Dragonwyck started in October 3, 1969 in Cleveland , Ohio. The original members were Bill Pettijohn (vocals), Mike Gerchack (bass, vocals) Jack Boessneck (drums), Tom Brehm (guitar) and Kenneth Staab (keyboards, vocals). In the five years of performing in the Cleveland area, Dragonwyck recorded three albums: "Dragonwyck" in 1970, "Chapter 2" in 1973, and "Fun" in 1974, and a 45 RPM single "Lovin' the boys/The music" in 1974.
The core membership of Dragonwyck began in 1965 when drummer Jack Boessneck, guitarist Tom Brehm and organist John Hall formed their first band, The Mortycyans, whose name was fashioned after the English band The Undertakers. With the singer Roy Baker, the bass player Pat Osines and the rhythm guitarist Ned Fairfield, The Mortycyans played a mixture of American and British rock at schools functions, C.Y.O dances, fraternity parties and V.F.W Legion Posts throughout the west Cleveland suburbs. In 1967, John hall left the band to attend Northwestern University, and was replaced by John Chandler. A year later, both Roy Baker and Neil Fairfield left the band to attend college. At that point, The Mortycyans callled it quits.
In 1968, Tom Brehm, Pat Osines, the drummer Gary Sanger, the organist Skip Foster and the singer Greg Reese formed the short lived band Sunrise. The band performed music by The Small Faces and Procol Harum. When Greg Reese left the band, the singer Bill Pettijohn auditioned. Bill was uncomfortable with the high vocal range of the Sunrise song list and during a break he asked Tom to listen to a song he wrote called "Fire climbs". The band learned "Fire climbs" that night and soon booked time at Landon Magnetic Sound, a 2-track recording studio in Garfield Heights, Ohio. The sound engineer was George Stage. At Landon Magnetic Sound, Sunrise recorded "Fire climbs", "Flowers grow free", "The vision", "Anything I'd give" and "Ancient child". Although crude, these 1968 Sunrise recordings became the early sound of Dragonwyck. By 1969, the bands membership evolved to include The Mortycyans drummer Jack Boessneck, the bass player Mike Gerchack and the keyboardist Kenneth Staab. On October 3, 1969 Sunrise changed their name to Dragonwyck.
Their line-ups varied, but keymembers on all albums are Tom Brehm playing guitars and Bill Pettijohn singing.
Dragonwyck's intention was to write, perform and record their own music. Their musical style moved towards progressive rock. Their first album was released in 1970 for only 85 copies, as a demo LP. Musically they combine the elements of both British and American psychedelic sound with heavy metal tones. The mood of their music is dark and mystical, and their sound is dominated by guitar and Hammonds, Moogs and Mellotrons. This music was dark and hauting, with Doors-like vocals and keyboards and heavy fuzz-psych guitar. On January 20, 1970 they recorded a Kenneth Staab song, "God's dream", at Landon Magnetic Sound, where Sunrise had recorded. Landon Magnetic Sound was now a 4-track studio. The sound engineer again was George Stage. Dragonwyck soon returned to Landon Magnetic Sound to record an entire album.
In October 3, Dragonwyck celebrated its first year as a band and, on October 23, Kenneth Staab quit and moved to Florida. Kenneth Staab died in 1973.
During 70s, the original Dragonwyck performed in the Cleveland Ohio area at D'Poo' and Die, Mickey Finns, Pandora's Box in Elyria, The Electric Boathouse in Mainsfield, Admiral Bimbo's in Westlake and J.B.'s in Kent, where Glass Harp was the houseband at that time.
In 1976 Tom Brehm and producer Bill Cavanaugh started the band called Flying Turns, to continue the musical direction of the album "Fun".
Band leader Tom Brehm reformed Dragonwyck with a new and younger lineup in 2006 and embarked on a short European tour before fading once again into obscurity.
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