Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Rock, pop rock, blue-eyed soul
Years active	1968–1976 1981–present
Labels	Dunhill, MGM, MCA, Epic, Columbia
Associated acts	Redwood, The Enemys, Cory Wells Blues Band, SS Fools
Members
Danny Hutton Cory Wells Jimmy Greenspoon Michael Allsup Paul Kingery Pat Bautz
Past members
Joe Schermie Chuck Negron Floyd Sneed Mike Keeley Jack Ryland Skip Konte Mickey McMeel Al Ciner Dennis Belfield

Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One. As of 2011, they are still recording and making live appearances.

Band name origin

The official commentary included in the CD set Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story, 1965-1975 states that vocalist Danny Hutton's then-girlfriend June Fairchild suggested the name after reading a magazine article about indigenous Australians, in which it was explained that on cold nights they would customarily sleep in a hole in the ground whilst embracing a dingo, a native species of wild dog. On colder nights they would sleep with two dogs and if the night was freezing, it was a "three dog night".^[1]

History

Early years

Negron, Wells and Hutton in 1969.

The band started in 1968 with three lead vocalists, Danny Hutton (who got his start with Hanna-Barbera Records in 1965), Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells (who landed a recording contract with Dunhill Records). They had made some early recordings in 1967 with Brian Wilson and initially went by the name of Redwood. Shortly after abandoning the Redwood moniker, the vocalists hired a group of backing musicians – Michael Allsup on guitar, Floyd Sneed on drums, Joe Schermie from the Cory Wells Blues Band on bass, and Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards–and soon became one of the most successful bands in the United States during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Success

Three Dog Night earned 13 gold albums and recorded 21 Billboard Top 40 hits, seven of which went gold. Their first gold record was "One" (US #5), which had been written and recorded by Harry Nilsson. The group had three US #1 songs: "Mama Told Me Not to Come" (Cory Wells on lead), which was also their only Top 10 hit in the UK; "Joy to the World" (Chuck Negron on lead); and "Black and White" (Danny Hutton on lead). Dunhill Records claimed 40 million record albums were sold by the band during this time period.

Covers

As its members wrote just a handful of songs on the albums, most songs Three Dog Night recorded were written by outside songwriters. Notable hit covers include Randy Newman "Mama Told Me Not to Come" (US #1), Laura Nyro "Eli's Coming" (US #10), Russ Ballard of Argent "Liar" (US #7), Hoyt Axton ("Joy to the World" (US #1) and "Never Been To Spain" (US #5)), Elton John and Bernie Taupin ("Lady Samantha" & "Your Song"), John Hiatt "Sure As I'm Sittin' Here" (US #16), Bush "I Can Hear You Callin'", Leo Sayer "The Show Must Go On" (US #4) and Harry Nilsson's "One" (US #5).

The band also popularized songs by Paul Williams ("An Old Fashioned Love Song" (US #4) and "Out in the Country" (US #15)) as well as "Easy to be Hard" (US #4) from the musical Hair.

1973–1976

Joe Schermie was replaced by Jack Ryland in 1973, and the band then became an eight-piece with the inclusion of another keyboard player, Skip Konte. In late 1974, Allsup & Sneed left to form a new band, SS Fools, with Schermie. New members James "Smitty" Smith and drummer Mickey McMeel were recruited but by 1975 Smith was replaced by Al Ciner from Rufus and The American Breed and Ryland by Rufus bassist Dennis Belfield. By 1976 their run of hit records had ended and Hutton was succeeded by Jay Gruska. However, this lineup was short lived. Another former Rufus band member, Ron Stockert, was recruited as second keyboardist after Konte left that same year. After a summer concert tour was cut short, the group played their final show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on July 26, 1976.^[2]

Reunion

In 1981 Three Dog Night reunited and released the ska inspired "It's A Jungle" in 1983 on the small Passport Records label which garnered some airplay on the New Wave circuit. The EP failed to sell after Passport went bankrupt. The reunion featured all of the original members except Joe Schermie, who was succeeded by Mike Seifrit until 1982 and then by Richard Grossman, who stayed until 1984. Two guitarists, Paul Kingery and Steve Ezzo, occasionally played with the band filling in for Allsup for the next two years, eventually replacing Allsup when he departed in late 1984 to take care of some personal and family matters. Sneed was let go from the band at the same time. In 1985 a spring and summer tour was postponed after Negron and Greenspoon were forced to enter drug rehab and the band hit the road in late 1985 with a revived lineup that included guitarist and vocalist Kingery, bassist Scott Manzo and drummer Mike Keely.

By December 1985 after a relapse back into his drug habit, Negron was let go and the group continued with Wells and Hutton fronting the band. In 1986, their song "In My Heart" was featured in Robotech: The Movie.

There were more changes in personnel when guitarist T.J. Parker and vocalist and bassist Gary Moon replaced Kingery and Manzo in 1988 and were replaced themselves by Mike Cuneo and Richard Campbell during 1989. Allsup returned to the group in the spring of 1991 and Pat Bautz succeeded Keely as drummer in 1993.

In 1993, Three Dog Night performed for The Family Channel show Spotlight on Country, filmed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Kingery returned as their bass player in 1996. Original bassist Joe Schermie died on March 26, 2002.

Negron was eventually able to clean up his life, has been drug-free since September 1991, and is currently pursuing a solo career.

2007–present

In 2007, Sky Television launched a new ad campaign in the UK. The campaign promoted the company's aspirations to be seen as an environmentally friendly company and used the band's song Joy To The World. As of 2009, Three Dog Night is still touring and recording, performing 80 concerts a year. The current lineup features founding members Wells and Hutton, Greenspoon and Allsup, along with longtime members Paul Kingery and Pat Bautz.

Recent albums

In May 2002, Three Dog Night With The London Symphony Orchestra was released. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and in London, England at Abbey Road Studios. The album includes two new songs "Overground" and "Sault Ste. Marie".

In October 2004, Three Dog Night released The 35th Anniversary Hits Collection Featuring The London Symphony Orchestra. The album includes live versions of "Eli's Coming", "Brickyard Blues", "Try a Little Tenderness" and "Family of Man".

In August 2008, Three Dog Night Greatest Hits Live, a compilation of previously unissued live 1972 and 1973 recordings from concerts in Frankfurt, Germany and Edmonton, England was released.^[3]

New music

On October 24, 2009, Three Dog Night released two new songs - '"Heart of Blues"/"Prayer of the Children". The songs are available exclusively online at iTunes Three Dog Night, Facebook Store MySpace.

A new studio album, the group's first in 24 years, is being recorded during breaks from touring using producer Richie Podolor. Although an EP of five new songs was recorded and released in 1983, and two new songs were issued on Three Dog Night's 35th Anniversary Hits Collection Featuring The London Symphony Orchestra, Three Dog Night has not recorded a full-length album since 1976's American Pastime.

Discography

For a more comprehensive list, see Three Dog Night discography.

• 1968: Three Dog Night
• 1969: Suitable for Framing
• 1970: It Ain't Easy
• 1970: Naturally
• 1971: Harmony
• 1972: Seven Separate Fools
• 1973: Cyan
• 1974: Hard Labor
• 1975: Coming Down Your Way
• 1976: American Pastime
• 1983: It's a Jungle

Awards and recognition

• Three Dog Night was inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000.

Notes

1. ^ Three Dog Night origins of the band's name
2. ^ See Chuck Negron's autobiography Three Dog Nightmare and Jimmy Greenspoon's book One is the Loneliest Number
3. ^ See Billboard Magazine Review, http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=5863&aid=116112

References

• Three Dog Nightmare. Chuck Negron. Renaissance Books 1st edition (June 1999) ISBN 1580630405
• One Is the Loneliest Number: On the Road and Behind the Scenes With the Legendary Rock Band Three Dog Night. Greenspoon, Jimmy and Bago, Mark. Pharos Books (January 1991). ISBN 0886876478
• Lawrence, Guy (2006). Yogi Bear's Nuggets: A Hanna-Barbera 45 Guide. Spectropop.com
• Bubblegum University http://www.bubblegum-music.com/categories/artists

External links

• Three Dog Night official website
• Three Dog Night at the Internet Movie Database
• Three Dog Night at Allmusic
• Three Dog Night at Oldies.com
• 'Three Dog Night Vocal Group Hall of Fame
• Chuck Negron Chuck Negron official website
• Floyd Sneed Floyd Sneed official website