From 1969-1974, nobody had more Top 10 hits, moved more records, or sold more concert tickets than Three Dog Night. During this period, they were undoubtedly the most popular band in America: twenty-one consecutive Top 40 hits, eighteen straight Top 20s, eleven Top 10s, seven number 1s, seven million-selling singles and twelve straight gold LPs. By late '75, they had sold nearly 50 million records. The band was unique for it's time, featuring three separate lead singers, Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron and Cory Wells.
Danny Hutton, who had graduated from loading and unloading records at the Disney studio to recording as a solo artist, hit number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September of 1965 with a song called "Roses and Rainbows".
Chuck Negron first started singing seriously in his college choir, and eventually cut some minor hits for small labels, as a solo act, billed as Chuck Rondell. He joined a campus rock band and was brought to the attention of Columbia Records, where he recorded a series of flop singles as Chuck Oberon.
Cory Wells was born Emil Lowendowski, in Buffalo, New York and began singing in small time groups as a teenager. While in the Air Force, he started singing in a band called "The Satellites". When his tour of duty ended, he set off for Los Angeles, to seek his fortune in the music business. While performing at The Whisky A Go-Go one night, Sonny and Cher heard him sing, and asked him to join their tour. It was on that tour that he met Danny Hutton.
Danny knew Chuck from their days with Columbia, and when Chuck returned from a small time tour in August of 1967, Danny invited him over to meet Cory Wells. By this time, Cory was in the house band at 'the Whisky' called "The Enemys". The three of them sang "a cappella" for hours and at the end of the night, Danny and Cory asked Chuck to join a new band they were putting together. With nothing on the horizon, Chuck agreed.
Danny had made friends with Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, who wanted to get into producing other acts and quickly took the three singers under his wing. Wilson wrote a couple of songs for them and started to produce an album. All was going well until the rest of the Beach Boys decided to pressure Brian into saving his writing and producing skills for them only.
On their own again, the trio started putting together their own band, one by one recruiting Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards, Joe Schermie on bass, Floyd Sneed on drums and Michael Alsup on guitar. Playing small California clubs, the ensemble still had no permanent name, until one night, Danny's girlfriend, June Fairchild, came up with a suggestion. She had read a magazine article about the Australian aborigines, who on cold nights, would sleep beside their dogs for warmth. The very coldest weather was called a "three dog night".
Climbing the local club scene, the band soon started to get attention wherever they played and came under the guidance of Bill Utley who managed the Turtles and Steppenwolf. One night, Utley rented the Troubadour Club in West Hollywood and invited news media and record company executives. The show went so well, Jay Lasker, president of Dunhill Records offered them a contract on the spot.
Their first album, "One" was produced by Gabriel Mekler, Steppenwolf's producer. It was recorded "live", that is, the songs were recorded while the band played and the singers sang, no double tracking, no over dubbing. The first single selected for release was a song called "Nobody" which, while becoming a regional hit, couldn't crack Billboard's Top 100. Next out was Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness" which climbed to number 29.
By then, the band was preparing to record their second LP, but Chuck Negron was convinced that the title cut from the first album could be a hit record. He pressured Dunhill to release the song as a single. It proved to be a wise choice, as "One" would bring the band their first of many gold records, hitting number one in April of 1969, just three weeks after it was released.
The group had no hang-ups about 'doing only their own songs.' They recorded the best new material from the best new songwriters and wound up with fourteen gold albums, nine gold singles and sold over forty million units. Three Dog Night toured extensively during the seventies, breaking attendance records in venues ranging from concert halls to football stadiums.
Between 1969 and 1974 , Three Dog Night recorded 18 straight "top 40" hits Try A Little Tenderness - charted #29 - Jan. 1969
One - charted #5 - April 1969
Easy To Be Hard - charted #4 - July 1969
Eli's Coming - charted # 10 - October 1969
Celebrate - charted #15 - February 1970
Mama Told Me Not To Come - charted #1 - May 1970
Out In The Country - charted #15 - August 1970
One Man Band - charted #19 - November 1970
Joy To The World - charted #1 Feb. 1971
Liar - charted #7 June 1971
An Old Fashioned Love Song - charted #4 Oct. 1971
Never Been To Spain - charted #5 Dec. 1971
The Family Of Man - charted #12 March 1971
Black and White - charted #1 July 1972
Pieces Of April - charted #19 October 1972
Shambala - charted #3 May 1973
Let Me Serenade You - charted #17 October 1973
The Show Must Go On - charted #4 Feb.1974
Sure As I'm Sittin' Here - charted #16 June 1974
Play Something Sweet - charted #33 Sept. 1974
Till The World Ends - charted #32 June 1975
In 1975, however, the rigors of non-stop roadwork caught up with the group. "We became disenchanted," Wells would later say, "We just quietly backed out of the picture. We have always had a sort of verbal agreement that we were never going to exploit the public for our own gain. We are not going to do four or five 'farewell tours' just to rake in the money. We had come on the scene quietly and we were going to leave the same way, with dignity." Of the original 7 musicians, only Negron, Wells and Greenspoon performed for the final performance.
Hutton, the black-haired Irishman, relaxed awhile at home in Los Angeles, then left for Central America, then England, and eventually his home town of Buncrana, Ireland. Danny formed a management/booking agency which thrived. Among those bands he managed was the 'premier punk band' "FEAR" and he booked bands such as the "The Go-Go's" and "X." He recorded two songs for motion picture soundtracks albums "Wouldn't It Be Good" for Pretty in Pink and "Brand New Day" for American Flyers.
Wells packed his family into an automobile and leisurely toured the United States. An ardent and expert fisherman, Cory traveled the world -- fishing as he went. He became a field editor for "Outdoor Life" magazine and wrote articles for various sporting publications. Cory appeared on various television shows such as "American Sportsman" and filmed a "Country Sportsman" episode in New Zealand.
Chuck Negron, however, suffered from drug addiction for many years. In his book "Three Dog Nightmare", Negron describes how he spent his entire fortune on heroin and went from a wealthy rock star, to skid row drug addict, seldom performing.
Although each band member needed to 'get away' from the hectic world of pop music, each began, eventually to feel the need to return and the feeling of unfinished business involving the original group got them together again. To their surprise, they found they all shared the same feeling, a resurgence of interest in music and a growing desire to try it all over again. As Danny Hutton puts it, "We just had a test rehearsal and discovered the old magic was still their." Three Dog Night was reborn with 6 of the original 7 members. Only bassist Joe Schermie was absent.
That magic however, couldn't overcome constant problems caused by drug abuse. One by one, members of the band were fired and replaced. On December 10, 1985, the end came for singer Chuck Negron too, as he was kicked out of the group for failing to show at too many concerts due to his drug addiction.
Since their 1981 reunion, Three Dog Night toured regularly. Their records continued to sell in great numbers and they received regular airplay on radio stations around the world.
Chuck Negron, having finally beaten his drug addiction in 1991, approached Cory Wells in 1993 about re-entering the band, but although Danny Hutton was anxious to see him back, Wells was not.
In April 1997, an offer was made to Negron to join the band at less than full partner and less pay than the other two singers. The offer was refused. What could have been a great comeback by one of the world's most popular rock bands was not to be and Wells and Hutton continued to tour without Negron. The usual lawsuits over use of the "Three Dog Night" name followed as Chuck Negron toured on his own.
As the year 2000 rolled around, Three Dog Night continued to deliver their signature sound with founding members Cory Wells and Danny Hutton on lead vocals as well as original keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon and Michael Allsup on lead guitar. Bass player Joe Schermie, Jr., who played with the group from 1968-1973, died of a heart attack on Tuesday, March 26, 2002. He had just turned 55 a month earlier.
Chuck Negron continued his solo career and toured with former Three Dog Night drummer Floyd Sneed. He released several fine CDs, as well as his autobiography "Three Dog Nightmare". Chuck also remained active at Cri-Help, Musicians Assistance Program (MAP), Hazelden Recovery Center, Music-Cares, and Musicians.com, who aim to keep drugs out of the music industry. "The only reason I've included all the horrific life experiences that my journey has taken me on is because I want all people, young and old, to know what can be in store for them if they use drugs. I'm tired of people sensationalizing, glamorizing and romanticizing the drugs and rock-n-roll life style. People die, lives and families are ruined and careers are ended before they start."
Danny Hutton, who had graduated from loading and unloading records at the Disney studio to recording as a solo artist, hit number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September of 1965 with a song called "Roses and Rainbows".
Chuck Negron first started singing seriously in his college choir, and eventually cut some minor hits for small labels, as a solo act, billed as Chuck Rondell. He joined a campus rock band and was brought to the attention of Columbia Records, where he recorded a series of flop singles as Chuck Oberon.
Cory Wells was born Emil Lowendowski, in Buffalo, New York and began singing in small time groups as a teenager. While in the Air Force, he started singing in a band called "The Satellites". When his tour of duty ended, he set off for Los Angeles, to seek his fortune in the music business. While performing at The Whisky A Go-Go one night, Sonny and Cher heard him sing, and asked him to join their tour. It was on that tour that he met Danny Hutton.
Danny knew Chuck from their days with Columbia, and when Chuck returned from a small time tour in August of 1967, Danny invited him over to meet Cory Wells. By this time, Cory was in the house band at 'the Whisky' called "The Enemys". The three of them sang "a cappella" for hours and at the end of the night, Danny and Cory asked Chuck to join a new band they were putting together. With nothing on the horizon, Chuck agreed.
Danny had made friends with Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, who wanted to get into producing other acts and quickly took the three singers under his wing. Wilson wrote a couple of songs for them and started to produce an album. All was going well until the rest of the Beach Boys decided to pressure Brian into saving his writing and producing skills for them only.
On their own again, the trio started putting together their own band, one by one recruiting Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards, Joe Schermie on bass, Floyd Sneed on drums and Michael Alsup on guitar. Playing small California clubs, the ensemble still had no permanent name, until one night, Danny's girlfriend, June Fairchild, came up with a suggestion. She had read a magazine article about the Australian aborigines, who on cold nights, would sleep beside their dogs for warmth. The very coldest weather was called a "three dog night".
Climbing the local club scene, the band soon started to get attention wherever they played and came under the guidance of Bill Utley who managed the Turtles and Steppenwolf. One night, Utley rented the Troubadour Club in West Hollywood and invited news media and record company executives. The show went so well, Jay Lasker, president of Dunhill Records offered them a contract on the spot.
Their first album, "One" was produced by Gabriel Mekler, Steppenwolf's producer. It was recorded "live", that is, the songs were recorded while the band played and the singers sang, no double tracking, no over dubbing. The first single selected for release was a song called "Nobody" which, while becoming a regional hit, couldn't crack Billboard's Top 100. Next out was Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness" which climbed to number 29.
By then, the band was preparing to record their second LP, but Chuck Negron was convinced that the title cut from the first album could be a hit record. He pressured Dunhill to release the song as a single. It proved to be a wise choice, as "One" would bring the band their first of many gold records, hitting number one in April of 1969, just three weeks after it was released.
The group had no hang-ups about 'doing only their own songs.' They recorded the best new material from the best new songwriters and wound up with fourteen gold albums, nine gold singles and sold over forty million units. Three Dog Night toured extensively during the seventies, breaking attendance records in venues ranging from concert halls to football stadiums.
Between 1969 and 1974 , Three Dog Night recorded 18 straight "top 40" hits Try A Little Tenderness - charted #29 - Jan. 1969
One - charted #5 - April 1969
Easy To Be Hard - charted #4 - July 1969
Eli's Coming - charted # 10 - October 1969
Celebrate - charted #15 - February 1970
Mama Told Me Not To Come - charted #1 - May 1970
Out In The Country - charted #15 - August 1970
One Man Band - charted #19 - November 1970
Joy To The World - charted #1 Feb. 1971
Liar - charted #7 June 1971
An Old Fashioned Love Song - charted #4 Oct. 1971
Never Been To Spain - charted #5 Dec. 1971
The Family Of Man - charted #12 March 1971
Black and White - charted #1 July 1972
Pieces Of April - charted #19 October 1972
Shambala - charted #3 May 1973
Let Me Serenade You - charted #17 October 1973
The Show Must Go On - charted #4 Feb.1974
Sure As I'm Sittin' Here - charted #16 June 1974
Play Something Sweet - charted #33 Sept. 1974
Till The World Ends - charted #32 June 1975
In 1975, however, the rigors of non-stop roadwork caught up with the group. "We became disenchanted," Wells would later say, "We just quietly backed out of the picture. We have always had a sort of verbal agreement that we were never going to exploit the public for our own gain. We are not going to do four or five 'farewell tours' just to rake in the money. We had come on the scene quietly and we were going to leave the same way, with dignity." Of the original 7 musicians, only Negron, Wells and Greenspoon performed for the final performance.
Hutton, the black-haired Irishman, relaxed awhile at home in Los Angeles, then left for Central America, then England, and eventually his home town of Buncrana, Ireland. Danny formed a management/booking agency which thrived. Among those bands he managed was the 'premier punk band' "FEAR" and he booked bands such as the "The Go-Go's" and "X." He recorded two songs for motion picture soundtracks albums "Wouldn't It Be Good" for Pretty in Pink and "Brand New Day" for American Flyers.
Wells packed his family into an automobile and leisurely toured the United States. An ardent and expert fisherman, Cory traveled the world -- fishing as he went. He became a field editor for "Outdoor Life" magazine and wrote articles for various sporting publications. Cory appeared on various television shows such as "American Sportsman" and filmed a "Country Sportsman" episode in New Zealand.
Chuck Negron, however, suffered from drug addiction for many years. In his book "Three Dog Nightmare", Negron describes how he spent his entire fortune on heroin and went from a wealthy rock star, to skid row drug addict, seldom performing.
Although each band member needed to 'get away' from the hectic world of pop music, each began, eventually to feel the need to return and the feeling of unfinished business involving the original group got them together again. To their surprise, they found they all shared the same feeling, a resurgence of interest in music and a growing desire to try it all over again. As Danny Hutton puts it, "We just had a test rehearsal and discovered the old magic was still their." Three Dog Night was reborn with 6 of the original 7 members. Only bassist Joe Schermie was absent.
That magic however, couldn't overcome constant problems caused by drug abuse. One by one, members of the band were fired and replaced. On December 10, 1985, the end came for singer Chuck Negron too, as he was kicked out of the group for failing to show at too many concerts due to his drug addiction.
Since their 1981 reunion, Three Dog Night toured regularly. Their records continued to sell in great numbers and they received regular airplay on radio stations around the world.
Chuck Negron, having finally beaten his drug addiction in 1991, approached Cory Wells in 1993 about re-entering the band, but although Danny Hutton was anxious to see him back, Wells was not.
In April 1997, an offer was made to Negron to join the band at less than full partner and less pay than the other two singers. The offer was refused. What could have been a great comeback by one of the world's most popular rock bands was not to be and Wells and Hutton continued to tour without Negron. The usual lawsuits over use of the "Three Dog Night" name followed as Chuck Negron toured on his own.
As the year 2000 rolled around, Three Dog Night continued to deliver their signature sound with founding members Cory Wells and Danny Hutton on lead vocals as well as original keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon and Michael Allsup on lead guitar. Bass player Joe Schermie, Jr., who played with the group from 1968-1973, died of a heart attack on Tuesday, March 26, 2002. He had just turned 55 a month earlier.
Chuck Negron continued his solo career and toured with former Three Dog Night drummer Floyd Sneed. He released several fine CDs, as well as his autobiography "Three Dog Nightmare". Chuck also remained active at Cri-Help, Musicians Assistance Program (MAP), Hazelden Recovery Center, Music-Cares, and Musicians.com, who aim to keep drugs out of the music industry. "The only reason I've included all the horrific life experiences that my journey has taken me on is because I want all people, young and old, to know what can be in store for them if they use drugs. I'm tired of people sensationalizing, glamorizing and romanticizing the drugs and rock-n-roll life style. People die, lives and families are ruined and careers are ended before they start."
