As I was eating breakfast this morning, Cindy, sitting across from me at the dinette said, “Oh, the guy who sang ‘Joy To The World’ passed away.” That “guy” was Chuck Negron, member of one of the greatest rock groups of all time, Three Dog Night. He passed away yesterday at the age of 83 due to “complications from heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease…”
In my mid-to-late teens, Three Dog Night was one of the most prolific rock, soft rock, and pop rock bands of the day as well as one of my favorites. From the time I was 14 until I was 20 (1969-1975), the band had 21 Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits, with 3 of those hitting the number 1 spot.
I remember in 1970, when I was 14 going on 15, sitting on the bus going to high school with my earphones in and my transistor radio on (so I didn’t have to interact with the other students) listening to “Mama Told Me Not To Come” and “Out In The Country”, both hits that year, on station WQAM (560 AM). Today that station is a sports format broadcaster, but back then it was Miami’s premiere Top 40 radio station.
I also remember reading back then that the origin of the band’s name was based on the fact that Aboriginal Australians would, on cold nights, sleep with one Dingo (a native species of wild dog) to keep warm. If the night was really cold they would sleep with two and if the night was freezing cold then it was a “three dog night” for them. My weird teen brain thought that was a cool thing to base your band name on, but today I STILL think that so maybe I haven’t grown much beyond my 15-year old self.
In addition to the two listed above, Three Dog Night had SO many great songs; “Joy to the World”, “One”, “Never Been To Spain”, “An Old Fashioned Love Song”, “Black and White”, “Eli’s Coming”, “Easy To Be Hard”, “Pieces of April”, “Celebrate”, “The Family Of Man”, “Liar” and others.
But I think MY favorite of ALL their songs is “Shambala” as it captured, to me at least, the feeling of the time which was that we were striving for a better world for all mankind. Plus I just liked the melody.
However, you also just can’t help but smile when you hear Chuck Negron belt out “Jeremiah was a bullfrog” at the beginning of “Joy To The World” and so with his passing he will be greatly missed.
Rest In Peace, Chuck Negron. Hope you found your Shambala.
