AGOURA HILLS DRUMMER KEEPING BEAT.

Byline: Victoria Giraud

Musician Floyd Sneed says that these days, he plays blues and ``go for it'' music.

Currently, Floyd's band plays at the Agoura Valley Inn. For the past two years, he played at the California Fettuccini Bar.

The drummer and lead of Floyd Sneed and Friends was the drummer for the popular group Three Dog Night for 16 years during the 1970s and '80s. Although Floyd remembers those days fondly, the Agoura Hills resident now enjoys playing locally and pursuing his own distinctive ``surreal humorous art.''

His art has been part of Elton John's Silent Auction for AIDS, displayed at the Fettuccini Bar and hung in the Blue Moon Art Gallery in Calabasas.

Used to doodling during the heyday of Three Dog Night tours, Floyd took up art more seriously when he developed arthritis. ``The doctor said no drums, no exercise, no nothing,'' Floyd said. ``I've finished a few things, and it's developed into my own style.''

He uses pen and ink or bright acrylics for the most part, and paints human figures with exaggerated features. ``I like to make you laugh,'' Floyd said. For instance, he painted the rear view of a nude figure with a great deal of hair standing in the ocean. The figure's face is in profile and a protruding nose is obvious. When Floyd's daughter saw the painting, she remarked that it resembled Howard Stern.

``I'm learning as I go,'' Floyd said. ``It's trial and error.''

Music was also self-taught. Floyd was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the site of the annual Calgary Stampede rodeo. ``I grew up with cowboys and Indians - literally. My mother was the first black baby born in Alberta in 1912,'' Floyd said proudly.

Floyd had always wanted to play the drums, but he was 19 before his brother-in-law, actor-musician-comedian Tommy Chong, bought him his first set. He and Chong played together as a band in the 1960s, and appeared together in the movie, ``Far Out Man,'' in the early 1990s.

The 1970s were the years of go-go dancers, and Floyd and Tommy played backup for topless dancers at Big Al's in San Francisco. One of the dancers was LaWanda Page, later a co-star on the television sitcom, ``Sanford and Son.''

Even back then, Floyd recalled, ``She used to make you die laughing.''

Working in Hollywood in 1968 with his small soul band, The Heat Wave, Floyd was noticed by the bass player of a new musical group. ``They weren't even named, but they were looking for a drummer and asked would I be interested.''

A few weeks later, Floyd was part of what was to become Three Dog Night. Since 1968, Floyd said, the group's recordings have sold 138 million copies. They received 56 gold albums for worldwide sales, and at the peak of their popularity had 22 Top 40 hits in a row, Floyd boasted. ``Joy to the World'' is among their best-known songs.

Floyd and the band traveled around the world twice. ``I have really good memories about every place we played,'' he said.

Floyd played with the band until 1986, ``when it just wasn't fun anymore,'' he said. ``Everyone was getting into everybody's business.''

During his 29-year marriage, Floyd helped raise two daughters and a son; he now has a granddaughter.

Floyd's house is now for sale, and he speculates that he might return to Canada. ``I'm getting tired of L.A.,'' he said. ``I've been here 30 years now. But I plan to stay in music as long as I can.''

MEMO: Victoria Giraud welcomes comments and suggestions for columns. Call her at [phone].

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Photo

Photo: (color) Floyd Sneed, who played with Three Dog Night in the 1970s and '80s, currently performs with a band at the Agoura Valley Inn.

Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News