Ellis, Beggs & Howard was a British pop band formed in London in 1987. The group consisted of Austin Howard on vocals, Simon Peter Ellis on keyboards, and Nick Beggs on bass. Before forming the band, Ellis initially aspired to be a professional footballer but later studied graphic design. Beggs was previously a member of Kajagoogoo until 1985. Howard had founded The Biz in 1983 with Yasmin Evans and Suzette Smithson, achieving modest success with "We’re Gonna Groove Tonight". Ellis, Beggs & Howard's lineup also included Robbie France on drums and Paul Harvey on guitar. The band's debut single, "Big Bubbles, No Troubles", was released in June 1988 and became a hit across Europe, reaching the Top 20 in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Their follow-up single, "Where Did Tomorrow Go?", along with their album Homelands, achieved moderate chart success in Germany by the end of the year. Despite internal tensions following the underperformance of Homelands in England, Ellis, Beggs & Howard recorded nine additional tracks between 1990 and 1992 at their own London studio. These recordings, including "Chocolate Coated Money", were never officially released during the band's active years but circulated in some London clubs around 1991. The group disbanded after completing these sessions. In 1997, Beggs released the recorded material as a hand-signed CD-R titled The Lost Years Vol. 1, featuring contributions from Warren Cuccurullo and Robert Fripp.
