The members of the group were Deep Water, Thunderwing, and Boy Wonder, the latter of which inspired his "Atomik Tommy M" stage name.
[1] His early musical influences include The Beatles, The Lovin' Spoonful, Mance Lipscomb, and Paul Butterfield.
[1][2] Before McClendon joined UFO, the band disbanded after its unsuccessful tour supporting Making Contact.
Phil Mogg spent time in Los Angeles, where he contacted, through Mike Varney, McClendon, asking him to be in a new band.
McClendon was the guitarist for ex-Tesla bassist Brian Wheat's band Soulmotor, appearing on their first three releases.