 Profile
I was born in Los Angeles, CA, February 7, 1948 and raised in the afluent neighborhood of Beverly Hills (pre 90210 - they didn't have zip codes back then). In fact, I remember my phone numbers from childhood and they didn't have area codes!!!! I attended Beverly Hills High along with some people you all might have heard of - Richard Dreyfuss, Bonnie Franklin and my childhood friend - Academy award winning producer Michael Lloyd. As a matter of fact, Michael and I had our first chart success with the surf group The New Dimensions in 1963. The Best of The New Dimensions was compiled and released in 1996 - many, many, many years after the surf wax hardened on our boards.
Michael Lloyd and I attended the prestigious Hollywood Professional School (for gifted Beverly Hills students who were politely excused from the academic curriculum). In other words, our hair was too long and our fashion sense was not of the norm!
My musical training began at the age of 7 with classical piano lessons. This was at the urging of my loving mother, Mary O'Brien, a renowned silent film star who once shared an apartment with a young Joan Crawford (pre wire hangers). My classical teacher suggested I could further my musical abilities by applying to the LA Conservatory of Music. I was accepted and spent several years honing my skills. I also studied with a popular west coast piano instructor, Harry Fields.
In the mid 60s I was a founding member of popular west coast Sunset Strip bands - The Eastside Kids and The Sound of the Seventh Son. We were the house band at Stratford on Sunset (now The House of Blues), The Trip and part-time at the world-famous Whisky A-Go-Go. Coincidentally, The Seventh Son played at the Whisky the nights that another popular band - the Enemies featuring Cory Wells (you might have heard of them) didn't play! During this time a young, dark-haired Irishman (guess who?!) frequented the same clubs. Were the seeds sewn then???????
In 1967 I moved to Denver, CO with some members of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band and started a successful local group - Super Band. About a year and a half later I took the guitar player from Super Band, Ron Morgan, and moved back to LA. I settled in a house in Laurel Canyon right next to, guess who?, the Irishman - one Danny O'Hutton! Danny already had visions of a different kind of band - one that would feature three lead vocals - something that had never been done in rock and roll - and came to me to enlist my talents for a demo. The other two singers for this project were - SURPRISE - Cory Wells and a Bronx-born singer named Chuck Negron. The demo was produced by Van Dyke Parks and the songs were It's for You and a Young Rascal's tune - If You Knew. That as my induction into the group the everyone came to know as Three Dog Night. I have enjoyed being an original member of this very successful group for 35 plus years. Also during this time I have been very fortunate to have met, played and recorded with a miriad of additional great talents that incudes - Jeff Beck, Tim Bogert, Carmine Appice, Joanne Mackell, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, James Burton, Lowell George, Linda Ronstadt, Chris Hillman, Lisa Hartman, Harvey Mandel, Bernie Leadon, David Palmer, Shaun Cassidy, Paul Kossoff and Eric Clapton. My musical roots are still firmly planted with the group that I have called my family for 35+ years - Three Dog Night. I hope to enjoy another 35 + years (who you kidding?), seriously, at least a few more years of continued success with Danny, Cory, Michael, Paul and Pat!!!!
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