CREED BRATTON
Born: 8 February 1943. William Charles Schneider. Father, William Frank Schneider died in World War II. Mother Cozzette, (who still lives in Coarsegold) remarried and I became Chuck Ertmoed. My paternal grandparents, Grace and Gus Schneider settled in Oakhurst in 1923. They homesteaded a ranch located off road 426.
While traveling in Europe, I changed my name to Creed Bratton,. I was born into a very musical family and lived my childhood in a small town near Yosemite, "Coarsegold". Everyone played music - my father, banjo; mother, mandolin; maternal grandfather, guitar; grandmother, drums; my paternal grandfather could play almost any instrument and was the leader of "The Bull Dog Minstrels" (on board the U.S.S. Oregon in the Pacific theater during the Spanish American War) and played bones, danced buck and wing, and sang. He was the Art Director on the classic silent movie, "The Thief of Bagdad" starring Douglas Fairbanks.
I began playing at the age of thirteen on a Silvertone Electric Guitar with the amplifier built into the carrying case. It was ordered through a Sears Mail Order Catalog. At seventeen, played with a group called THE TOURQUAYS, I became a professional, performed at The Falls, Bass Lake, California.
Attended Sierra Joint Union High School in Tollhouse, California. Next studied at College of the Sequoias (on a swimming scholarship), then attended Sacramento State, majoring in Drama & Music. I left Sacramento and hitch-hiked to New Orleans, Louisana, caught a freighter to Europe that docked in Venice. I arrived with $25.00 in my pocket. I toured Europe for a period of two and a half years with THE YOUNG CALIFORNIANS, singing folk music from Sweden to the Sudan. In Israel I met a young man named Warren Entner and we became friends. We got together again in California and started a band with drummer Rickey Coonce called THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR. When our bass player was drafted, we were joined by Rob Grill and became THE GRASS ROOTS. We toured and recorded together until 1970. During this time THE GRASS ROOTS had a string of hits: "Lets Live for Today", "Midnight Confessions", "Where Were You When I Needed You", Very few groups had more hits in the 60's and 70's than THE GRASS ROOTS. I left the group to return to Europe. In Europe and Africa, I continued writing songs and performing as a soloist in small clubs. I did this for about a year and a half, then returned to California where I studied acting for four years with Charles Conrad, got an agent and began appearing in movies and television, while working as stand-in, prop man, a grip, cable, second boom man and other jobs but never deserting my music.
I also started several groups in the L.A. area, during that time with notable LA musicians. Naming the groups unusual names, such as THE ERTMOED RAY, LATIGO with Skip Edwards; LOWLY WORM, LUCY GOOSIE with Peter White, CREED BRATTON BAND, playing with ORIGINAL ROCKERS keyboardist, Don Frankel, Rich & Randy, featuring ex-Doors member, John Densmore. I also played with THE SPIKE JONES JR BAND for various periods of time, after which I returned to the acting scene working with THE SARAH FULTON GROUP for a period of two years which included 1997, the year the Group won an EMMY for "The Best Public Service Spot"
Now due to ex-GRASS ROOTS members recruiting me to play at the 35th Anniversary Benefit at the famous Whiskey A-Go-Go in Hollywood, I was again bit by "the Bug" and as a result, along with STANDELLS/HERMANS HERMITS guitarist Paul Downing and original drummer Dick Dodd, of THE STANDELLS, we have now formed THE ORIGINAL ROCKERS.
I still perform a solo acoustic show and one with my electric guitar and a small combo doing my original songs.
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