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Floyd Chester Sneed[1] (November 22, 1942 – January 27, 2023[1]) was a Canadian drummer, best known for his work with the band Three Dog Night.
Floyd Sneed | |
|---|---|
While with Three Dog Night (1971) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Floyd Chester Sneed |
| Born | November 22, 1942 Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | January 27, 2023 (aged 80) |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation | Drummer |
| Website | www |
Early life
editBorn on November 22, 1942,[2] in 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 parents were Napoleon Sneed and Willa (née Carothers) Sneed.[1][3]
At age nine, Floyd nearly drowned while swimming in a lake with his brother and a friend.[3] He had polio as a child, and was hospitalized for months. The disease gave a long-lasting effect in one of his eyes.[3]
His first drum kit was a gift from his older sister Maxine, who at the time was married to the musician-actor Tommy Chong.[4] Sneed was descended from the original black settlers to Alberta's Amber Valley, Alberta[5] – their migration to Canada under Clifford Sifton's campaign to entice U.S. farmers to settle in the prairies.
Career
editHe 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 also sang backup on one song with the band; he provided the deep vocal on "Joy to the World", singing the lyric "I wanna tell you." Band member Danny Hutton said that Sneed was a self–taught drummer, and "he didn’t play drums like anyone else".[3]
Tommy Chong says that Cheech & Chong's 1971 Grammy–nominated album "Cheech and Chong" had a track, "Blind Melon Chitlin", that was inspired by Sneed.[3]
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 also 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 before his death in 2002. On the show, Sneed cooked his family's fried chicken recipe, handed down to him by his mother.[1]
Sneed regularly appeared in concert on percussion and drums with former Three Dog Night lead singer Chuck Negron through the 1990s and 2000s, and is credited on Chuck Negron's Live In Concert released in 2001.[6]
Personal life
editIn 1962, Floyd married Sandra "Sandy" Sneed, née Hoiland, (1943–2015[1]) and later had two daughters.[1] One of his daughters, Shannon Rozak (born 1964), died in 2014.[1] He also took up painting and visual art, and some of Sneed's art could be seen in galleries around North America.[7]
After Sneed retired as a musician, he spent his time in the Pacific Northwest, more specifically Washington State, enjoying the sights and sounds with his friends and family.
Death
editSneed died on January 27, 2023, at the age of 80.[8] He suffered from several health issues including diabetes which resulted in renal failure.[3] He was survived by one sibling, three children, and four grandchildren.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Floyd Sneed Obituary (1942 - 2023) - Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ Contemporary Musicians (vol. 5). Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research, Incorporated. 1989. p. 185. ISBN 978-0810322158. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Calgary-born drummer gave Three Dog Night its infectious beat". The Globe and Mail. February 10, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ Evans, Greg (January 31, 2023). "Floyd Sneed Dies: Three Dog Night Drummer Was 80". Deadline. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ Brennan, Brian (February 25, 2016). "John Ware wasn't the only black settler in Alberta at the turn of the 20th century". Brian Brennan. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
- ^ "Chuck Negron Live In Concert on AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Floyd Sneed". classic-drummer-hof. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ "Three Dog Night Drummer, Floyd Sneed, Dies at 80". bestclassicbands.com. January 29, 2023.
- Bruce Jeansonne, "Featured Drummer" article in Vintage Drummer, vol 1 issue 4, fall 2001 Floyd Sneed
External links
edit- Floyd Sneed at IMDb
- Floyd Sneed discography at Discogs
- Floyd Sneed on Facebook
- Three Dog Night on Facebook