Chet Powers (1937-1994), also known under the pseudonym Dino Valenti, was best known as the writer of the hippie anthem “Get Together” and the one-time guitarist for legenday Bay Area rock group Quicksilver Messenger Service.
Powers was born and raised in Danbury, Connecticut and performed from an early age in lounges and coffeehouses under the Dino Valenti name. After a stint serving in the Air Force, Valenti made a name for himself playing in the Greenwich Village folk scene – he was a regular at famed clubs like the Cafe Wha? and The Cock & Bull (later known as The Bitter End) alongside Bob Dylan, Josh White and Karen Dalton.
By 1963, he’d moved to Los Angeles, where he penned the song “Let’s Get Together”, later covered by The Kingston Trio, Jefferson Airplane, and of course, The Youngbloods. Reportedly, he played in a nascent version of the Quicksilver Messenger Service in 1964 and was close friends with Roger McGuinn (of The Byrds.
However, his career was seriously derailed after his arrest for possession of marijuana and amphetamines. He sold the publishing rights to “Get Together” to pay for his legal fees and was ultimately sentenced to a one-to-ten-year sentence in Folsom Prison.
By the late 1960s, he was an established solo performer. In 1969, he rejoined Quicksilver Messenger Service and performed as their lead singer for 10 years. In the late 1980s, he underwent brain surgery to fix a malformed vein – despite several complications afterward, he remained active until his sudden death in 1994 at age 57.
