born as robert ellsworth patrick aloysious o'brady, in toledo, ohio, shortened to bob brady, it is unknown when the "o" was dropped from his surname. pat brady first appeared on stage at the age of four, in a road-show production of mrs. wiggs of the cabbage patch. from that initial stage appearance until his death, his life was dedicated to the world of entertainment as a musician and actor, almost exclusively in comedic roles. in 1935, while working as a bassist in california, pat struck up a friendship with a young country-and-western singer named leonard slye, a member of the popular sons of the pioneers. when len slye was elevated to screen stardom as roy rogers, he recommended brady as his replacement in "the sons". however, as bob nolan, an original member of the sons, was referred to as "bob," and the sons thought one "bob" was enough, "bob brady" then became "pat brady".