Kevin Cadogan of Third Eye Blind

Kevin Rene Cadogan (born August 14, 1970 in Oakland, California) is an American singer/songwriter, producer and rock guitarist. He is a founding member of the band Third Eye Blind. He performed with the band from 1993 to 2000. Cadogan co-wrote some of Third Eye Blind's most notable hits, including "How's It Going to Be", "Losing a Whole Year", and "Graduate", He co-wrote 10 of the 14 songs on the self-titled Third Eye Blind debut album. Kevin Cadogan along with his co-writer Stephan Jenkins signed a recording contract with Elektra records in May 1996 which was later reported as the largest publishing deal ever for an unsigned artist and launched Third Eye Blind into stardom. In 2011 Cadogan was honored on the show "Pensado's Place" by record producer Eric Valentine. Valentine cited Kevin Cadogan as his favorite rock guitarist that he has ever recorded; "Kevin is such a pleasure to work with..his whole thing is just amazing."


As a child, Cadogan spent two years in England while his father taught on sabbatical. Later, the family returned to the United States and settled in Berkeley, California. The Cadogan family maintains their Irish heritage, and Cadogan holds dual American and Irish citizenship. Cadogan's song "Waiting For Me" refers to his close ties to Ireland.

Cadogan attended Berkeley public schools up to his graduation in 1988. Cadogan later attended San Francisco State University, graduating in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast communications.

Kevin Cadogan lives with his wife and two children in Berkeley.


Cadogan and Third Eye Blind "parted ways" in January 2000.

According to Cadogan, he was ousted without warning because he didn't agree to a deal that would have yielded a $1 million advance to record an EP and start an Elektra Records imprint for which Stephan Jenkins would have full ownership and control.

The controversial circumstances of Cadogan's departure stem from his allegations that Stephan Jenkins and he were to be partners of the corporation named Third Eye Blind Inc. Instead, Jenkins directed the band's manager Eric Godtland and the band's attorney Thomas Mandelbaum to issue Jenkins 100% of the shares to himself making Stephan Jenkins the sole owner of all Third Eye Blind assets. Kevin Cadogan claimed that he was told by the band attorney that shares had not been issued to anyone. Cadogan told the NY Times in 1999 that he discovered 100% of the shares had in fact been issued to Jenkins as far back as 1996 when Cadogan and Jenkins signed the definitive record contract with Elektra. Cadogan states that upon learning that Jenkins owned 100% of the band he then refused to sign off on any more recording contracts and loans until shares were also issued to Cadogan. In 1999 Cadogan was asked to sign a 1 million dollar loan from Elektra records which would allow Third Eye Blind to record an EP and release it on its own label as a subsidiary of Elektra. Cadogan refused to sign the deal, citing the fact that he would not own or have any control over the assets acquired from the deal. In November 1999 Elektra records issued the funds to the Stephan Jenkins owned Third Eye Blind corporation without Cadogan's signature as Elektra had previously required. Two months later in January 2000, Cadogan and Third Eye Blind parted ways after a concert in Utah. Despite having received the $1 million from Elektra back in 1999, the band never delivered the EP for which the funds were allocated.

Cadogan filed suit, alleging wrongful termination, adding that his production, recording, and songwriter royalties were withheld since being kicked out of the band.

The lawsuit was settled out of court in June 2002, with the terms of the settlement undisclosed.

A major point of contention between Cadogan and Jenkins was an original understanding that Cadogan and Jenkins were to be equal partners in Third Eye Blind, but Jenkins established Third Eye Blind Inc. on the eve of signing the band's original record deal with Elektra Records in 1996. All payments were subsequently directed in the record contract to be paid to Third Eye Blind Inc., effectively cutting Cadogan out of any partnership and making Jenkins the sole "owner" of the band. Cadogan says several years went by before he realized that this change had been made in the contract.