the band the popularity of Struck It Rich went from strength to strength and they were enthusiastically received and rebooked at the clubs and festivals they played. They have five albums available and have won several awards. The band has been
featured on Radio 2 and many local stations and as well as topping the Dutch country music charts. Struck It Rich gave their last performance on 31st December 2012.

But the story does not end there. The decision to finish Struck It Rich was made reluctantly and with sadness but all four members of Struck it Rich will continue to perform together in two other bands. Rich Pickin's, a totally live listening and concert four piece acoustic band, is already proving to be very popular and will continue to perform a collection of Country,
Bluegrass and Americana.

The Porridge, a band started by the late Ed Pearson and whose original members included John, Sandie and Ed, is now once again performing as a totally live five piece country band celebrating the music of the Ned Porridge Band from the 1970's and the development of country music since that time.