Cory Wells, one of the founding members of 1970’s hitmakers Three Dog Night, has died at age 74. Three Dog Night is one of the greatest success stories in rock’n’roll. Danny Hutton was the lead singer when the group played the Red Robinson Show Theatre. He and Cory met after they were invited to tour with Sonny and Cher. Three Dog Night — named after a story about Australian aborigines in the cold outback seeking warmth — was formed after that tour.

One of the most recognized hits by the group, Joy To The World, was written by Hoyt Axton, whose mother Mae wrote Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis. Three Dog Night charted 21 hits in Billboard. One of my favourite groups of all time. When they visited, I asked Cory about life with Three Dog Night:

My friend Pat O’Day posted this about Cory on his Facebook page:

“It was my pleasure during our great Concerts West years to handle most of the dates of Three Dog Night. We only worked Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights so I could handle their tours while still being GM of KJR and KISW. Yes, the weekend travel was tough but working with Cory and the group made it all so worth while. Cory was a gentleman, oh so talented, so honest, so humble, and suffice to say, he was just a perfect package. They were all great to work with including Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, Mike Alsop, Jimmy Greenspoon, Floyd Sneed, as they climbed to the top! So today I simply say, How lucky I was to have shared so many of those exciting moments with “The Dog” and the great, unforgettable, Cory Wells.”