 In the 1960s, when he was 13, whilst still at school, McCoy began playing as lead guitarist with a working beat group, "The Drovers".In 1966 he responded to an advertisement in the Yorkshire Post newspaper for a guitarist to join a band called "Mamas Little Children" who were about to begin touring Germany.McCoy went to audition only to find they had just given someone else the position, but still needed a bass player.