Stray Dog (3)

Stray Dog were a blues-based hard rock band formed in Texas in the early 1970s. They recorded two albums before disbanding around 1976. Aphrodite were William Garrett "Snuffy" Walden ( vocals, guitar), Alan Roberts (bass, keyboards) and Randy Reeder (drums). A March 1972 show in Denver, CO (where the group relocated from Fort Worth, TX), was witnessed by Neville Chesters, a former road manager for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, who signed them to newly-formed ELP's label, Manticore Records, asking them to fly to England immediately to start work on a debut album. Walden and Roberts agreed, while Reeder refused and was therefore replaced by Les Sampson (previously with Noel Redding's band Road). Finally they changed their name to Stray Dog and started working with producer Greg Lake. Manticore was launched in March 1973 with a 3-track promo-only single that featured King Crimson's lyricist Pete Sinfield, italian progressive rock act PFM and of course Stray Dog. In any case neither their debut nor 1974's follow-up "While You're Down There" attracted too much attention, and Stray Dog split up in 1975/76. Snuffy Walden eventually made its mark as a TV composer for several popular American television programs, most notably Roseanne and The West Wing.