The commentary included in the CD set Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story, 1965–1975 states that vocalist Danny Hutton's girlfriend, actress June Fairchild (best known as the "Ajax Lady" from the Cheech and Chong movie Up In Smoke) suggested the name after reading a magazine article about Aboriginal Australians, in which it was explained that on cold nights they would customarily sleep while embracing a dingo, a native species of wild dog. On colder nights they would sleep with two dogs and, if the night were freezing, it was a "three dog night".[6]
Musician Van Dyke Parks, an arranger at Warner Bros. Records, disputed the above story and said he coined the name. On 10 September 2018, he wrote on Twitter, "I wuz [sic] nuts about Hutton's girlfriend. Quite a dancer. Yet, she didn't read Mankind magazine, nor have an inkling of anthtopology [sic] and the cold aboriginal nights that inspired my suggestion."[7]
History
Background
The three vocalists, Hutton (who got his start with Hanna-Barbera Records in 1964), Negron, and Wells (who landed a recording contract with Dunhill Records) first came together in 1967. They initially went by the name Redwood and made some recordings with Brian Wilson while the Beach Boys were working on the album Wild Honey.
Redwood was briefly poised to be one of the first artists signed to the Beach Boys' Brother Records. According to Beach Boy Mike Love, "[Brian] had them in the studio for several days, and he was really funny. They didn't meet up to his expectations. ... They'd go in and they wouldn't sing well enough for him. ... but they went off and made billions."[8] Wilson attempted to produce an album for Redwood, but after the recording of three songs, including "Time to Get Alone" and "Darlin'", this motion was halted by his bandmates, who wanted Brian to focus on the Beach Boys' contractual obligations.[9] According to Negron, due to the commercial failure of Smiley Smile and Wilson's waning commitment to his band, "the other Beach Boys wanted Brian's immense songwriting and producing talents used strictly to enhance their own careers".[10] Negron later noted that he would have acted similarly had he been in the same position as the Beach Boys.[10]
Shortly after abandoning the Redwood moniker in 1968, the vocalists hired a group of backing musicians – Ron Morgan on guitar, Floyd Sneed on drums, Joe Schermie from the Cory Wells Blues Band on bass, and Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards – and soon took the name Three Dog Night. Morgan left the band before its first album was recorded and subsequently joined the Electric Prunes.[11][12] Michael Allsup was quickly recruited to replace Morgan on guitar.[13]
1968–1972
Negron, Wells and Hutton in 1969
Three Dog Night made its official debut in 1968 at the Whisky a Go Go, at a 5 p.m. press party hosted by Dunhill Records. They were still in the process of making their first album Three Dog Night when they heard the favorable reactions from the hypercritical audience.[14]
The album Three Dog Night was a success with its hit songs "Nobody", "Try A Little Tenderness", and "One" and helped the band gain recognition and become one of the top-drawing concert acts of their time.[14]
Between 1969 and 1972 they had 13 songs in a row reach the Top 10 on the Canadian RPM charts.
In 1973, Three Dog Night filed a $6 million lawsuit against their former booking agent, American Talent International (ATI), for continuing to advertise in the media that the band was still with their agency when in fact they signed with William Morris Agency in October 1972. Other damages were sought due to ATI taking deposits for booking Three Dog Night, whom they no longer represented.[19]
Joe Schermie left in early 1973 due to "problems arising that were apparently unresolvable".[20] He was replaced by Jack Ryland shortly thereafter, and the band then became an eight-piece with the inclusion of former Blues Image member Skip Konte as a second keyboardist in late 1973. In late 1974, Allsup and Sneed left to form a new band, SS Fools, with Schermie and Bobby Kimball (later of Toto). New guitarist James "Smitty" Smith and drummer Mickey McMeel were recruited, but by 1975, Smith had been replaced by Al Ciner from Rufus and The American Breed, and Ryland by Rufus bassist Dennis Belfield. Mickey McMeel would go on to co-star as "Turkey", the drummer of Kaptain Kool and the Kongs, in the children's television series The Krofft Supershow.
For the albums Cyan, Hard Labor, and Coming Down Your Way, Hutton was absent from many of the recording sessions due to burgeoning cocaine and alcohol abuse (often in conjunction with such friends as Harry Nilsson and Brian Wilson), eventually precipitating his dismissal from the band at the instigation of Wells in late 1975. He was replaced by Jay Gruska.[21]
Hours before the first concert of their 1975 tour, Negron was arrested for the possession of narcotics but was soon released on $10,000 bond.[22]
Coming Down Your Way, released in May 1975, failed to sell well in the United States, likely due to poor promotion on account of the band's recently switched label, ABC, and the growing popularity of disco music. Disappointed by this, the band decided "Til The World Ends" would be the only single released from the album, which ended up being the group's last Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hit.
Jay Gruska toured with the band to promote their last album, American Pastime, released in March 1976. Still, the album did not sell well for the same reasons as before. However, the only single released off the album, "Everybody's a Masterpiece" became an adult contemporary hit.[23][24] Another former Rufus band member, Ron Stockert, was recruited as second keyboardist after Konte left in the first half of 1976. The group played their final show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on July 26, 1976.[13]
In 1979, NBC reported that the band's accountant "was shot in the arm and paralyzed, in what the police believe was a mob dispute over Three Dog Night." Joe Ulloa, a "reputed mob enforcer from New York", was investigated as being involved.[25]
1981–1990s
In 1981, Three Dog Night reunited, later releasing 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 future Rick Springfield bassist Mike Seifrit until 1982, and then by Richard Grossman, who was featured on It's a Jungle and stayed until 1984. Two guitarists, Paul Kingery and Steve Ezzo, occasionally played with the band, filling in for Allsup on dates he was not able to make between 1982 and 1984. Ezzo replaced 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. Also in late 1984, keyboardist David Bluefield filled in for Greenspoon, who was ill. But Bluefield was replaced in 1985 by Rick Seratte (formerly of Poco and later with Whitesnake and others) and the band hit the road with a revised lineup that included Seratte, Steve Ezzo, bassist Scott Manzo and drummer Mike Keeley.[13] The band toured all through 1985, but Seratte left to pursue other offers and Greenspoon rejoined the band with Negron in late 1985 and were both back touring with the group.
By December 1985, after a relapse into his drug habit, Negron was let go, and the group continued with Wells and Hutton fronting the band and Paul Kingery was brought back on guitar to cover Chuck's vocal harmonies. In 1986, their song "In My Heart" was featured in Robotech: The Movie.
More changes in personnel occurred 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 to replace Cuneo in the spring of 1991. Negron entered drug rehab, but did not return to the band.
Pat Bautz succeeded Keeley 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 to the band as their bass player in 1996 following Campbell's departure.
Jack Ryland (born November 15, 1950), bassist from 1973–1975, died November 13, 1996, two days before his 46th birthday.[26][27]
2000–2012
Original bassist Joe Schermie died on March 26, 2002. In May 2002 the band released Three Dog Night with The London Symphony Orchestra. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and in London at Abbey Road Studios and includes two new songs: "Overground" and "Sault Ste. Marie". They also released a DVD of a filmed symphony performance from 2000 titled Three Dog Night Live With the Tennessee Symphony Orchestra in May 2002. In the summer of 2004, 80s bassist Scott Manzo returned briefly to fill in for Paul Kingery.
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, they released Three Dog Night Greatest Hits Live, a compilation of previously unissued live recordings from concerts in Frankfurt, Germany and Edmonton, London in 1972 and 1973.[28] On October 24, 2009, they released three new songs: "Heart of Blues", "Prayer of the Children", and "Two Lights In The Nighttime". They issued two new songs on their 35th Anniversary Hits Collection Featuring The London Symphony Orchestra.
2012–present
In the summer of 2012, guitarist Allsup was hospitalized for an intestinal disorder, forcing Kingery to move back to guitar, while Danny's son Timothy Hutton played bass. This happened again during the summer of 2015 when Allsup was forced to miss some shows.[citation needed] On March 11, 2015, Jimmy Greenspoon died from cancer, aged 67. His place at the keyboards was taken by Eddie Reasoner who had substituted for him when he took ill in mid-2014.[29]
On October 21, 2015, Cory Wells died at his home in Dunkirk, New York, at age 74.[5] In November 2015, the band announced that singer David Morgan would be joining them on the road. He was a former member of The Association. In April 2017, Howard Laravea replaced Eddie Reasoner on keyboards. He was formerly with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
When Three Dog Night returned to touring in August 2021, it was without Michael Allsup, who was replaced with Tim Hutton on bass. Paul Kingery switched back to guitar. Allsup is still a member of Three Dog Night, but is now retired from touring.[30] Danny Hutton has stated during concert appearances that Three Dog Night has been recording a new album, before performing their new song "Prayer of the Children".
^ abcGreenspoon, Jimmy; Bego, Mark (1991). One Is the Loneliest Number: On the Road and Behind the Scenes With the Legendary Rock Band Three Dog Night. Pharos Books. ISBN9780886876470.
^ abOrloff, Kathy. "Three Dog Night—A Howling Success Story". Los Angeles Times, May 23, 1971, pp. 1–q16.
One Is the Loneliest Number: On the Road and Behind the Scenes With the Legendary Rock Band Three Dog Night. Greenspoon, Jimmy and Bego, Mark. Pharos Books (January 1991). ISBN0-88687-647-8
