Danny Hutton, who had graduated from loading and unloading records at the Disney studio to recording as a solo artist, hit #73 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September of 1965 with a song called "Roses and Rainbows". Chuck Negron first started singing seriously in his college choir, and eventually cut some minor hits for small labels as a solo act, billed as Chuck Rondell. He joined a campus Rock band and was brought to the attention of Columbia Records, where he recorded a series of flop singles as Chuck Oberon. Cory Wells was born Emil Lowendowski in Buffalo, New York and began singing in small time groups as a teenager. While in the Air Force, he started singing in a band called The Satellites. When his tour of duty ended, he set off for Los Angeles to seek his fortune in the music business. While performing at The Whisky A Go-Go one night, Sonny and Cher heard him sing and asked him to join their tour. It was on that tour that he met Danny Hutton. Danny knew Chuck from their days with Columbia Records, and when Chuck returned from a small time tour in August of 1967, Danny invited him over to meet Cory Wells. By this time, Cory was in the house band at The Whisky called The Enemys. The three of them sang a cappella for hours and at the end of the night, Danny and Cory asked Chuck to join a new band they were putting together. With nothing on the horizon, Chuck agreed. Danny had made friends with Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, who wanted to get into producing other acts and quickly took the three singers under his wing. He suggested the new trio call themselves Redwood because it reminded him of something tall and strong. Brian also offered to sign them to The Beach Boys new label, Brothers Records, and write some material for their first album. That deal was quickly quashed when the rest of The Beach Boys, who wanted Brian to write for them only, would only commit to one single release, and Wells, Hutton and Negron declined. Losing the three vocalists was a mistake that would cost the fledgling record company millions in royalties over the next few years.

On their own again, the trio started putting together their own band, one by one recruiting Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards, Joe Schermie on bass, Floyd Sneed on drums and Michael Alsup on guitar. Playing small California clubs, the ensemble still had no permanent name, until one night Danny's girlfriend, June Fairchild, came up with a suggestion. She had read a magazine article about the Australian aborigines, who on cold nights, would sleep beside their dogs for warmth. The very coldest weather was called a three dog night. Climbing the local club scene, the band soon started to get attention wherever they played and came under the guidance of Bill Utley who managed The Turtles and Steppenwolf. One night, Utley rented the Troubadour Club in West Hollywood and invited news media and record company executives. The show went so well, Jay Lasker, president of Dunhill Records, offered them a contract on the spot. Their first album, "One" was produced by Gabriel Mekler, Steppenwolf's producer. It was recorded live, that is, the songs were recorded while the band played and the singers sang, with no double tracking, no over dubbing. The first single selected for release was a song called "Nobody" which, while becoming a regional hit, couldn't crack Billboard's Top 100. Next out was a cover of Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness" which broke the band into the big time when it climbed to #29 in early 1969. By then, the band was preparing to record their second LP, but Chuck Negron was convinced that the title cut from the first album could be a hit record. He pressured Dunhill to release the song as a single. It proved to be a wise choice, as "One" would bring the band their first of many Gold records, hitting #1 in April of 1969, just three weeks after it was released.

The group had no hang-ups about doing only their own songs. They recorded the best new material from the best new songwriters. Three Dog Night toured extensively during the seventies, breaking attendance records in venues ranging from concert halls to football stadiums.

Between 1969 and 1974 , Three Dog Night recorded 18 straight Top 40 hits

Try A Little Tenderness - charted #29 - Jan. 1969
One - charted #5 - April 1969
Easy To Be Hard - charted #4 - July 1969
Eli's Coming - charted # 10 - October 1969
Celebrate - charted #15 - February 1970
Mama Told Me Not To Come - charted #1 - May 1970
Out In The Country - charted #15 - August 1970
One Man Band - charted #19 - November 1970
Joy To The World - charted #1 Feb. 1971
Liar - charted #7 June 1971
An Old Fashioned Love Song - charted #4 Oct. 1971
Never Been To Spain - charted #5 Dec. 1971
The Family Of Man - charted #12 March 1971
Black and White - charted #1 July 1972
Pieces Of April - charted #19 October 1972
Shambala - charted #3 May 1973
Let Me Serenade You - charted #17 October 1973
The Show Must Go On - charted #4 Feb.1974
Sure As I'm Sittin' Here - charted #16 June 1974
Play Something Sweet - charted #33 Sept. 1974
Till The World Ends - charted #32 June 1975

By 1975 however, the rigors of non-stop roadwork caught up with the group. "We became disenchanted," Wells would later say. "We just quietly backed out of the picture. We have always had a sort of verbal agreement that we were never going to exploit the public for our own gain. We are not going to do four or five farewell tours just to rake in the money. We had come on the scene quietly and we were going to leave the same way, with dignity." Of the original seven musicians, only Negron, Wells and Greenspoon performed for the final show in Los Angeles on July 26th, 1976.

Hutton, the black-haired Irishman, relaxed awhile at home in Los Angeles, then left for Central America, then England, and eventually his home town of Buncrana, Ireland. Danny formed a management/booking agency which thrived. Among those bands he managed was the premier Punk band FEAR and he booked bands such as the The Go-Go's and X. He recorded two songs for motion picture soundtracks albums "Wouldn't It Be Good" for Pretty in Pink and "Brand New Day" for American Flyers. Wells packed his family into an automobile and leisurely toured the United States. An ardent and expert fisherman, Cory traveled the world, fishing as he went. He became a field editor for Outdoor Life magazine and wrote articles for various sporting publications. He also appeared on various television shows such as American Sportsman and filmed a Country Sportsman episode in New Zealand. Chuck Negron, however, suffered from drug addiction for many years. In his book Three Dog Nightmare, Negron described how he spent his entire fortune on heroin and went from a wealthy Rock star, to skid row drug addict, seldom performing.

Although each band member needed to get away from the hectic world of Pop music, by 1980 they began to sense the need to return and the feeling of unfinished business involving the original group got them together again. To their surprise, they found they all shared the same ideas, a resurgence of interest in music and a growing desire to try it all over again. As Danny Hutton put it, "We just had a test rehearsal and discovered the old magic was still there." Three Dog Night was reborn with six of the original seven members. Only bassist Joe Schermie was absent, replaced by Mike Seifrit. That magic however, couldn't overcome constant problems caused by drug abuse. One by one, members of the band were fired and replaced. According to Chuck Negron, who posted on his Facebook page in 2022, it was during a 1984 tour that a doctor sent two individuals from Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous to remove him from the tour and put him in Rehab. He left and never returned.

Since their 1981 reunion, Three Dog Night toured regularly. Their records continued to sell in great numbers and they received regular air play on radio stations around the world. Chuck Negron, having finally beaten his drug addiction in 1991, approached Cory Wells in 1993 about re-entering the band, but although Danny Hutton was anxious to see him back, Wells was not. In April, 1997, an offer was made to Negron to join the band at less than full partner and less pay than the other two singers. The offer was refused. What could have been a great comeback by one of the world's most popular Rock bands was not to be and Wells and Hutton continued to tour without Negron. The usual lawsuits over use of the Three Dog Night name followed as Chuck Negron toured on his own. 1999 saw the release of his biography, Three Dog Nightmare, and his second album, "Long Road Back", the book's musical counterpart.

As the year 2000 rolled around, the band continued to deliver their signature sound with founding members Cory Wells and Danny Hutton on lead vocals as well as original keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon and Michael Allsup on lead guitar. Bass player Joe Schermie, Jr., who played with the group from 1968-1973, died of a heart attack on Tuesday, March 26th, 2002. He had just turned 55 a month earlier. 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 Abby Road Studios and includeed two new songs "Overground" and "Sault Ste. Marie". In October 2004, the band released "The 35th Anniversary Hits Collection Featuring The London Symphony Orchestra". The album included live versions of "Eli's Coming", "Brickyard Blues", "Try a Little Tenderness" and "Family of Man".

Chuck Negron continued his solo career and toured occasionally with former Three Dog Night drummer Floyd Sneed. Chuck also remained active at Cri-Help, Musicians Assistance Program (MAP), Hazelden Recovery Center, Music-Cares and Musicians.com, who aim to keep drugs out of the music industry. "The only reason I've included all the horrific life experiences that my journey has taken me on is because I want all people, young and old, to know what can be in store for them if they use drugs. I'm tired of people sensationalizing, glamorizing and romanticizing the drugs and Rock 'n' Roll life style. People die, lives and families are ruined and careers are ended before they start." His fourth solo effort "Chuck Negron - Live In Concert", recorded at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas was released in 2001 and included one of Chuck's original songs "Took Me Under", which was nominated in 2002 for a PRISM Award for Best Song. In 2005, Negron released two DVDs The Chuck Negron Story: Biography of an Entertainer, which won several awards including the 2006 PRISM Video to Production Award and also included classic, unseen footage of Three Dog Night live in concert. His second DVD, "Chuck Negron: Live and in Concert", Chuck sings his famous Three Dog Night hits as well as several songs from his four solo CDs.

In 2007, Three Dog Night had a heavy schedule of dates across the US, while Chuck Negron was still appearing as a solo act, sharing the stage with Blood, Sweat and Tears. On October 24th 2009, Three Dog Night released two new songs - "Heart of Blues" / "Prayer of the Children". Although an EP of five new songs was recorded and issued in 1983 and two new songs were included on Three Dog Night's 35th Anniversary Hits Collection Featuring The London Symphony Orchestra, Three Dog Night did not record a full-length album since 1976's "American Pastime".

As of 2013, 2014 and into 2015, Three Dog Night still had a heavy touring schedule across the United States with founding members Wells, Hutton, Greenspoon and Allsup, along with longtime members Paul Kingery and Pat Bautz. Chuck Negron continued his solo career, touring with The Negron Band and Blood, Sweat And Tears in 2012. For 2013 and 2014, he was booked with Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan's Happy Together tour. For 2015, shows were scheduled across the United States with Gary Lewis And The Playboys, Tommy James, Jay And The Americans as well as several solo dates. For 2016 he was back with Happy Together.

On March 11th, 2015, Three Dog Night's longtime keyboard player Jimmy Greenspoon died of metastatic melanoma at the age of 67. He was still an active member of the group up until shortly before his death. Both the band members and Chuck Negron posted heartfelt regrets over his passing on their respective websites. October 21st of that same year brought more sadness when the band announced on their website that Cory Wells had passed away at the age of 74. He had been forced to stop touring with the group the previous September because of ongoing back pain. In a press release, Danny Hutton said "It is with deep sadness and disbelief that I must report the passing of Cory Wells, my beloved band mate for over 45 years. Cory was an incredible singer, a great performer, he could sing anything. Cory was like a brother in so many ways. We had been together since 1965 and I am in shock at this sudden loss." On his Facebook page, Chuck Negron was equally graceful when he wrote, in part, "I loved so much about you and those special things are how I choose to remember you. Save me a seat in the choir my old friend." In a later interview, Chuck would reveal that a couple of years earlier he had reached out to Cory and that the two had made amends.

For 2017 and 2018, Three Dog Night, now with only Danny Hutton and Mike Alsup left of the original seven, still maintained a busy schedule of shows across the United States. Chuck Negron was heavily booked in June and July of 2017 with the Happy Together tour and as a solo act in August and into the Autumn. Another season with the Happy Together show was slated for 2018. A scheduled release date of June 30th was set for a new album by Negron that included his daughters Charlie and Annabelle. Another highlight of the collection is three previously unreleased Three Dog Night tracks that were recorded by the band in the mid-1970s prior to their first breakup in 1976. "The Letter", "Save Our Ship" and "This Is Your Captain Calling" feature that iconic sound that could only come from the original vocalists of Three Dog Night; Cory Wells, Danny Hutton and Chuck Negron.

For 2019, Danny Hutton and Mike Alsup, along with Pat Bautz, Paul Kingery, David Morgan and Howard Laravea were still appearing as Three Dog Night across America. Chuck Negron joined the Happy Together tour for a sixth season, with eyes on returning in 2020. As with most other artists, most of those plans were shelved following the COVID-19 outbreak. As far as the possibility of ever working with Danny Hutton again, Chuck Negron shot the idea down completely in a January, 2018 interview with radio host Ray Shasho. He said, "At this point, with Joe Schermie, Jimmy Greenspoon and Cory Wells gone, there's no sense in even doing it." Unfortunately, the singer was unable to resume performing even after the pandemic eased as he began suffering from lung disease and was forced to wear an oxygen tube much of the time.

Three Dog Night's official Facebook page reported that drummer Floyd Sneed had passed away on January 27th, 2023 at the age of 80.

Special thanks to Cory Wells for his assistance with the accuracy of this biography

Be sure to read Gary James' interviews with Chuck Negron and Jimmy Greenspoon