Chuck Negron, Formerly of Three Dog Night, has been captivating audiences for over five decades with his iconic vocals, unique humor and brilliant storytelling. His catalog of hits are timeless and appeal to music fans of all ages. Negron performs upwards of 70 shows a year giving audiences the opportunity to hear his impressive volume of hits plus an exciting repertoire of new songs from his 4 solo CD’s.
Currently touring with his own band, Chuck spent the last two summers on the road with the highly successful Happy Together Tour hosted by Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan of The Turtles. Chuck is currently in the studio recording a new album funded by his fans through Kickstarter, and backed by the vocal talents of his two youngest daughters, Charlotte Rose, 21 and Annabelle Quinn, 14 and is slated for release in 2016. Floyd Sneed, the original drummer of Three Dog Night, is featured on several tracks.
Rock-n-Roll first made an impact in Chuck’s life in the late 1950’s. By the age of 15, he had recorded his first single record and performed at the world famous Apollo Theater with his vocal group The Rondells. A stone cold dead silence ensued as the curtain rose on the Rondells. “We were not just the only white group on the bill,” Negron recalls, “We were the only white people in the building. But by our second verse, something magical happened. The audience started to cheer us on.” That night Negron learned an important lesson, that music transcends all barriers and differences that people might have. “That’s the power of music.”
By 1961, Chuck had received several scholarships to play college basketball. In addition, he had a desire to pursue a music career. He accepted an athletic scholarship from Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California, which was just a few hours from Hollywood. Chuck was later recruited by Bill Sharman, coach at Cal State, Los Angeles, a “stone’s throw” from Hollywood and the recording industry. Columbia records came calling after Chuck and the Sorenson Brothers had radio success in central California with two single releases, “Sharon Lee” on the Marlinda Records label and “I Dream of an Angel” on the Heart Van label. In 1965, Columbia Records signed Chuck Negron-Rondell to a recording contract.
With his hoop life now behind him, Negron arrived in Hollywood to make a reputation as a recording artist and performer. In 1967, Chuck Negron became a founding member of Three Dog Night. A vocal trio having roots in R&B, rock-n-roll, and urban doo wop, creating a style of music that was totally new and unique.
The world was introduced to Chuck Negron and Three Dog Night in 1969 by the band’s first million seller “One.” Driven by Chuck Negron’s solo lead vocals on four million selling singles, three #1 records , (one which topped the charts for six weeks, “Joy To The World,”) five top 5 hits and seven top 40 hits, Negron put and kept Three Dog Night on the charts for six years. His soaring, soulful, four octave range and unique vocal styling became a part of the American landscape. While Chuck was with Three Dog Night they had a phenomenal eighteen consecutive top 20 hits, twenty-one top 40 hits, eight top 10 hits and four number one hits – which included five top 10 albums and eleven top 20 albums.
“Am I Still in Your Heart” was his first solo release in 1995, followed by a beautiful Christmas CD “Joy to the World” in 1996. His fourth solo effort “Chuck Negron – Live In Concert” recorded at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas was released in 2001 in which one of Chuck’s original songs “Took Me Under” was nominated in 2002 for a PRISM Award for Best Song.
In 2005, Chuck released two DVDs “The Chuck Negron Story: Biography of an Entertainer” which won several awards including the 2006 PRISM “Video to Production” Award and also includes classic unseen footage of Three Dog Night live in concert. His second DVD, “Chuck Negron: Live and in Concert” features Chuck singing his famous Three Dog Night hits as well as several songs from his four solo CDs.
In 2013 Chuck released the third edition of his best-selling autobiography, Three Dog Nightmare, which chronicles his personal life and death struggle with addiction and the miracle that saved his life on September 17, 1991. Chuck has been clean and sober now for nearly 24 years.
Chuck spent over two years writing his book Three Dog Nightmare and recorded the accompanying soundtrack CD entitled “The Long Road Back.”
From a humble apartment in The Bronx, to success and wealth far beyond anything he could have ever imagined, Chuck Negron’s story is an amazing saga. What could have ended in tragedy, instead became a miraculous journey of faith, hope and redemption and continues to inspire and uplift people of all ages and from all walks of life today.
“I would have nothing without the people who cared for me and helped me find my way,” Negron says. Chuck remains active with several of the organizations whose aim is to keep drugs out of the music industry. Chuck also spends time helping the addicted. Cri-Help in North Hollywood, California has been most important to Chuck’s ongoing recovery. “I’ve been singing, performing and recording for over 50 years. I’ve always been grateful for my voice and my life as a musician. I look at it as a gift from God. It has afforded me the opportunity to touch so many people in such a beautiful way. Music has brought me joy, inner peace and comfort that I thrive on. I feel very blessed to be in the game again.”