Daryl Dragon, of Captain and Tennille, Dead at 76

by Rodney Davis | January 05, 2019 | 02:26
Daryl Dragon, of Captain and Tennille, Dead at 76

Dragon was born August 27, 1942 into a musical family, and is the son of Eloise (Rawitzer) and conductor, composer, and arranger Carmen Dragon, and the elder brother of Dennis Dragon, a member of the 1960s pop combo The Dragons and the 1980s surf band the Surf Punks.

Tennille filed for divorce from Dragon in the State of Arizona on January 16, 2014, after 39 years of marriage.

Captain & Tennille's version, slightly faster and funkier than the original, wasn't Dragon's first choice as a single.

Before he was with Tennille, he played keyboards for the Beach Boys and was dubbed "The Captain" by singer Mike Love, who noted Dragon's fondness for sailor's caps. Toni Tennille, Dragon's ex-wife and longtime musical partner, was by his side.

The duo found nearly immediate success with a rendition of "Love Will Keep Us Together" in early 1975, eventually winning a Grammy Award for the record.

Toni Tennille, who married Dragon in 1975, was with him when he died. "I was at my most creative in my life, when I was with him", Tennille said in a statement of remembrance. They did do three annual specials for ABC, "Captain and Tennille in Hawaii", then "Captain and Tennille in New Orleans", and ending with 1980's "Captain and Tennille Songbook". Daryl Dragon himself was trained as a classical pianist.

The duo followed up their 1975 success with a few appearances on variety shows, covers, and original songs with Tennille's "Do That To Me One More Time" also climbing to the number 1 spot. We loved listening to Captain & Tennille together back in the day! They remained close friends.

It was with the Beach Boys that Dragon got his stage name, thanks to his habit of wearing a ship captain's hat while performing. They soon began playing gigs together in the Los Angeles area, quickly leading to a record deal.

In 1976, they sang at the White House during the bicentennial celebrations of the American Revolution. Per his request, there will be no funeral services.

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