OLD ROCKER: Three Dog Night featured three lead singers

Cory Wells, co-founder of the immensely popular 1970s rock band Three Dog Night died on Oct. 21 in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y. Wells had been fighting cancer.

Wells, 73, was diagnosed with multiple melanoma in late September and was undergoing treatment. He died of septic shock caused by an infection.

The charismatic singer’s soulful voice powered one of the most successful rock bands in American history.

From 1969 to 1974, nobody had more Top 10 hits or sold more records and concert tickets than Three Dog Night.

During this period, they were undoubtedly the most popular band in America with a staggering 21 consecutive Top 40 hits, 18 straight Top 20s, 12 Top 10s and three No. 1 smashes. Reaching the top were “Mama Told Me Not to Come” in 1970, “Joy to the World” in 1971 and “Black and White” in 1972.

By late 1975, Three Dog Night had sold a whopping 50 million records.

The band was unique as it featured three separate lead singers, Wells, Danny Hutton and Chuck Negron.

Wells started singing in small-time groups as a teenager. While in the Air Force, he began singing with “The Satellites.” When his tour of duty ended, he moved to Los Angeles, to seek his fortune in the music business

While performing at The Whisky A Go-Go, a renowned L.A. club, Wells was heard by Sonny and Cher and they asked him to join their tour. It was on that tour that he met Hutton.

Hutton knew Negron and the trio formed Three Dog Night in 1968.

While trying to think of a name that would show that the band had three lead singers, they nearly settled on ‘Tricycle’ until Hutton’s girlfriend, June Fairchild, had a suggestion. She had read a magazine story about Australian aborigines who, on cold nights, would sleep beside their dogs for warmth. The very coldest weather was called a “three dog night.”

They recorded the best new material from the best new songwriters and generated 14 gold albums and nine gold singles.

Three Dog Night toured extensively during the first half of the 1970s, breaking attendance records in venues from concert halls to football stadiums.

The rigors of non-stop roadwork caught up with the group and they held their last concert on July 26, 1976, in Los Angeles before splitting up.

“We became disenchanted,” Wells said in an interview at the time. “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.”

Wells then leisurely toured the United States. An expert angler, Wells traveled the world fishing. He became a field editor for “Outdoor Life” magazine and wrote articles for various sporting publications. He appeared on various TV shows such as “American Sportsman” and filmed a “Country Sportsman” episode in New Zealand.

Three Dog Night reunited in 1981 and began recording and touring once again.

In the spring of 1985 Negron was forced to enter a drug rehabilitation center. When he relapsed in December of that year, he was bounced from the band.

Wells continued to perform with the group through the summer despite being treated for cancer.

And, by the way, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame officials have neglected to induct the group despite Three Dog Night’s overwhelming success and longevity.

This week in rock history — “Wedding Bell Blues” topped the charts on Nov. 8, 1968, giving The Fifth Dimension their second No. 1 record. … On Nov. 9, 1958, Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” became the third record in history to sell more than 3 million copies, joining “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby and Gene Autry’s “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.” … Conway Twitty had the top tune with “It’s Only Make Believe” on Nov. 10, 1958. The singer, whose real name is Harold Lloyd Jenkins, took his stage name by combining two Southern towns, Conway, Ark., and Twitty, Texas.

Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue” was released on Nov. 11, 1957, and it eventually rose to No. 3. … Shirley Ellis recorded “The Name Game” on Nov. 12, 1964, as a follow-up to her No. 8 hit, “The Nitty Gritty.” The tune reached No. 3. …James Brown’s “I Got You” entered the charts on Nov. 13, 1965, where reached No. 3. The record became one of the Godfather of Soul’s most readily identifiable songs. …Ray Charles’ version of Hoagy Carmichael’s 1930s standard “Georgia On My Mind” became the first of the Albany native’s three No. 1 records.

Barry Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].