Probyn Gregory (born: July 27) is a composer and musician who was raised in the disparate climates of New Hampshire andCalifornia, and is now based in Los Angeles. For many years, he has been a member of the Brian Wilson Band (2005 Grammy award), and has performed/recorded[1] with Wondermints, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Badly Drawn Boy, Andrew Gold (Byrds Of A Feather), Eels, Arthur Lee and Love, Riviera, The Mello Cads, Cosmo Topper, The Now People, Heart, Jan & Dean, Baby Lemonade, Peter Case, TNP/Stew, The Groundlings house band, and innumerable others in L.A.’s power pop scene over the past 30 years. He features as lead vocalist on “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” from Wondermint’s “Wonderful World of the Wondermints”-album, on “I Send Up My Prayer”[2] from Nick Vernier Band’s “Sessions”-album, and on “A Time To Live In Dreams” from Stephen Kalinich’s “California Feeling”-album. In 2012, he toured as part of the Beach Boys 50th Reunion band. In 2013, he was invited to be a counselor at the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas.
Probyn brings a hidden musical element to the Brian Wilson show that is not unlike what Al Jardine brought to The Beach Boys. He plays guitar, bass, banjo, keyboards, trumpet, French horn, Flügelhorn, various lower brass instruments, and thetannerin (a theremin emulator, featured on “Good Vibrations”), and adds a beautiful tenor voice to the harmonic blend. His guitar playing has garnered praise from no less than Eric Clapton, who complimented his slide guitar playing.
He also is a long time Beach Boys fan. To date his fanhood, back in the early 1980s, Probyn placed a classified ad in L.A.’sRecycler, pleading that Capitol Records would release the Beach Boys “SMiLE” album. Little did he know that two decades later he’d be playing and singing on Brian Wilson’s version of that very album.
He founded Valentunes,[3] a music company creating personalized musical Valentine messages, and wrote and recorded 19 songs for a Children’s TV Workshop science series. Probyn is also a summer director at Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, and has composed and recorded for several music libraries.
