Three Dog Night is an American rock band, best known for their music from 1968–1975 but still making live appearances as of 2008.
The name
An 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 thought of the name when she read 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 while embracing a dingo, a native species of wild dog. On colder nights they would sleep with two dogs, and if a night was especially cold, it was a “Three Dog Night"[1]
This story is refuted by Van Dyke Parks. According to an essay on Danny Hutton at his website:
"Danny sought my help when he had a dream for Three Dog Night. I've been under the impression that I'd discovered the name, but Danny tells me 'tain't so. He says the name was discovered by June Wilson [Fairchild]. I doubt it. I remember "Mankind" magazine as bathroom-reading matter in Danny's Weepah Way house in Laurel Canyon. There was a picture of an aboriginal Australian at night, curled up in the cold with three dogs. Somehow, I suspect that June Wilson just wasn't "into" anthropology. I may be wrong, but it's true, the group became "Three Dog Night" because I refused to promote a group with the name "Tricycle." I thought it was puerile!
[Upon further reflection]: I'm correct on [naming] Three Dog Night. It was me. No doubt about it. Everyone else was inhaling!"citation needed
History
Early years
The band started with three lead vocalists — Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells — who landed a recording contract with Dunhill Records in Los Angeles. They made some early recordings with Beach Boys producer, composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist Brian Wilson, and initially went by the name Redwood. Shortly after changing the band's name, the vocalists hired a group of backing musicians — Michael Allsup on guitar, Floyd Sneed on drums, (Mickey McMeel on drums from 1973 to 1976), Joe Schermie (from the Cory Wells Blues Band) on bass, and Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards — and soon became one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s Their band road manager was Thomas H. Eggleston.
Three Dog Night earned 13 gold albums and recorded 21 Billboard Top 40 hits, 7 of which went gold. Their first gold record was "Easy To Be Hard" (U.S. #4), from the musical Hair. They had three U.S. number one songs: "Mama Told Me Not to Come" (which was also their only Top 10 hit in the UK), "Joy to the World", and "Black and White". Dunhill Records claimed 40 million LP units sold by them during that time period.
Their covers of songs by Randy Newman ("Mama Told Me Not to Come"), Laura Nyro ("Eli's Coming" (U.S. #10)), Russ Ballard of Argent ("Liar" (U.S. #7)), Hoyt Axton ("Joy to the World"), Elton John and Bernie Taupin ("Lady Samantha" & "Your Song"), John Hiatt ("Sure As I'm Sittin' Here" (U.S. #16)), and Leo Sayer ("The Show Must Go On" (U.S. #4)) were the first major hits for songs by these singer/songwriters. According to the commentary in the above-mentioned CD set, Elton John later credited their cover of "Your Song" with being a major factor in catapulting him to stardom. They also popularized songs by Harry Nilsson ("One" (U.S. #5)) and Paul Williams ("An Old Fashioned Love Song" (U.S. #4)).
Joe Schermie quit in 1973 and was replaced by Jack Ryland. The band then became an eight-piece with the induction of another keyboard player, Skip Konte. By 1976, Negron had become the principal vocalist, the streak of hit records had ended and a dissatisfied Hutton left the group. The group disbanded the following year, at least partly due to Negron's drug addiction problem.
Reunion
In 1983, Three Dog Night reunited, brought together by Concerts West, a concert promotion company in Beverly Hills, CA, to release the ska inspired "It's A Jungle" on an Island Records' EP, garnering notable airplay in the New Wave circuit. The concert exceeded everyone's expectations, with Concerts West and David Pesnell overseeing the reunited concert tour. By the mid-1980s, the band began appearing again and performed "In My Heart" for Robotech: The Movie in 1986. In 1993, Three Dog Night performed for The Family Channel show Spotlight on Country, filmed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with sidemen Pat Bautz, Michael Allsup, and bassist Richard Campbell.
As of 2008, they are still very active. The current lineup features founding members Wells and Hutton on lead vocals, keyboardist Greenspoon, and guitarist Allsup, with new members Paul Kingery on bass and vocals and Pat Bautz on drums. Three Dog Night continues to perform an average of 85 concert dates a year.
Original bassist Joe Schermie died on March 26, 2002 of a heart attack. His long-term drug abuse, as well as that of various other members of the group, were chronicled in memoirs by Greenspoon (One Is the Loneliest Number) and Negron (Three Dog Nightmare).
Sky Television has launched a new ad campaign (Oct 2007) in the UK. The advert, promoting the company's aspirations to be seen as an environmentally friendly company, uses 'Joy To The World' as its backing track.
A new studio album, the group's first in 32 years, is expected to be released shortly. Producer Richie Podolor came out of retirement to produce some of the new album tracks. The album is expected sometime in 2008. Although an EP of five new songs was recorded and released in 1982, and two new songs were issued on the Live with the London Symphony Orchestra album, 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
Awards and recognition
References
External links
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