Sneed, Floyd

Websites:  https://www.floydsneed.net/
Origin: Calgary, Alberta
Biography:

Floyd started out in Alberta, Canada, and grew up in one of the first black families in that Province. This was only the first of many other "firsts" throughout Floyd's life. And most of those other firsts came about during his association with one of the hottest rock groups in America in the late 60s and early 70s.

Though he had dreams of becoming a soccer player (or was that an ice hockey player?), he eventually ended up drumming instead. Many of the active Calgary nightclubs have fond memories of Floyd and his bandmates performing there — including the first band he was in called The Tommy Chong Band. Yes, THAT Tommy Chong — who was, at that time, married to Floyd's sister. Floyd's friendship with Tommy has continued thru the years, too, even tho they are, of course, no longer bandmates.

Joining Three Dog Night, he became the first black musician in an all-white hard rock band. Three Dog Night went on to be the first rock band to ride a float in the Rose Bowl Parade, to headline the first "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" show, and the first to plan a specific tour of outdoor stadiums (while others, including The Beatles, had performed at stadiums periodically during various tours, they had not planned an entire tour of nothing but stadiums — Three Dog Night was the first to do this).

Floyd is known for his unique style of drumming. Many years ago, he named it "L'African" — a combination of Latino and African. The story goes that Floyd was playing with his band, Heat Wave, at a club on the Sunset Strip when Joe Schermie was walking by and thought he heard two drummers inside, so went in to see who "they" were. Once inside, he discovered it was only ONE drummer, and asked Floyd if he would like to join Three Dog Night! Dare we say that Floyd made the right choice? The rhythm section in Three Dog Night became as well known for it's driving force and the beat as the three lead vocals were. Floyd and Joe remained friends up until the day Joe passed away, and they were even in yet another band together at the end!

A man who has a passion for drumming and a passion for painting, Floyd Sneed is probably best known for the gold-and-platimum record-winning years he spent as the original drummer with the top rock group, Three Dog Night. But he is also a very talented and accomplished artist. He currently divides most of his time between drumming and catching just the right lighting to create many incredible paintings that are periodically appearing in gallery shows across the United States and Canada.

And what does Floyd do in his "spare" time? Well, he pursues yet another of his passions, of course: Bar-B-Que!