… Read Full Bio ↴There have been multiple artists who have recorded as The Dragons.
1. The Dragons were a Los Angeles based trio consisting of three brothers Daryl Dragon, (August 27, 1942 - January 2, 2018) Doug Dragon and Dennis Dragon (d. September 2017). They were sons of composer/symphony conductor Carmen Dragon and an opera soprano. Multi-instrumentalist Daryl studied piano while growing up and briefly attended California State University at Northridge before dropping out to form an instrumental jazz trio with his brothers called The Dragons. The group released the single "Elephant Stomp"/"Troll" on Capitol Records in 1964.
Not much happened for a while in terms of releasing music and the brothers became involved with other projects. They were in late 1960s outfit Farm that recorded the soundtrack for the Australian surf film "The Innermost Limits Of Pure Fun" in 1968. In 1967 Daryl became a touring backup musician for the Beach Boys. He was dubbed "Captain Keyboard" by lead singer Mike Love because he always appeared on-stage in a yachting cap. In addition to touring with the Beach Boys, Dragon appeared on their albums of the period, including Sunflower and Holland, and he was billed as Rumbo on a British single released in 1970, "Sound of Free"/"Lady," credited to the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson & Rumbo. "Captain" Daryl Dragon and his wife, singer/pianist Toni Tennille, scored a series of pop/rock hits in a light, romantic vein in the second half of the 1970s, the most successful of which was the first, "Love Will Keep Us Together." The couple met in the summer of 1971, when Dragon was engaged as the keyboard player for a musical revue, Mother Earth, composed by Tennille.
In the late 1960s the three brothers were living in Malibu, surfing and gigging around the Los Angeles area and having their minds blown by the music of The Beatles, Hendrix and The Doors., the Dragon brothers decide it’s time to create their own psychedelic soul/rock masterpiece. A high school friend of Dennis, Donn Landee, is working as a recording engineer at Sunwest Recording Studios in Hollywood and they begin to go there to put tracks down in “off time” often working from 3 AM, when they finish their regular gigs, until morning.
They call the sessions “Blue Forces Intelligence,” find themselves layering their instruments in new ways, adding deep, bassy vocal lines and then ramming them up against falsetto harmonies, adding organs and space age sound effects, recording spirituals and pop and crazy rock opera. The effect is increasingly spacey and weird, but also funky – a missing link between new directions others are exploring in jazz and soul as well as rock music.
Unfortunately, the suits at the West Coast offices of the major labels aren’t ready, complaining that they don’t hear a hit. After shopping the record, now called just “BFI”, for a few months, the boys become disillusioned and focus instead on their session work. They all end up working in the Beach Boys’ backing band. Doug moves to Hawaii, tours Australia. Dennis becomes a successful record producer. Daryl hooks up with Toni Tennille and experiences international chart success as “The Captain”. “BFI” is forgotten.
Jump on 37 years. Strictly Kev/DJ Food, influential mixologist and designer for Ninja Tune and obsessive record collector – picks up a new batch of vinyl from a record dealer he knows. Among them is a 500-run private pressing of the soundtrack to a surf movie called “A Sea For Yourself”. On it is a track called “Food For My Soul” by a band called the Dragons. Kev being a fan of all possible food-based puns and currently putting together the mix for his new “Solid Steel” mix CD for Ninja, drops the needle on the groove.
What he finds amazes him – a true psychedelic original from a band he’s never heard of. Using his extensive contacts in the world of vinyl mania, he manages to track Dennis Dragon down. He emails him, asks him if he can include “Food For My Soul” on the mix. Sure, says Dennis. There’s a whole album of the stuff if he’s interested. Dennis checks. Donn still has the master tapes. He converts them to mp3 and emails them to Kev. Kev is blown away. He forwards them to Ninja Tune. Ninja Tune think it’s a scam. But then they listen. And they listen again. And then, after nearly forty years sitting on a recording engineer’s shelf, Ninja Tune decide to release “BFI”.
Beautifully played and produced, full of crazy invention and a lovably naive lack of self-consciousness, “BFI” is a miniature masterpiece, a lost classic of psych-whimsy, West Coast sexiness and serious musical chops. The moral of this story is: keep your master tapes. Whatever you do, keep your master tapes.
2. The Dragons was a rock band based in San Diego, California, that released six CDs between 1991 and 2005. The band was notably fronted by singer/guitarist Mario Escovedo, whose musical family also includes Alejandro Escovedo, Pete Escovedo, Javier Escovedo, Coke Escovedo, and Sheila E. Other members of The Dragons included Ken Horne (lead guitar), Steve Rodriguez (bass guitar) and Jarrod Lucas (drums). The band played a combination of glam, garage and punk rock, similar to New York Dolls and Hanoi Rocks.
Discography:
"Pain Killer" – Scam-O-Rama Records, 1996
"Cheers to Me" – Junk Records, 1998
"Rock Like Fuck" – Junk Records, 1999
"Live at the Casbah" – Junk Records, 2000
"Sin Salvation" – Gearhead Records, 2003
"Rock n Roll Kamikaze" – Gearhead Records, 2004
Food for my Soul
The Dragons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For every woman, every man
This will be a sign to you
A baby born in Bethlehem
Come and worship
Do not be afraid
A company of angels
Glory in the highest
Those of whom His favor rests
Oh, come and worship
Do not be afraid, no, no
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul magnifies the Lord
He has done great things for me
Great things for me
Unto you a child is born
Unto us a Son is given
Let every heart prepare His throne
And every nation under Heaven
Come and worship
Do not be afraid, no, no
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul magnifies the Lord
He has done great things for me
Great things for me
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul magnifies the Lord
He has done great things for me
Great things for me
Of His government there will be no end
He'll establish it with His righteousness
And He shall reign on David's throne
And His name shall be from this day on
Wonderful, Counselor, Everlasting Father
Wonderful, Counselor
His name shall be Everlasting Father
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
He has done great things for us
He has done great things for us
He has done great things for us
He has done great things for us
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul magnifies the Lord
He has done great things for me
Great things for me
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul magnifies the Lord
He has done great things for me
Great things for me
He has done great things
He has done great things
The Dragons’ “Food for My Soul” is a beautiful song that tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The lyrics speak of the good news of great joy that a baby has been born in Bethlehem, and how this event will be a sign to all people. The company of angels that appears to announce the birth declares not to be afraid as their presence and message brings tidings of great joy to all. The song invites all to come and worship the child, and not to be afraid. It speaks of the greatness of the things that God has done, and how His name shall be Wonderful, Counselor, Everlasting Father.
The lyrics proclaim the greatness of God's works and how they have been magnified by the people who have felt His presence. The song encourages people of all nations to come and worship the newborn king and prepare a throne for Him in their hearts. The song also speaks of how Jesus Christ will reign on David's throne and how His name shall be wonderful, counselor, and everlasting father. The song is a beautiful declaration of faith, and it speaks of the goodness of God and how the birth of Jesus is a sign of hope for humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Good news of great joy
This song is filled with good news and joyful tidings.
For every woman, every man
The good news is for everyone, regardless of gender.
This will be a sign to you
The birth of a baby in Bethlehem will signify the good news.
A baby born in Bethlehem
The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem as a baby.
Come and worship
Everyone is invited to come and worship the Messiah.
Do not be afraid
There is no need to be afraid of the good news.
A company of angels
A multitude of angels will announce the good news.
Glory in the highest
The angels will give glory to God in the highest heaven.
And on the earth peace among
The good news brings peace to those on earth.
Those of whom His favor rests
Those who are favored by God will receive peace through the Messiah's birth.
My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
I praise and glorify the Lord with all my soul.
He has done great things for me
God has done great things for me.
Unto you a child is born
The good news is that a child is born to bring salvation.
Unto us a Son is given
The Son of God is given to us to save us.
Let every heart prepare His throne
We should prepare our hearts for the coming of the Messiah.
And every nation under Heaven
Every nation in the world will be affected by the Messiah's birth.
Of His government there will be no end
The Messiah's reign will be eternal.
He'll establish it with His righteousness
The Messiah will establish His reign with justice and righteousness.
And He shall reign on David's throne
The Messiah will reign on the throne of David.
And His name shall be from this day on
The Messiah's name will be known forever from this day forward.
Wonderful, Counselor, Everlasting Father
The Messiah will be known as Wonderful Counselor and Everlasting Father.
His name shall be Everlasting Father
The Messiah's name will be Everlasting Father.
He has done great things for us
God has done great things for all of us.
He has done great things
God has done great things for us all.
Writer(s): Douglas Dragon
Contributed by Julia D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dave Strong
Amazing record and the elpee's pretty good too! :)
Koen Lefever
Great song, sounds like The Doors playing Jazz-Funk.
seapoodle
epic