This article is about the musician and actor. For the character he plays on The Office, see Creed Bratton (character). Creed Bratton (born William Charles Schneider; February 8, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is a former member of the band The Grass Roots. He is more recently known for playing a fictional version of himself on The Office on NBC.
Background and educationEdit
He was born William Charles Schneider in Los Angeles, and he grew up in Coarsegold, California, a small town near Yosemite National Park. His father died when he was two years old after an airplane he was working on exploded while he was stationed in Hawaii. His grandparents, mother, and father were musicians, and he took a liking to music at a very early age. At 13, he ordered his first guitar from a Sears mail order catalog. He became a professional musician during his high school and college years.
Musical careerEdit Early yearsEdit
He decided to try life as a traveling musician and made his way on a global excursion, during which he changed his name to Creed Bratton. He traveled through Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He played guitar at a large folk festival in Israel, appearing with his group the Young Californians. Fellow American and guitarist Warren Entner witnessed Bratton's performance and asked him to give him a call when he got back to the United States. In 1966, they formed a partnership and recruited the remaining members needed for their group, the 13th Floor. Bratton played lead guitar, Rick Coonce played drums, Entner played rhythm guitar, and Kenny Fukomoto played bass. They recorded a demo and sent it to Dunhill, a new record company headed by Lou Adler.
The Grass RootsEdit
Bratton playing at The OfficeConvention in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 2007
Producers/songwriters P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri heard the demo and liked it. They needed new band members for a folk rock group that they had created in 1965. The 13th Floor lost its bass player to the draft during this time, and quickly recruited Rob Grill, changing its name to The Grass Roots for prior name recognition. The group went straight to the top 10 with the song "Let's Live for Today" in 1967. The group continued in its hit-making vein and toured the United States. Iconic hit songs such as "Midnight Confessions" cemented the group's standing as major contributors to the rock music scene.
The Grass Roots had top songwriters offering their best songs to them and wrote many songs themselves. On its major songs, music on the recordings was played by LA studio musicians known as The Wrecking Crew.[1] Bratton co-wrote the songs "Beatin' Round the Bush", "No Exit", and "Hot Bright Lights", and self-composed "Dinner for Eight" and "House of Stone". He sang lead vocals on "This Precious Time" and "Dinner for Eight". Bratton played with the group on its albums Let's Live for Today, Feelings, Golden Grass (a compilation), and Lovin' Things. Three of the albums charted, and Golden Grass received a gold record certification. He took part in ten of the group's singles, eight of which charted; "Midnight Confessions" received a gold record certification.
In April 1969, Bratton became frustrated by Dunhill's refusal to allow the band to write its own songs and play the instruments on its records (although the members did play alone at concerts). After a disastrous appearance at the Fillmore West in April 1969, Bratton was asked to leave the band.[1]
Solo yearsEdit
In 2001 and 2002, Bratton released three albums showcasing his solo recordings since the 1960s with the assistance of Peter White. In 2007, he presented an induction award to The Wrecking Crew at the Musicians' Hall of Fame. In 2008, he released another album of new music with producer Jon Tiven. In 2010, Bratton released another new album titled "Bounce Back" with producer Dave Way. In 2011, Bratton released an album of greatest hits from his first three solo albums titled "Demo". In 2010 & 2012, Bratton performed live at the SXSW festival. In 2013, Bratton released an original work in three acts, as an audio biography, titled 'Tell Me About It'. Songs ranged from recently written to pieces he had written decades ago. Bratton cites that he listens to lots of jazz and classical music.[2]