Daryl Dragon is a late musician and songwriter from the United States. Daryl Dragon is best known as the “Captain” in the musical duo Captain & Tennille, which he formed with his then-wife, Toni Tennille.
Early Life
On the 27th of August 1942, Daryl Dragon was born in Los Angeles, California, in the United States of America. At the age of 76 years old, he passed away and held American nationality. Meanwhile, he has a birth sign of Virgo while his ethical background and religious belief are still unknown.
He grew up in a musical and performing family, with his uncle being a comedian and his father and brother both playing music. He was born to his father Carmen Dragon and his mother Eloise Dragon. Professionally, his father was a conductor, composer, and arranger. While his mother was a singer. He grew up with his four siblings; Dennis, Kathryn, Doug, and Carmen E. Dragon.
Daryl’s brother Dennis was a member of the 1960s pop combo The Dragons and the 1980s surf band the Surf Punks. Growing up, Daryl learned to play multiple musical instruments, including the keyboard, accordion, and clarinet
Nothing is available on the internet websites, regarding Daryl’s education qualification, school, and college. He started his musical career at a young age and he might drop out of school to pursue a career in the musical industry.
Death
At the age of 76, Daryl died on January 2, 2019, from kidney failure in Prescott, Arizona, with Tennille by his side.
Professional Career
Initially, Daryl Dragon began working as a backup musician and keyboardist for various artists and bands in the late 1960s. He played keyboards for The Beach Boys during their early 1970s tours and appeared on several of their albums. It was during this time that he met Toni Tennille, who was also a backup singer for The Beach Boys.
Captain & Tennille
Caption: Daryl Dragon performing in a concert (Source: The New York Times)
Dragon and Tennille formed their musical duo and called themselves Captain & Tennille. They signed a record deal with A&M Records and achieved massive success in the mid-1970s. Their breakthrough came with the release of their debut single, “Love Will Keep Us Together,” which topped the charts in 1975 and won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. The duo went on to produce several other hits, including “Muskrat Love,” “Do That to Me One More Time,” and “Shop Around.”
Musical works outside Captain & Tennille
Dragon joined the band Charles Wright and the Wright Sounds in 1962, which included future Watts Band member John Raynford. In 1967, he also performed with The Yellow Balloon. He attended San Fernando Valley State College from 1963 to 1966, then dropped out to form a band with his brothers.
Daryl and his brother Dennis formed The Mission, a studio band that released a one-off single called “Calmilly”/”Galing Made It” on the small Bet Records label in 1968. The songs were later included on a joint album titled Me and My Brother in 1971 (along with another brother, Doug, who sang the vocals), which was released on CD in 2005.
Daryl Dragon and his brothers Doug and Dennis recorded sessions for a psychedelic soul/rock album “The Dragons” in the late 1960s, but they could not find a record label to release the album. BFI stood for “Blue Forces Intelligence” and was the album’s title. Ninja Tune, a UK label, discovered that the recording engineer, Donn Landee, still had the master tapes and released the album in 2007.
He is also credited as Captain Keyboard on Bob Smith’s 1970 double LP The Visit.
Moreover, he also contributed significantly to the Beach Boys’ 1972 album Carl and the Passions – “So Tough” with keyboarding and musical scoring; he co-wrote the track “Cuddle Up” with Dennis Wilson.
In addition, his orchestrations on the tracks “Make It Good” and “Cuddle Up” translated Wilson’s melodic ideas. He also composed the coda to the Beach Boys’ 1971 album Surf’s Up, “Don’t Go Near The Water.”
He also worked on the Go for It soundtrack with Dennis and with the rock band Survivor in the early 1980s. Moreover, he worked on the Carpenters’ Made In America album in 1981, programming synthesizers on “(Want You) Back In My Life Again.”
Awards
As a musician, he has worked with several popular bands and has given several hits. In 1976, he won a Grammy Award for
Net Worth 2023
Daryl Dragon is considered one of the most successful musicians of the 1970s with his pop music duo Captain & Tennille. At the time of his death, his net worth was around $4.5 million.
Relationship Status
Talking about his personal life, Daryl Dragon is a divorced man. In the past, he married his wife, Toni Tennille on the 14th of February 1974. However, after 39 years of marital relationship, the couple divorced in 2014. However, the couple did not share any kids. Despite the end of their romantic relationship, they remained friends and continued to perform together on occasion.
Caption: Daryl Dragon with his ex-wife and their pet dog (Source: The Times)
Till the time of his death, Daryl Dragon did not have any significant controversies associated with his personal life or career. He maintained a relatively low-key and private-public image throughout his career as a musician.
Neurological condition
His ex-wife revealed in late 2009 that her husband had developed familial tremors. Tennille stated that his condition was neither debilitating nor terminal. Rather, stress and anxiety exacerbated his noticeable tremor. As a result, most of Daryl’s public appearances were hampered by his tremor condition. Toni Tennille announced in November 2009 that Dragon was being evaluated by a doctor to determine the best course of treatment for him.
Tennille publicly clarified her husband’s condition as “a neurological condition (later confirmed to be essential tremor), which causes him to have tremors” in September 2010. Tennille stated that Dragon’s musical abilities were hampered by the condition.
Body Measurements and Social Media
Caption: Daryl Dragon posing for a photo with his ex-wife, Toni Tennille (Source: Extra TV)
Daryl Dragon has brown eyes with grey hair color. Other than this, there is no information available regarding his height, weight, and others.
Till the time of his death, he was not active on any kind of social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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