Three Dog Night, Ambrosia, and John Ford Coley

Before the formation of Three Dog Night, the band’s three singers, Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells, were in a band called Redwood and were making recordings with Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. The band decided to change their name to Three Dog Night after hiring the backing musicians: Michael Allsup on guitar, Floyd Sneed on drums, Joe Schermie on bass, and Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards.

Three Dog Night’s live performances were a success around the Los Angeles area and gained them the attention of the record label Dunhill, who signed them and released their debut self-titled album in 1968. The single “One” from the album was a great success and reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Like most of their other albums their debut album consisted mostly of cover songs including their hit song “One”, which was written by Harry Nilsson.

The band was quick to release their second studio album “Suitable for Framing”, which came out in 1969. The album was a commercial success rising high on the Billboard charts and becoming certified gold. The band’s 1970 album “Naturally” was also a huge success producing two top ten hits: “Joy to the World” and “Liar”.

Three Dog Night was an incredibly hardworking band during their prime and from the year 1968 to the year 1976 they released at least an album per year. Each album they released was loaded with hits and reached to high levels on the charts. Some of the singles they released during this time included “Easy to be Hard”, “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)”, “Never Been To Spain”, “Your Song”, and “Black and White”. By 1976 Three Dog Night had released a multitude of hit singles, but they were showing signs of slowing things down, which resulted in the band breaking up after playing their final show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.

To the glee of fans, Three Dog Night reunited in 1981 and released an album titled “It’s a Jungle” in 1983. The album conveyed elements of the ska genre and appealed to the fad of new wave that was becoming popular at this time. In 2002 the band released the album “Three Dog Night With the London Symphony Orchestra”, which featured two new songs: “Sault Ste. Marie” and “Overground”.

Three Dog Night has already gained worldwide recognition as being a legendary pop group and the group was honored with being inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000. As of 2014 the band consists of almost all original members, which include Cory Wells, Danny Hutton, Jimmy Greenspoon, and Michael Allsup. Bass guitarist Paul Kingery and drummer Pat Bautz have also joined the band’s lineup. Three Dog Night is still actively touring and have been known to play up to 80 gigs per year.

Originally comprised of frontman David Pack, bassist Joe Puerta, keyboard player Christopher North, and drummer Burleigh Drummond, Ambrosia’s earliest inspiration came from the melodic pop of The Beatles and The Beach Boys. The group was subsequently influenced by the vocal harmonies of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, before attending a King Crimson concert and having their musical perceptions altered greatly. Following a poorly performed audition at A&M Records, the group impressed Rubicon Management with a demo and later inked a deal with 20th Century Fox Records.

With major-label backing Ambrosia issued their eponymously-titled debut album in February 1975. Spawning the hits “Holdin’ On To Yesterday” and “Nice, Nice, Very Nice”, the latter a musical composition set to Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “Cat’s Cradle”, the album was subsequently nominated for the Grammy for Best Engineered Album. Produced by the extolled Alan Parsons, the group subsequently appeared on Parsons’ project album “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” in 1976. Despite its progressive nature and occasional inaccessibility, Ambrosia’s debut sold remarkably well and earned a host of favourable reviews.

Following a period of constant worldwide touring, the band returned to the studio with Alan Parsons to release their sophomore album “Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled” in September 1976. The album earned Ambrosia their second Grammy nomination and spawned the popular radio singles “Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled” and “Can’t Let A Woman”. With the success the record afforded the group, Ambrosia subsequently signed with Warner Bros. Records, later contributing the song “Magical Mystery Tour” to the musical Beatles documentary “All This and World War II”.

Taking a step back from the rich vocal arrangements and luscious orchestration, the band’s third full-length “Life Beyond L.A.” saw Ambrosia adopt R&B and jazz influences. The album spawned Ambrosia’s biggest hit to date “How Much I Feel”, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, with a number of other singles receiving regular radio airplay. Subsequent touring alongside Fleetwood Mac, Heart, and the Doobie Brothers did wonders for the group’s live reputation, however the release later marked the departure of keyboardist Christopher North.

In 1980 Ambrosia issued the full-length “One Eighty”, which produced two of the year’s biggest hits “Biggest Part of Me” and “You’re the Only Woman (You & I)”. Later securing three Grammy nominations, the album was toured internationally, notably with guitarist Cliff Woolley on the Japanese leg. Following the arrival of Bruce Hornsby with the departure of David Lewis, Ambrosia released their fifth full-length album “Road Island” in 1982. Despite the minor hit “How Can You Love Me” the album was a commercial disappointment and after which the group parted ways. The greatest hits compilation “Anthology” hit the shelves in 1997, three years later the group reformed with Doug Jackson permanently replacing Pack, for Ambrosia’s 30th anniversary tour.