Three Dog Night

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About Three Dog Night

Even though (or perhaps because) they flouted the conventions for rock stars of the late ’60s and early ’70s, Three Dog Night became one of the biggest American groups of the era. They were one of the few vocal groups of the period who were solidly in the rock camp rather than pop. And as they scored one huge hit after another in their heyday, all their best-known songs were covers. But by putting their own stylistic stamp on those tunes, they helped introduce a slew of songwriters to the wider world. Originally formed as Redwood in L.A. in 1967, the trio became Three Dog Night in time for their 1968 debut album. Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron and Cory Wells switched off on lead vocals, sometimes even within the same song, on gutsy, soulful versions of songs by The Beatles, The Band, Neil Young and others. Their version of Harry Nilsson’s “One” became a smash single, giving Nilsson a leg up in the industry. Over the next few years, they achieved similar feats with Laura Nyro’s “Eli’s Coming”, Randy Newman’s “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)”, Hoyt Axton’s “Joy to the World”, Paul Williams’ “An Old Fashioned Love Song” and more. By the mid-’70s, drugs had wreaked havoc: Hutton was fired for addiction issues in 1975 (new singer Jay Gruska stepping in), and Negron was arrested on possession charges right before the first show of that year’s tour. Three Dog Night released one album with Gruska before disbanding in 1976; in 1981 the original trio reunited, touring again and releasing a new EP in 1983. It would be their last studio album, but Three Dog Night would remain on the road thereafter, even after Negron was cut again in ’85 and Wells passed away in 2015.

ORIGIN
Los Angeles, CA, United States
FORMED
1968
GENRE
Rock

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