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Chuck Negron, a founding member of Three Dog Night whose lead vocals provided scores of hits including “Joy to the World,” “One” and “An Old Fashioned Love Song” in one of the top rock songs of the late 1960s and early ’70s, died Monday. He was 83 years old.
He died of complications from heart failure and obstructive pulmonary disease at his home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles, according to his spokesman, Zach Farnum.
Negron also sang lead on “Easy To Be Hard” and “The Show Must Go On.” The group’s other hits include “Black and White,” “Mama Told Me (I Won’t Come),” “I’ve Never Been to Spain” and “Shambala.”
In December 1972, the band hosted and performed on Dick Clark’s first show of “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”
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Chuck Negron, former lead singer of Three Dog Night, sings to the crowd on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1997, at the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John Hayes, File)
By 1975, album sales had declined, and the band had their last Billboard Hot 100 hit with “Til the World Ends.” Internal disputes tore the group apart, and it disbanded the following year.
In 1981, the group reunited, but Negron was fired in late 1985 due to ongoing drug problems.
In 1967, Negron joined Danny Hutton and Cory Wells to form Three Dog Night, a vocal trio with roots in R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, and urban doo wop. They found success two years later with their first million-selling single “One,” written by Harry Nilsson.
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Three Dog Night band members Danny Hutton, left, Chuck Negron, center, and Cory Wells, right. (Jim McCrary/Redferns)
Negron became involved in heavy drug use during the group’s rise to the top of the charts. He squandered his fortune on drugs and ended up in Los Angeles’ Skid Row for a while.
After graduating several times in analysis, he became sober in 1991 and went on to have a successful solo career, releasing seven albums between 1995 and 2017. His 1999 book, “Three Dog Nightmare,” details his rise and fall.
After decades of conflict between him and Hutton, the two men reconciled last year. Hutton and Michael Allsup are the only surviving members.
Born Charles Negron II on June 8, 1942, he grew up in the Bronx singing in doo wop bands from an early age. His parents separated when he was 2 years old. He was recruited by California State University to play basketball, which brought him to Los Angeles, where he began working in the music industry.
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Singer Chuck Negron, a founding member of the band Three Dog Night, performs on stage during the 10th anniversary of the Happy Together Tour at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza on July 18, 2019, in Thousand Oaks, California. (Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
In his later years, Negron suffered from chronic COPD for three decades. The COVID-19 pandemic has sidelined him for good.
Negron is survived by wife Ami Albea Negron and five children, including Berry Oakley Jr., son of Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley, who died in a motorcycle accident in 1972. Negron was married for a time to Julia Negron, Oakley’s mother, and helped raise the infant Berry Jr.
