MUSIC: Three Dog Night comes to Artpark

By Phil Dzikiy<br><a href="mailto:dzikiyp@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Phil</a>

June 11, 2008 03:55 pm

— Three Dog Night, best known for hits such as “Mama Told Me (Not to Come),” “Joy to the World” and “An Old-Fashioned Love Song,” will take over Artpark on Tuesday.
The band, which released 12 consecutive gold albums and 11 top 10 singles between 1969 and 1975, still plays about 80 to 100 concerts a year, according to lead vocalist Cory Wells, a Buffalo native who spoke to Night & Day on the phone from Seattle.
Three Dog Night played the Molson Canal Concert Series in North Tonawanda’s Gateway Harbor Park last year and drew a huge crowd.
“We have our fan base,” Wells said. “There are people who will always be there. People bring their kids, (the) kids become fans.”
The reaction to the band from fans is always the same, Wells said: “You guys sound great.”
The band rose to prominence with its distinct three-part vocal harmonies, a growing trend in rock music at the time.
“It seemed to be the era of that,” Wells said. “Right after we did it, Crosby, Stills & Nash did it.”
Pulling off such a trick is not an easy task, Wells said.
“First, you’ve got to overcome the egos,” he said. “You’ve got to have the right chemistry, the right people.”
The group’s current lineup contains both Wells and original vocalist Danny Hutton, though the third lead vocalist, Chuck Negron, is no longer with the band.
The other main component of the band’s success was their choice of songs, which often came from lesser-known songwriters.
“These were not cover tunes,” Wells said. “These songwriters had no success. We ran the smorgasbord of songs from great writers.”
Those writers included Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman. The band’s rendition of Newman’s “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” hit the top of the charts in 1970, the same year the song was released on Newman’s own album, “12 Songs.”
Newman “made a lot of money from us,” Wells said. Newman made a personal phone call on the matter, according to Wells.
“Thanks for putting my kids through college,” Newman allegedly said to Wells before hanging up.
As far as what concert-goers can expect at a Three Dog Night show, Wells said some older bands may have reservations about repeating the same hits, but it’s not the case for his band.
“I think people are going to want to hear the hits,” Wells said. “We’re actually memorabilia.”
As for Wells’ own feelings about constantly playing the same songs, he finds a way to make it work.
“It’s hard to keep up the enthusiasm,” Wells said. “But I sort of equate it to sports. Guys in basketball always shoot, but every game is different. And so it is with a musician. Each show has a different magic about it.”

IF YOU GO
* WHAT: Three Dog Night performs at Tuesday in the Park
* WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
* WHERE: Artpark, 450 S. Fourth St., Lewiston
* MORE INFORMATION: Call 754-4375 or visit artpark.net

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