‘The Office’ Fans Might Not Recognize Creed Bratton in This Photo From His Rock Band Days
The Office character Creed Bratton is played by the actor Creed Bratton. While the real Bratton is similar to his role in many ways, he has also lived a very musical life outside of the NBC comedy series. Some Office fans might be surprised to learn of Bratton’s musical career. Many might be even more surprised when they see an almost unrecognizable photo of Bratton from his days in the band The Grass Roots.
Creed Bratton is one of ‘The Office’s quirkiest characters
“I’ve been involved in a number of cults, both a leader and a follower,” Creed tells cameras in an episode of The Office. From sprouting Mung beans in his desk drawer to showing up at the office in a bloodied shirt un-ironically on Halloween, Creed his one of the show’s most eccentric roles.
In reality, the actor isn’t all that different from the part he plays. As mentioned on Brian Baumgartner’s podcasts An Oral History of The Office and The Office Deep Dive, Bratton is an eccentric guy. He also has an interesting background in entertainment.
The Grass Roots band once featured a young and unrecognizable Creed Bratton
Before he became the go-to guy for quality assurance at Dunder Mifflin, Bratton was touring the country in various musical acts. According to a discussion from The Office Deep Dive, Bratton started playing music as a child and never looked back.
One of Bratton’s most notable experiences in the music industry was his time with The Grass Roots. Pictured below in the top left corner is a younger and almost unrecognizable Bratton.
Bratton performed with the group from 1966 to 1970. At the time, his bandmates included Rick Coonce, Warren Entner, and Kenny Fukumoto. The Grass Roots took their song “Let’s Live for Today” to the top of the charts in the years Bratton was a member.
Bratton’s musical background followed him when he joined the cast of The Office. “I wrote the song by myself,” Bratton said of the song his role sings in the finale of The Office (via Reddit). “I perform it [at] all my shows!” He wrote the song a year after he left The Grass Roots.
The Grass Roots tour with The Doors
During his chat with Baumgartner, Bratton also talks about his relationship with the iconic rock band The Doors. When Bratton was a member of The Grass Roots, the band toured with Jim Morrison’s group.
Bratton’s relationship with The Doors continued after the tour. One of the band’s members was the best man at Bratton’s wedding. He also mentioned other experiences with The Doors.
“That reminds me of snorting cocaine off a hooker’s a– at the Playboy Mansion with Jim Morrison,” Bratton told Baumgartner. Whether or not this story is true remains unclear. But we’d like to think it is.
Bratton also mentioned his connection with The Doors on Reddit during an AMA. “[I] didn’t drop drugs with the band all at once, but we did hang out in the ’60s a lot,” Bratton says. “[I] was friends with John and Ray.”
Creed Bratton still makes music today
According to his website, Bratton has released a handful of solo albums over the years, including Chasin’ the Ball, The 80’s, Coarsegold, Creed Bratton, Tell Me About It, and Bounce Back. His latest release, While the Young Punks Dance, is available on Amazon.
