Three Dog Night – Biography, Songs, Albums, Discography & Facts

Three Dog Night Biography

Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967. Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron are the founding members. Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sneed (drums) were soon added to the band. Between 1969 and 1975, the band had 21 Billboard Top 40 hits, with three of them reaching number one. Three Dog Night recorded a number of songs written by outside songwriters, and they were instrumental in introducing writers like Paul Williams (“An Old Fashioned Love Song”) and Hoyt Axton to a wider audience (“Joy to the World”).

Three Dog Night made their official debut in 1968 at a 5 p.m. press party organized by Dunhill Records at the Whisky a Go Go. When they heard the positive feedback from the critical audience, they were still in the middle of recording their first album, Three Dog Night.

The smash songs “Nobody,” “Try A Little Tenderness,” and “One” from the album Three Dog Night helped the band achieve prominence and become one of the most popular concert performers of their time.

Between 1969 and 1975, the band had 21 Billboard Top 40 successes because of their distinctive and occasionally astonishing harmonic blend. Their striking cover of John Lennon / Paul McCartney’s ‘It’s For You’ exemplified the band at their best, but it was their creative arrangements of lesser-known writers’ work that gave fresh talent much-needed recognition and royalties. Three Dog Night’s cover versions of ‘One’ and ‘Eli’s Coming’ gave Nilsson and Laura Nyro their first Top 10 appearances. Randy Newman had the same benefit from the risqué ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come,’ which also gave the band their first number one in 1970. They had two more US chart tops in the following two years, with ‘Joy To The World’ (written by Hoyt Axton) and ‘Black And White’ (a UK hit for reggae band Greyhound).

They gave vicarious US chart success to Russ Ballard’s ‘Liar’ and Leo Sayer’s UK number one ‘The Show Must Go On’, as they were always ready to record promising material and adapt it to their signature harmonic blend. The trio’s back-up musicians gradually changed during the early 1970s, with numerous members of Rufus joining in 1976. However, the departure of Danny Hutton (replaced by Jay Gruska) was a death blow, precipitating the band’s demise and disbandment. They rejoined temporarily with Hutton in 1981, but were unable to reclaim their previous chart success.

Three Dog Night’s strength came from the strength of their harmonies and the material they adapted. They were rarely praised by critics in the heyday of the singer-songwriter, but their imaginative arrangements struck a chord with the people, resulting in 10 million recordings sold and cumulative sales of over 90 million. Three Dog Night provided a new perspective to the technique of covering seemingly uncommercial material, demonstrating how a quality song can be transformed into a standard.

Joe Schermie, the band’s original bassist, died on March 26, 2002. Three Dog Night, a collaboration between the band and the London Symphony Orchestra, was released in May 2002. The album features two new songs, “Overground” and “Sault Ste. Marie,” which were recorded in Los Angeles and London at Abbey Road Studios. In May 2002, they released Three Dog Night Live With the Tennessee Symphony Orchestra, a DVD of a filmed symphony performance from 2000. Scott Manzo, a bassist from the 1980s, returned for a brief appearance in the summer of 2004 to fill in for Paul Kingery.

The 35th Anniversary Hits Collection Featuring The London Symphony Orchestra was released by Three Dog Night in October 2004. “Eli’s Coming,” “Brickyard Blues,” “Try a Little Tenderness,” and “Family of Man” are among the songs performed live on the CD. They released Three Dog Night Greatest Hits Live in August 2008, a collection of previously unreleased live recordings from 1972 and 1973 shows in Frankfurt, Germany and Edmonton, London.

They released three new songs on October 24, 2009: “Heart of Blues,” “Prayer of the Children,” and “Two Lights In The Nighttime.” On their 35th Anniversary Hits Collection Featuring The London Symphony Orchestra, they released two new tracks.

Three Dog Night Discography

American PastimeSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Coming Down Your WaySpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Hard LaborSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
CyanSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Seven Separate FoolsSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
HarmonySpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
NaturallySpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
It Ain’t EasySpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Suitable for FramingSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Three Dog NightSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon

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Frequently Asked Questions

Three Dog Night?

Is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California that became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The band started out as a trio composed of lead singer Danny Hutton, guitarist Cory Wells, and drummer Floyd Sneed. The group soon added a fourth member, keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon.

Who Was The Lead Singer In Three Dog Night?

The lead singer of Three Dog Night was Danny Hutton. He was born in California in 1942 and started his music career in the 1960s. He has worked with a number of different bands and artists over the years, but is best known for his work with Three Dog Night. The band had a string of hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including “Joy to the World” and “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)”. Hutton is still active in the music industry and continues to perform with Three Dog Night.

What Was The Biggest Hit Of Three Dog Night?

The biggest hit of Three Dog Night was “Joy to the World.” The song spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1971 and is still popular today.

When Did Three Dog Night Record Joy To The World?

Three Dog Night recorded Joy to the World in 1971. The song was released as a single in November of that year and quickly rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for six weeks. It has since become an annual holiday classic, appearing on numerous Christmas music compilations and soundtracks.

Three Dog Night Greatest Hits Album?

This greatest hits album by Three Dog Night includes some of the band’s most popular songs, including “One”, “Joy to the World”, and “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)”. It is a great collection of their work and a must-have for any fan of the band.

Most Searched For Three Dog Night Songs

Joy To The worldSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Mama Told Me (Not To Come)SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
An Old Fashioned Love SongSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
ShambalaSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Pieces Of AprilSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Never Been To SpainSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Easy To Be HardSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Out In The CountrySpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Black And whiteSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
I Can Hear You CallingSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon