Floyd Sneed

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Floyd Sneed
Three Dog Night 1972.JPG
While with Three Dog Night (1972)
Background information
Birth nameFloyd Chester Sneed
Born (1942-11-22) November 22, 1942 (age 81)[1]
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
DiedJanuary 27, 2023(2023-01-27) (aged 80)
GenresRock
Occupation(s)Drummer
Websitewww.floydsneed.net

Floyd Chester Sneed was a Canadian drummer, best known for his work with the band Three Dog Night.

Born November 22, 1942[1] in the Canadian city of Calgary, Sneed grew up in a musical family (his parents were both musicians at their church) and became interested in drums at an early age. His first drum kit was a gift from his older sister Maxine, who at the time was married to the musician-actor Tommy Chong. He was in a band called the "Calgary Shades" that included his pianist older brother Bernie Sneed (1940–2016). He soon began performing in the Vancouver area as part of Chong's band, Little Daddy and the Bachelors.

In 1966, Sneed formed his own band and moved to Los Angeles, California. In 1968, he met a trio of vocalists (Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron and Cory Wells), who had a contract with Dunhill Records and were looking for backing musicians. Sneed joined their new band, Three Dog Night, which became a commercial success in the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s. Sneed sang backup on only one song with the band; he did the deep vocal on "Joy to the World", singing the lyric "I wanna tell you." After Three Dog Night broke up in 1977, he continued to work with other groups, including an extended tour with The Ohio Players. He and other backing musicians from Three Dog Night worked together in a short-lived group named SS Fools. He reappeared briefly with the reincarnated Three Dog Night in the mid-1980s. In 1990, he had a minor role playing a drummer in a Chong film, Far Out Man. In 2002, he toured and recorded with the band K.A.T.T., and has formed his own band called Same Dog New Tricks.

Sneed and original Three Dog Night bassist Joe Schermie appeared on the cooking show Food Rules starring Tom Riehl in 2000. This was Schermie's last television appearance.

K.A.T.T. band members in 1998
The band K.A.T.T. in 1998, Joe Schermie/Bass, Katt Kleiber/Vocals, Floyd Sneed/Drums, Ron Diego Johnston/Guitar

Sneed is descended from the original black settlers to Alberta's Amber Valley, Alberta[2] – their migration to Canada under Clifford Sifton's campaign to entice US farmers to settle in the prairies.

It was reported by Chong that Sneed passed away on the evening of January 27, 2023.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Contemporary Musicians (vol. 5). Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research, Incorporated. 1989. p. 185. ISBN 978-0810322158. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  2. ^ Brennan, Brian. "John Ware wasn't the only black settler in Alberta at the turn of the 20th century". Brian Brennan. Brian Brennan. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  3. ^ Chong, Tommy [@tommychong] (January 28, 2023). "Floyd Sneed the drummer and founding member of the Three Dog Night died last night . Floyd, who was about celebrate his 80th birthday passed January 27th after a battle with poor health. #FloydSneed" (Tweet). Retrieved January 29, 2023 – via Twitter.
  • Bruce Jeansonne, "Featured Drummer" article in Vintage Drummer, vol 1 issue 4, fall 2001 Floyd Sneed Featured drummer in Vintage drummer magazine

External links