Chuck Negron, one of the original lead singers of the hugely popular '60s and '70s rock band Three Dog Night, has passed away. As Variety reports, a statement from Negron's publicist says that Negron at home on Monday while surrounded by family. No cause of death has been reported. Negron was 83.
When Three Dog Night rose to fame in the late '60s, the group had three lead singers, and they made huge hits by recording songs that were written and often first recorded by other artists, like Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman. But Negron might've been their most famous singer. He took the lead vocal on many of their most famous songs, like "One" and "Joy To The World." Thanks to his gigantic mustache, he was also probably the most recognizable member of the band.
Charles Negron II grew up in Manhattan and the Bronx; his father was a nightclub singer from Puerto Rico. In high school, he sang in doo-wop groups and played basketball, and he went on to play ball at California State University, Los Angeles. In 1967, he got together with fellow singers Danny Hutton and Cory Wells, and they formed Three Dog Night. Originally, they were known as Redwood. They did some early work with Brian Wilson when Wilson was working on the Beach Boys album Wild Honey, and they signed with the Beach Boys' label Brother Records. When that deal fell through, they changed their name to Three Dog Night, made their debut at the Whiskey A Go Go, and signed with Dunhill Records. Their self-titled debut album came out in 1968.
Chuck Negron sang lead on Three Dog Night's first major hit, a version of Harry Nilsson's "One" that reached #5 in 1969. They went to knock out a hugely successful string of hits that lasted for about five years. Critics didn't take Three Dog Night terribly seriously. They came off as a kind of rock 'n' roll version of a Broadway revue or a variety-show act. But some of their hits, including their chart-topping take on Randy Newman's "Mama Told Me Not To Come," are outright bangers.
Negron sang lead on another #1 hit, 1971's extremely silly Hoyt Axton-written "Joy To The World," which became a standard of its era. Negron also sang lead on some of the group's other top-10 hits, including "Easy To Be Hard" (originally from the musical Hair), "An Old Fashioned Love Song" (written by Paul Williams), and "The Show Must Go On" (written and first recorded by Leo Sayer's group Sayer). In the midst of all that success, Negron developed problems with heroin and cocaine, and Three Dog Night broke up in 1976. Their new wave-inspired 1983 reunion album It's A Jungle was not a success, and Negron soon left the reunited version of the group.
Eventually, Chuck Negron recovered from addiction, released a few solo albums, and published the 1999 memoir Three Dog Nightmare. His fellow Three Dog Night lead singer Cory Wells passed away in 2015. Danny Hutton, the sole surviving member of Three Dog Night, says that he recently reconnected with Negron, his estranged ex-bandmate, when Negron was ailing at home. He writes:
When Chuck left the band 40 years ago, we rarely spoke and lost touch for much of that time. Five months ago, his wife Ami called to tell me he was very sick, and I decided I should go see him. When I arrived at his house, we hugged, cried, reminisced, and shared many stories. In that moment, we realized how much time had been lost by not being in each other’s lives. It was a beautiful and deeply meaningful reunion. Besides being a phenomenal singer, Chuck was a good college basketball player and had a great sense of humor. I will always be grateful for the music we made together.
Below, check out some of Negron's work with Three Dog Night.
