Adam (Ritchie) Greig was born at 138 George Street, Paisley on the 7th March 1893. His father John Greig was a Journeyman Dyer in the Thread Mills there. His mother, Margaret Buntin Ritchie, came from Kilbarchan, a village nearby, noted for its history of weaving cloth. By 1911, Adam started work as an apprentice Engine Fitter at a local Engineering Works.
In 1913, he came to Campbeltown to work as the pianist at the newly-built Picture House in Hall Street and he soon became known as a musician of high calibre.