Peter R. Arnott
Encyclopedia
Peter R. Arnott is an American
composer
, theatre director and banjo
player. Arnott is a member of the Bohemian Club
and has been closely involved with a number of Grove Plays. Arnott is a founding member and banjo player for the Goodtime Washboard Three.
. His paternal grandparents were John and Virginia Arnott, friends of John McLaren, the designer of Golden Gate Park
.
and as a vaudeville band. Arnott played banjo, Bruce Bratton played washtub bass
, and Wayne Pope played washboard and musical saw
. In 1959, the band played Friday nights at the Monkey Inn in Berkeley, California
. In 1963, when Arnott was absent from the group for two years working in Japan, the band wrote a humorous song about Oakland
, appropriately entitled "Oakland", which gained regional popularity. With Dick Fagarstrom covering banjo, the single 45 rpm record "Oakland" was played on many of the San Francisco Bay Area
radio stations for a brief period, and has since settled into cult status, with occasional plays on eclectic radio shows such as that of Dr. Demento
. Of its 1960s popularity, Bratton said "It got enormous airplay." The Goodtime Washboard Three was asked to perform the song for the Oakland City Council, and the group (with Arnott on banjo) played it from atop the marquee of the Tribune Tower
, a performance seen by thousands. The band's quirky style and fame resulted in invitations to the Bohemian Grove
where they met powerful people such as Richard Nixon
and Henry Kissinger
. Bratton later joked that he organized a meeting of all the Bohemian Democrats
, held in a telephone booth
. The band's first full album was entitled Don't Blame PG&E, Pal, recorded in 1964 at Fantasy Studios
in Berkeley and released in 1965 by Fantasy Records
. On April 1, 1967, the band appeared on the television show The Hollywood Palace
, with Bing Crosby
as guest host. Crosby introduced them by saying that he first heard the group play at the Bohemian Grove. Crosby joined the band for the last chorus of Oh By Jingo!
.
The band recorded further sessions, but no second album was released. Bratton left for Santa Cruz
in 1970, to be replaced by Hal Nachtrieb on tuba
. Bohemian George Schultz, United States Secretary of State
, invited them to the White House
in 1986 to play during a state visit by Philippines President Corazon Aquino
. The Goodtime Washboard Three continues to make the odd public appearance.
. The two live in Sausalito, California
and are active in city business, politics and art. They assist with both the Marin Art Festival and the Sausalito Art Festival. Ann Arnott serves as secretary for the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce, has been president of the Sausalito Women's Club and is currently president of the Art Festival Foundation. Arnott's son David Arnott
is an actor, screenwriter and musical composer living in Southern California.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, theatre director and banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player. Arnott is a member of the Bohemian Club
Bohemian Club
The Bohemian Club is a private men's club in San Francisco, California, United States.Its clubhouse is located at 624 Taylor Street in San Francisco...
and has been closely involved with a number of Grove Plays. Arnott is a founding member and banjo player for the Goodtime Washboard Three.
Early life
Arnott was born in 1932 in Palo Alto, CaliforniaPalo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
. His paternal grandparents were John and Virginia Arnott, friends of John McLaren, the designer of Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
.
Banjo
Arnott was a founding member of the band Goodtime Washboard Three, characterized as a regional one-hit jug bandJug band
A Jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments. These home-made instruments are ordinary objects adapted to or modified for making of sound, like the washtub bass, washboard, spoons, stovepipe and comb & tissue paper...
and as a vaudeville band. Arnott played banjo, Bruce Bratton played washtub bass
Washtub bass
The washtub bass, or "gutbucket", is a stringed instrument used in American folk music that uses a metal washtub as a resonator. Although it is possible for a washtub bass to have four or more strings and tuning pegs, traditional washtub basses have a single string whose pitch is adjusted by...
, and Wayne Pope played washboard and musical saw
Musical saw
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
. In 1959, the band played Friday nights at the Monkey Inn in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. In 1963, when Arnott was absent from the group for two years working in Japan, the band wrote a humorous song about Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, appropriately entitled "Oakland", which gained regional popularity. With Dick Fagarstrom covering banjo, the single 45 rpm record "Oakland" was played on many of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
radio stations for a brief period, and has since settled into cult status, with occasional plays on eclectic radio shows such as that of Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
. Of its 1960s popularity, Bratton said "It got enormous airplay." The Goodtime Washboard Three was asked to perform the song for the Oakland City Council, and the group (with Arnott on banjo) played it from atop the marquee of the Tribune Tower
Tribune Tower (Oakland)
The Tribune Tower is a 305-ft. , 21-story building located in downtown Oakland, California. Completed in 1923, the 89,251 sq.-ft. building was opened by Joseph R. Knowland on January 1, 1924, as the home of the Oakland Tribune newspaper, and is a symbol of both the Tribune and the city of...
, a performance seen by thousands. The band's quirky style and fame resulted in invitations to the Bohemian Grove
Bohemian Grove
Bohemian Grove is a campground located at 20601 Bohemian Avenue, in Monte Rio, California, belonging to a private San Francisco-based men's art club known as the Bohemian Club...
where they met powerful people such as Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
. Bratton later joked that he organized a meeting of all the Bohemian Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, held in a telephone booth
Telephone booth
A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box or telephone box is a small structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience. In the USA, Canada and Australia, "telephone booth" is used, while in the UK and the rest of the Commonwealth it is a "telephone...
. The band's first full album was entitled Don't Blame PG&E, Pal, recorded in 1964 at Fantasy Studios
Fantasy Studios
Fantasy Studios is a recording studio in Berkeley, California at the Zaentz Media Center, known for its recording of award-winning albums such as Journey's Escape and Green Day's Dookie. Built as a private recording studio for artists on the Fantasy Records label in 1971, it was opened to the...
in Berkeley and released in 1965 by Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label...
. On April 1, 1967, the band appeared on the television show The Hollywood Palace
The Hollywood Palace
The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. It began as a mid-season replacement for the short-lived Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months...
, with Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
as guest host. Crosby introduced them by saying that he first heard the group play at the Bohemian Grove. Crosby joined the band for the last chorus of Oh By Jingo!
Oh By Jingo!
"Oh By Jingo!" is a 1919 novelty song by Albert Von Tilzer with lyrics by Lew Brown.The song was featured in the Broadway show "Linger Longer Letty", and became one of the biggest Tin Pan Alley hits of the post-World War I era....
.
The band recorded further sessions, but no second album was released. Bratton left for Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
in 1970, to be replaced by Hal Nachtrieb on tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
. Bohemian George Schultz, United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
, invited them to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in 1986 to play during a state visit by Philippines President Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
. The Goodtime Washboard Three continues to make the odd public appearance.
Bohemian Club
In 1975, Arnott directed the Grove Play Allegory: An Odyssey in Time and Space. Arnott stepped forward with his own script in 1980: Olympus. Ten years later, he directed The Prophecy. In 2003, Arnott composed the music for Fort Ross, the 98th Grove Play.Family
Arnott married Ann Krikorian from BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. The two live in Sausalito, California
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...
and are active in city business, politics and art. They assist with both the Marin Art Festival and the Sausalito Art Festival. Ann Arnott serves as secretary for the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce, has been president of the Sausalito Women's Club and is currently president of the Art Festival Foundation. Arnott's son David Arnott
David arnott
David Arnott is an American actor, screenwriter and musical composer living in Southern California. Among his credits, Arnott co-wrote The Last Action Hero, and starred in The Last Man with Jeri Ryan. David is a member of the legendary "Pad O' Guys" screenwriting group, including Shane Black and...
is an actor, screenwriter and musical composer living in Southern California.