Michael Fennelly (born April 4, 1949) is an American musician known for his work as a singer and songwriter in the 1960s and 1970s, notably in The Millennium and

Crabby Appleton Crabby Appleton was an American rock band in the early 1970s. Fronted by singer-songwriter Michael Fennelly, they scored a Top 40 hit with their first single, "Go Back." History Though nearly everyone in the group was from a Los Angeles, Ca ...

. Fennelly was born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States, the second of three children. He grew up in Pennsylvania and Westfield, New Jersey, where he attended high school. He began taking guitar lessons when he was nine years old. At the age of 17 he

hitchhiked Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads hav ...

to Los Angeles, and began performing in clubs there. By 1967, he had become a member of songwriter/producer Curt Boettcher's studio-based collective of musicians. He contributed electric sitar and vocals to the album '' Present Tense'' by Sagittarius, and then became one of the five singer/guitarist/songwriters included in The Millennium, the sunshine pop group assembled by Boettcher. In 1969 he joined an existing band, Stonehenge, as lead singer, guitarist and songwriter, changing their name to

. The band were signed to

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

, and released two albums, with Fennelly's writing becoming influenced by such emerging musicians as Neil Young and

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...

. Their single "Go Back", written and sung by Fennelly, produced by Don Gallucci and taken from the band's first album, reached No. 36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in mid 1970. Following the disbanding of the group, Fennelly recorded two solo records. The first, ''Lane Changer'' (1974), was recorded in England with ex- Zombie Chris White producing and members of the group Argent contributing to some tracks.

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

played the lead guitar on the song "Watch Yerself" . Fennelly's second solo album, ''Stranger's Bed'', was recorded in Los Angeles with

Denny Bruce Denny Bruce (born in 1944 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) is an American record producer and artist manager. While living in Los Angeles in 1965 Denny was hired by Frank Zappa as a second drummer with The Mothers of Invention. After 6 months he cont ...

producing and Keith Olsen engineering. However, neither was successful. Fennelly also recorded with

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...

; he sings the high harmony on "The Boston Rag" from ''

Countdown to Ecstasy ''Countdown to Ecstasy'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Steely Dan, released in July 1973 by ABC Records. It was recorded at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado, and at The Village Recorder in West Los Angeles, California. ...

'', their second album. Fennelly remained in the music business thereafter, and currently lives in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Oregon. Fennelly's music has been covered by contemporary artists, including John Verity's cover of "Touch My Soul" on his 2014 album ''Tone Hound'', and "Go Back" by The Sirens on the 2007 ''More is More'' album. In 2013, Sundazed Records released ''Love Can Change Everything: Demos 1967-1972'' which contains demo recordings of Fennelly's songs produced during the Millennium era, Crabby Appleton songs, and songs from his solo release.

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Discography
1949 births American pop musicians American male pop singers Living people People from Westfield, New Jersey {{US-pop-singer-stub