L-R Joe Schermie-bass, Katt Kleiber-lead vocals,
Floyd Sneed-drums (original drummer for Three
Dog Night), Ron "Diego" Johnston-lead guitar,
originally from El Paso. Ron Johnston has been
in touch with me recently and has shared some
great info about his early days in El Paso. I have
had a great conversation with Floyd Sneed and
shared the memory that my wife and I had of seeing
Three Dog Night in Las Cruces at the Pan Am Center
in the late 60's - he's really a nice guy and one of the
best drummers in the business. Ron states "I was
just surfing and found your site. I'm always wondering
what happened to all the old guys in EP. I remember you,
as I went to UTEP starting in 1969 in the music department.
I was in a band then called Adobe Flats." He also mentioned
to me that he had been playing with Joe Schermie (of Three
Dog Night) since 2000 - that he died on Ron's birthday in
2002. He also told me that he was going out on the road with
Chuck Negron (lead singer for 3DN) this summer. "Like I
always said there is no place like El Paso..great food, great
people and a wonderful atmosphere, but damn if you can
make a living playing music there...haha!" "My older
brother Darrell Hooker hung out with Bobby Fuller and used
to bring him to the house and my brother Terry was always
with Andre Bonaguidi. Paul West, and Frankie Sotello. In
those days I was shipped to my aunt's house in Phoenix and
played in a band with Vince Furnier (Alice Cooper) called
the Spyders in 1965. After I graduated from UTEP in
theory and composition I got a job in Austin at a recording
studio on south Lamar and helped produce some Johnny
and Edgar Winter records and then took off to Dallas with
Uncle John Turner. I went back to EP in 1978 where Big
Sonny Farlow ministered at my wedding to Sharleen
Singleton and became brother in law to Jimmy Chagra...
haha! I played with Jimmy Carl Black in 1978 and then went
to California to do some records with Tommy Mars from
Zappa and one thing lead to another.....Ron
I might add that Ron was on staff as a session player with
A&M Records around the same time that Mike Ciccarelli
was a session player with Warner Communciations.
Visit their bands site at: www.myspace.com/dogKatt
Submitted by Rick Kern
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