Creed Bratton
Encyclopedia
Creed Bratton is an American actor and musician, a former member of The Grass Roots
. Today, he is best known for playing a "fictional" version of himself on the American adaptation of The Office on NBC
.
, he grew up in Coarsegold
, California
, a small town near Yosemite National Park
. His grandparents, mother, and father were musicians, and he took a liking to music at a very early age. At 13, he received his first guitar from a Sears mail order catalog. He became a professional musician during his high school and college years. Upon his mother's remarriage, his name was changed to Chuck Ertmoed.
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
.
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 their bass player to the draft during this time, and quickly recruited Rob Grill
. They changed their name to The Grass Roots
for prior name recognition and went straight to the top 10 with their first recording, "Let's Live for Today
" in 1967. The group continued in their hit-making vein and toured the United States. Iconic hit songs such as "Midnight Confessions
" cemented their standing as major contributors to the rock music scene.
The Grass Roots had top songwriters offering their best songs to them and they wrote many songs themselves. Bratton co-wrote "Beatin' Round the Bush", "No Exit", and "Hot Bright Lights", and self-composed "Dinner for Eight" and "House of Stone". Bratton played with the group on their first four albums: Let's Live for Today
, Feelings, Golden Grass, and Lovin' Things. Three albums charted and Golden Grass received a gold record certification. He took part in the first ten singles released, eight of which charted; Midnight Confessions received a gold record certification.
The Grass Roots played at the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival on Sunday June 11, 1967 in the "summer of love" as their top ten hit "Let's Live For Today" was hitting the airwaves. This music festival is important because it occurred before the Monterey Pop Festival
but did not have a movie to document it for the ages (see List of electronic music festivals). On Sunday October 27, 1968 they played at the San Francisco Pop Festival
and then played at the Los Angeles Pop Festival
and Miami Pop Festival
in December of that year as their top ten hit "Midnight Confessions" was hitting the airwaves.
. 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
.
and Heart Like a Wheel
. He is a current cast member (playing a fictional version of himself
) on NBC's Emmy
and SAG
award winning The Office. In 2008, he appeared in a short film with Kyle Gass
titled "Just One Of The Gynos", which won an award for best short film at the 2008 Malibu International Film Festival. He appeared in the feature film Labor Pains in 2009. His latest film projects are The Ghastly Love of Johnny X, written, produced and directed by Paul Bunnell, I Am Ben, written, produced and directed by Mathew Brady and Gaelan Connell
and Terri produced by David Guy Levy
. Terri was selected by the Sundance Film Festival
2011 to appear in the US dramatic competition. It was one of only 16 films selected from 1,102 submissions to the US dramatic category.
++ - Gold Record - RIAA Certification
+++ - Composed by Italian
superstar Lucio Battisti
)
++ - Gold Record - RIAA Certification
The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots is an American rock band that charted between 1966 and 1975 as the brainchild of songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri.In their career, The Grass Roots achieved two gold albums, one gold single and charted singles a total of 21 times. Among their charting singles, they...
. Today, he is best known for playing a "fictional" version of himself on the American adaptation of The Office on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Background and education
Born William Charles Schneider in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, he grew up in Coarsegold
Coarsegold, California
Coarsegold is a census-designated place in Madera County, California. It is located south-southwest of Yosemite Forks, at an elevation of 2218 feet...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, a small town near Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
. His grandparents, mother, and father were musicians, and he took a liking to music at a very early age. At 13, he received his first guitar from a Sears mail order catalog. He became a professional musician during his high school and college years. Upon his mother's remarriage, his name was changed to Chuck Ertmoed.
Early years
He decided to try life as a traveling musician and made his way on a global excursion, during which he changed his name again, to Creed Bratton. He traveled through Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Appearing with his group the Young Californians, he played guitar at a large folk festival in Israel. Fellow American and guitarist Warren EntnerWarren Entner
Warren Entner was an American singer, songwriter, organist and guitarist for the rock and roll band, The Grass Roots...
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
Rick Coonce
Erik Michael Coonce , better known as Rick Coonce, was the drummer for The Grass Roots, a successful rock group that received heavy airplay on the radio from 1967 to 1972. Due to renewed interest in classic bands, The Grass Roots and Coonce's driving drum beats are popular even into the new...
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
Lou Adler
Lou Adler is an American record producer, manager, and director.-Life and career:Adler was born in Chicago, Illinois in December 1933, and raised in East Los Angeles. In 1964, Adler founded and co-owned Dunhill Records. He was President of the label as well as the chief record producer from 1964...
.
The Grass Roots
Producers/songwriters P.F. Sloan and Steve BarriSteve Barri
Steve Barri is an American songwriter and record producer.Early in his career Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He frequently collaborated with P.F. Sloan, and the partners were responsible for the success of The Grass Roots and contributed largely to the band's first album...
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 their bass player to the draft during this time, and quickly recruited Rob Grill
Rob Grill
Robert Frank "Rob" Grill was an American lead singer, songwriter and bass guitarist of the rock and roll band, The Grass Roots.-Career:Rob was a native of Hollywood, California where he attended Hollywood High School...
. They changed their name to The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots is an American rock band that charted between 1966 and 1975 as the brainchild of songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri.In their career, The Grass Roots achieved two gold albums, one gold single and charted singles a total of 21 times. Among their charting singles, they...
for prior name recognition and went straight to the top 10 with their first recording, "Let's Live for Today
Let's Live for Today (song)
"Let's Live for Today" is a song written by David Shapiro, Ivan Mogull, and Michael Julian, and initially recorded by the English band the Rokes in 1966. The song was later popularized by the American rock band The Grass Roots, who released it as a single on May 13, 1967...
" in 1967. The group continued in their hit-making vein and toured the United States. Iconic hit songs such as "Midnight Confessions
Midnight Confessions
"Midnight Confessions" is a song written by Lou T. Josie and originally performed by the Evergreen Blues Band. It was later made famous by American rock band The Grass Roots, who released the song as a single in 1968...
" cemented their standing as major contributors to the rock music scene.
The Grass Roots had top songwriters offering their best songs to them and they wrote many songs themselves. Bratton co-wrote "Beatin' Round the Bush", "No Exit", and "Hot Bright Lights", and self-composed "Dinner for Eight" and "House of Stone". Bratton played with the group on their first four albums: Let's Live for Today
Let's Live for Today
Let's Live for Today is the second studio album by The Grass Roots. Released in 1967, it features their first top-ten hit by the same name, "Let's Live for Today".-Track listing:All songs written by P.F...
, Feelings, Golden Grass, and Lovin' Things. Three albums charted and Golden Grass received a gold record certification. He took part in the first ten singles released, eight of which charted; Midnight Confessions received a gold record certification.
The Grass Roots played at the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival on Sunday June 11, 1967 in the "summer of love" as their top ten hit "Let's Live For Today" was hitting the airwaves. This music festival is important because it occurred before the Monterey Pop Festival
Monterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
but did not have a movie to document it for the ages (see List of electronic music festivals). On Sunday October 27, 1968 they played at the San Francisco Pop Festival
San Francisco Pop Festival
The San Francisco Pop Festival was held at Alameda County Fairgrounds. The dates of the festival were Saturday October 26 & Sunday October 27, 1968...
and then played at the Los Angeles Pop Festival
Los Angeles Pop Festival
The Los Angeles Pop Festival was held at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in California. The dates of the festival were December 22 and 23, 1968. It was also called a "Christmas Happening"...
and Miami Pop Festival
Miami Pop Festival
The Miami Pop Festival was the name of two different music festivals that took place in 1968 at Gulfstream Park, a horse racing track in Hallandale, Florida , just north of Miami....
in December of that year as their top ten hit "Midnight Confessions" was hitting the airwaves.
Solo years
In 2001 and 2002, Bratton released three albums showcasing his solo recordings since the 1960s with the assistance of Peter WhitePeter White (musician)
Peter White is a smooth jazz and jazz fusion guitarist. He also plays the accordion and the piano. His brother, Danny White, was one of the original members who formed the UK based band Matt Bianco.-Career:...
. In 2007, he presented an induction award to The Wrecking Crew
The Wrecking Crew (music)
The Wrecking Crew was a nickname coined by the drummer Hal Blaine after the fact for a group of session musicians in Los Angeles, California, who earned wide acclaim in the 1960s. They backed dozens of popular singers, and were one of the most successful "groups" of studio musicians in music history...
at the Musicians' Hall of Fame. In 2008, he released another album of new music with producer Jon Tiven
Jon Tiven
Jon Tiven is a composer, guitarist and record producer. He has produced albums by Wilson Pickett, Frank Black and Don Covay as well as a series of tribute albums paying tribute to the songwriting of Don Covay, Arthur Alexander, Otis Blackwell, Curtis Mayfield, and Van Morrison.-Early career:He was...
. In 2010, Bratton released another new album titled "Bounce Back" with producer Dave Way
Dave Way
Dave Way is a successful mixer, producer and audio engineer, based in Los Angeles, California. He has worked with Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Macy Gray, Ringo Starr, Shakira, Savage Garden, Michael Jackson, Spice Girls, Babyface, TLC, Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men, Ziggy Marley,...
.
Acting career
Bratton began to pursue an acting career in 1969. He has appeared in films such as MaskMask (film)
Mask is a 1985 American biographical drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Cher, Sam Elliott, and Eric Stoltz. Dennis Burkley and Laura Dern are featured in supporting roles. Cher received the 1985 Cannes Film Festival award for Best Actress....
and Heart Like a Wheel
Heart Like a Wheel (film)
Heart Like a Wheel is a 1983 biographical film based on the life of drag racing driver Shirley Muldowney. It stars Bonnie Bedelia and Beau Bridges....
. He is a current cast member (playing a fictional version of himself
Creed Bratton (character)
Creed Rowland Bratton a.k.a. "William Charles Schneider" is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. Confusion may arise from the fact that the character is played by and partially based on the musician of the same name, Creed Bratton...
) on NBC's Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
and SAG
Screen Actors Guild Awards
A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...
award winning The Office. In 2008, he appeared in a short film with Kyle Gass
Kyle Gass
Kyle Richard Gass , also known as KG or Kage, is an American rock musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is a member of the bands Tenacious D and Trainwreck. In Tenacious D , Gass plays lead guitar and sings backup vocals, and also plays the role of Black's comic foil in most of their comedy...
titled "Just One Of The Gynos", which won an award for best short film at the 2008 Malibu International Film Festival. He appeared in the feature film Labor Pains in 2009. His latest film projects are The Ghastly Love of Johnny X, written, produced and directed by Paul Bunnell, I Am Ben, written, produced and directed by Mathew Brady and Gaelan Connell
Gaelan Connell
Gaelan Alexander Connell is an American actor and musician.-Life and career:Connell was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. He has two brothers, Brendan and Shawn, and his first name is Gaelic. He graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and attended the Tisch...
and Terri produced by David Guy Levy
David Guy Levy
David Guy Levy is President/CEO of Periscope Entertainment.In 2004, David Guy Levy founded Periscope Entertainment, a Los Angeles based company dedicated to discovering innovative and original material and developing it into a compelling and unprecedented cinematic experience...
. Terri was selected by the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
2011 to appear in the US dramatic competition. It was one of only 16 films selected from 1,102 submissions to the US dramatic category.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–1969 | American Bandstand American Bandstand American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer... |
Himself | |
| 1967 | The Hollywood Palace The Hollywood Palace The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. It began as a mid-season replacement for the short-lived Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months... |
Himself | |
| 1968 | With Six You Get Eggroll With Six You Get Eggroll With Six You Get Eggroll is a family comedy, starring Doris Day and Brian Keith. Other cast members include George Carlin, Jamie Farr, William Christopher, Barbara Hershey, Alice Ghostley and Pat Carroll.... |
Himself | |
| 1968–1969 | It's Happening | Himself | |
| 1969 | Playboy After Dark Playboy After Dark Playboy After Dark is an American television show hosted by Hugh Hefner. It ran in syndication through Screen Gems from 1969 to 1970 and was taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles.... |
Himself | |
| 1975 | Kolchak: The Night Stalker Kolchak: The Night Stalker Kolchak: The Night Stalker is an American television series that aired on ABC during the 1974-1975 season. It featured a fictional Chicago newspaper reporter — Carl Kolchak, played by Darren McGavin — who investigates mysterious crimes with unlikely causes, particularly ones law... |
Man Entering Lab | Episode "Primal Scream" |
| 1977 | Quincy M.E. | Young Man | Episode "No Deadly Secret" |
| 1977 | Eight is Enough Eight Is Enough Eight Is Enough is an American television comedy-drama series which ran on ABC from March 15, 1977 until August 29, 1981. The show was modeled after syndicated newspaper columnist Thomas Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who wrote a book with the same name... |
Episode "Mortgage Burnin' Blues" | |
| 1983 | Heart Like a Wheel Heart Like a Wheel (film) Heart Like a Wheel is a 1983 biographical film based on the life of drag racing driver Shirley Muldowney. It stars Bonnie Bedelia and Beau Bridges.... |
Photographer | |
| 1985 | Mask Mask (film) Mask is a 1985 American biographical drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Cher, Sam Elliott, and Eric Stoltz. Dennis Burkley and Laura Dern are featured in supporting roles. Cher received the 1985 Cannes Film Festival award for Best Actress.... |
Carnival Ticket Taker | |
| 1986 | A Fighting Choice | Court Clerk | |
| 1987 | U.S. Marshals: Waco & Rhinehart | Agent Jones | |
| 1987 | The Wild Pair | Dalton | |
| 1988 | Seven Hours To Judgement | Subway Worker | |
| 1991 | Neon City | Guard at Neon | He was also a grip |
| 1994 | Secret Sins Of The Father | Gas Station Worker | |
| 2004 | The War Of Gene | Captain Clark | |
| 2005–present | The Office | Creed Bratton Creed Bratton (character) Creed Rowland Bratton a.k.a. "William Charles Schneider" is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. Confusion may arise from the fact that the character is played by and partially based on the musician of the same name, Creed Bratton... |
|
| 2006 | The Bernie Mac Show The Bernie Mac Show The Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. The show aired for five seasons , concluding with a half-hour series finale on Fox.... |
Funeral Home Employee | Episode "Bernie's Angels" |
| 2006 | The Manual | Major. Edwards | |
| 2007–2008 | Today | Himself | Episodes dated 10/26/07, 6/24/08 |
| 2008 | Just One Of The Gynos | Dr. Gus Callery | |
| 2008 | 6th Annual TV Land Awards TV Land Awards The TV Land Awards is an American television awards ceremony that generally commemorates shows now off the air, rather than in current production as with awards such as the Emmys. It is presented in a manner that spoofs other entertainment award ceremonies... |
Himself | |
| 2008 | Celebrity Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people... |
Himself | |
| 2009 | Labor Pains Labor Pains Labor Pains is a 2009 romantic comedy starring Lindsay Lohan, Luke Kirby, Cheryl Hines, Chris Parnell, Bridgit Mendler, and Kevin Covais. The film received a television premiere on ABC Family on July 19, 2009. It was originally scheduled to be released in theatres... |
John Abbotts | |
| 2010 | In Gayle We Trust | Denny Potter | Two episodes |
| 2010 | Funny or Die Presents Funny or Die Presents Funny or Die Presents is a half-hour sketch comedy show that spawned from the Will Ferrell & Adam McKay created comedy website Funny or Die. It premiered on HBO on February 19, 2010... |
Himself | Four episodes |
| 2010 | The Forgotten The Forgotten (TV series) The Forgotten is a television series which premiered on September 22, 2009 on ABC. On November 9, 2009, ABC ordered five additional episodes of the series, bringing the first season's total to eighteen episodes... |
Guy | Episode "Double Doe" |
| 2011 | The Ghastly Love Of Johnny X | Rock & Roll Crooner "Mickey O'Flynn" (the Man with the Grin) | |
| 2011 | I Am Ben | Dr. Cobb | |
| 2011 | Terri Terri (film) Terri is a 2011 independent comedy-drama film about the relationship between Terri, an oversized teen misfit, and the garrulous but well-meaning assistant school principal John C. Reilly who takes an interest in him... |
Uncle James |
Singles
| Release date | Title | Flip side | Record Label | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Cashbox | UK | ||||
| 1967 | Let's Live for Today Let's Live for Today (song) "Let's Live for Today" is a song written by David Shapiro, Ivan Mogull, and Michael Julian, and initially recorded by the English band the Rokes in 1966. The song was later popularized by the American rock band The Grass Roots, who released it as a single on May 13, 1967... |
Depressed Feeling | Dunhill | 8 | 5 | |
| Things I Should Have Said | Tip Of My Tongue | Dunhill | 23 | 36 | ||
| Wake Up, Wake Up | No Exit | Dunhill | 68 | 61 | ||
| 1968 | Melody For You | Hey Friend | Dunhill | 123 | ||
| Feelings | Here's Where You Belong | Dunhill | ||||
| Midnight Confessions Midnight Confessions "Midnight Confessions" is a song written by Lou T. Josie and originally performed by the Evergreen Blues Band. It was later made famous by American rock band The Grass Roots, who released the song as a single in 1968... ++ |
Who Will You Be Tomorrow | Dunhill | 5 | 5 | ||
| 1969 | Bella Linda+++ | Hot Bright Lights | Dunhill | 28 | 20 | |
| Melody For You | All Good Things Come To An End | Dunhill | ||||
| Lovin' Things | You And Love Are The Same | Dunhill | 49 | 35 | ||
| River Is Wide, The | (You Gotta) Live For Love | Dunhill | 31 | 16 | ||
++ - Gold Record - RIAA Certification
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
+++ - Composed by Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
superstar Lucio Battisti
Lucio Battisti
Lucio Battisti was an Italian singer-songwriter . He is considered to be one of the best-known and most influential musicians and authors in Italian pop/rock music history....
)
Albums
| Release date | Title | Record Label | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Cashbox | UK | |||
| 1967 | Let's Live for Today Let's Live for Today Let's Live for Today is the second studio album by The Grass Roots. Released in 1967, it features their first top-ten hit by the same name, "Let's Live for Today".-Track listing:All songs written by P.F... |
Dunhill | 75 | ||
| 1968 | Feelings | Dunhill | |||
| Golden Grass ++ | Dunhill | 25 | |||
| 1969 | Lovin' Things | Dunhill | 73 | ||
| 2001 | Chasin’ The Ball | Kindred | |||
| The 80’s | Kindred | ||||
| 2002 | Coursegold | Kindred | |||
| 2008 | Creed Bratton | Kindred | |||
| 2010 | Bounce Back | Kindred | |||
++ - Gold Record - RIAA Certification
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
External links
- The-GrassRoots.com - Official Site
- Creed Bratton at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- [ Creed at AMG]