Three Dog Night merged several distinct sounds together to produce a unique blues-infused pop rock sound with hits like “One.” The band was also able to differentiate its sound and even integrated gospel hymns into their repertoire as is evidenced by their critically acclaimed cover of “Joy to the World.”

Three Dog Night formed in 1967 and was originally called “Redwood.” In 1968, the band formally changed its name to “Three Dog Night” and released their debut self-titled studio album on October 16, 1968. The album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200 chart in the US and produced three hit singles including “One,” which reached number five on the Hot 100 chart in 1969.

Three Dog Night was formed in Los Angeles, California.

Persistent band disagreements, as well as substance abuse among the members, led Joe Schermie, the bassist of Three Dog Night, to leave the band in 1973. In 1974, another two original members left to form a new band with more original band members leaving in 1975 and 1976.

While they were all replaced fairly quickly and the band continued creating new music, there were other difficulties. In addition to regularly churning members in and out from the band, Chuck Negron, one of the founding members was arrested for narcotics possession in 1975. Additionally, the band failed to promote 1975’s Coming Down Your Way or 1976’s American Pastime well enough to sell many units. As a result of these and other factors, Three Dog Night officially broke up on July 26, 1976 after a show at Los Angeles’s Greek Theater.

Five years later, all of the original members, except Schermie, reunited. Three Dog Night’s second iteration has lasted over 40 years.

Actress "Ajax Lady" (June Fairchild), is rumored to have come up with the band’s name. It is said that while dating founding member Danny Hutton, Ajax read an interesting article about Aboriginal Australians embracing wild dogs during cold nights to stay warm. In fact, “Three dog night,” is still used to describe a very cold evening. It’s rumored that Ajax Lady thought this name was fitting for the band and suggested it to Hutton who readily agreed.

However, others disagree with this account. For example, Van Dyke Parks, a former music arranger at Warner Bros Records states that he was the one who suggested the band’s name, noting that Ajax Jack didn’t even read about anthropology or know anything about Aboriginal Australians.

Three Dog Night released 11 Top 10 hits in the US:

• "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)"
• "Eli's Coming"
• "One"
• "Easy To Be Hard"
• "Joy To The World"
• "Liar"
• "An Old Fashioned Love Song"
• "Never Been To Spain"
• "Black And White"
• "Shambala"
• "The Show Must Go On"

Of these hits, three would reach number one: “Mama Told Me,” “Joy to the World,” and “Black and White.”

Of the original members of the band, only one still performs with Three Dog Night: Danny Hutton.

Randy Newman, an Academy Award-winning songwriter, composed "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" for Three Dog Night.

Three Dog Night first started in 1967 with many of its members born in the 1940s or ‘50s. As a result, several members have unfortunately passed away including:

• Cory Well passed at age 74 of multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, on October 20, 2015.
• Jimmy Greenspoon passed at age 67 from metastatic melanoma, a skin cancer, on March 11, 2015.
• Joe Schermie, the original bass player of Three Dog Night, passed at age 56 from a heart attack on March 26, 2002, aged 56.

Three Dog Night has had 1,563 concerts.

Three Dog Night is most often considered to be Rock, Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Folk Rock, Blues Rock, Soft Rock, Country Rock, Album Oriented Rock (AOR), Mellow Gold, Art Rock, Southern Rock, Bubblegum Pop, Brill Building Pop, and Oldies.

The next Three Dog Night concert is on April 27, 2024 at Charleston Music Hall in Charleston, South Carolina, United States.

The last Three Dog Night concert was on April 25, 2024 at Sandler Center For The Perf. Arts/OVG360 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States.

The songs that Three Dog Night performs live vary, but here's the latest setlist that we have from the March 30, 2024 concert at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas, United States:

1. The Family of Man
2. Black and White
3. Never Been to Spain
4. Shambala
5. Out in the Country
6. Easy to Be Hard
7. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
8. One
9. Let Me Serenade You
10. An Old Fashioned Love Song
11. Sure as I'm Sittin' Here
12. Liar
13. Mama Told Me Not to Come
14. Celebrate
15. Eli's Coming
16. Prayer of the Children
17. Joy to the World