Doug Rhodes (born May 28, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist who performed with 1960s rock bands

the Music Machine The Music Machine was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. Fronted by chief songwriter and lead vocalist Sean Bonniwell, the band cultivated a dark and rebellious image reflected in their musical approach. Sometim ...

and the Millennium. Growing up in

Garden Grove, California Garden Grove is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 171,949 at the 2020 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city in an east–west direction. The west ...

, Rhodes began his music career as a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist at the age of 16, playing with older brother Robbie Rhodes. Eventually, he became the member of a band called The Spats, for whom he played organ. He was kicked out of the band late in 1965. After moving to L.A. in January 1966, Rhodes met producer

Curt Boettcher Curtis Roy Boettcher (January 7, 1944 – June 14, 1987), sometimes credited as Curt Boetcher or Curt Becher, was an American singer, songwriter, arranger, musician, and record producer from Wisconsin. He was a pivotal figure in what is now t ...

, who got him work as a

studio musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a record ...

. He played celeste for

the Association The Association is an American sunshine pop band from Los Angeles, California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts, ''Billboard'' charts (including "Windy (The Association song), Windy" ...

's No. 1 hit " Cherish". In the summer of 1966, Rhodes joined the rock band the Music Machine, for whom he primarily played the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

and provided backing vocals. After the release of the band's first LP, '' (Turn On) The Music Machine'', and a promotional tour, four of the five members, including Rhodes, quit the group, leaving only singer/songwriter Sean Bonniwell. According to Rhodes, there was conflict over money and Bonniwell's attitude toward the other members. Bonniwell continued to use the band name and released a second album mostly of older recordings on which Rhodes had performed. Rhodes continued to work with Curt Boettcher, forming the band the Millennium along with two other former Music Machine members. The Millennium's debut LP was released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in 1968. After the short-lived Millennium dissolved, Rhodes kept busy as a

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

, playing for the likes of the Association,

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

Chad and Jeremy Chad & Jeremy were a British musical duo consisting of Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, who began working in 1962 and had their first hit song in the UK with "Yesterday's Gone (song), Yesterday's Gone" (1963). That song became a hit in the United S ...

Tommy Roe Thomas David Roe (born May 9, 1942) is an American rock and pop singer-songwriter. Best-remembered for his hits " Sheila" (1962), "Sweet Pea" (1966) and " Dizzy" (1969), Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of th ...

, and

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, record producer, singer, and former Warner Bros. Records executive whose work encompasses orchestral pop, elaborate recording experiments, Ame ...

. He was also involved in the Millennium-splintered group Bigshot, which was signed to Together records, the label set-up by

Gary Usher Gary Lee Usher (December 14, 1938 – May 25, 1990) was an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer, who worked with numerous California acts in the 1960s, including the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and Dick Dale. Usher also produced fic ...

and Boettcher in 1969. The others members of Bigshot included drummer Ron Edgar, guitarist Michael Fennelly, and ex- Goldebriars guitarist Murray Planta. Some demos were recorded but never issued. The producer of those sessions was Joey Stec. In 1971, Rhodes moved to

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. He continued to play around with various musicians, including

Valdy Paul Valdemar Horsdal, (born 1 September 1945), commonly known as Valdy, is a Canadian folk and country musician whose solo career began in the early 1970s. He is known for "Rock and Roll Song", his first mainstream single. Valdy is the winner o ...

. Eventually, he settled in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, B.C., became a professional at

piano tuning Piano tuning is the process of adjusting the tension of the strings of an acoustic piano so that the musical intervals between strings are in tune. The meaning of the term 'in tune', in the context of piano tuning, is not simply a particular fi ...

and restoration, as well as playing 1920s style jazz with an orchestra called The Belevedere Broadcasters. He has a son, Davis Lamar Rhodes, and a daughter, Sasha Marie Rhodes. he plays with the Yiddish Columbia State Orchestra, a

Klezmer Klezmer ( or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these wou ...

band, led by Marion Siegel.

References

An interview with Doug Rhodes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, Doug 1945 births Living people American session musicians American keyboardists Musicians from California The Millennium (band) members The Music Machine members