Chuck Negron

Charles Negron II (born June 8, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter, best known as one of the three lead vocalists in the rock band Three Dog Night, which he helped form in 1968.

Chuck Negron
Negron performing live in 2017
Background information
Birth nameCharles Negron
Born (1942-06-08) June 8, 1942
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • composer
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1960–present
LabelsDunhill
Associated actsThree Dog Night
Websitechucknegron.com

Early life

Chuck Negron was born on June 8, 1942, in Manhattan to Charles Negron and Elizabeth Rooke. When Negron was five years old, his father, a nightclub singer, and his mother divorced. Negron and his twin sister, Nancy, were placed in an orphanage by their mother who took them back again two years later.

Negron grew up in The Bronx, where he sang in local doo-wop groups and played basketball both in schoolyard pick-up games and at William Howard Taft High School. The latter talent led to his being recruited to play basketball at Allan Hancock College, a small community college in Santa Maria, California; later, he played at California State University, Los Angeles.[4]

Career

Music

In 1967, singer Danny Hutton invited Negron to join him and Cory Wells to found the band Three Dog Night. The group became one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s, selling approximately 60 million records and earning gold records for such songs as "One", "Easy To Be Hard", and "Joy to the World". [5] Negron was primary vocalist on the hits "One", "Easy To Be Hard", "Joy to the World", "Pieces Of April", "Old Fashioned Love Song", and "The Show Must Go On".

The rock and roll lifestyle took its toll on Negron, and by the time Three Dog Night disbanded in 1976, Negron had a serious heroin addiction which began in the early 1970s. In July 1975, the British music magazine, NME, reported that Negron had been arrested for cocaine possession in Kentucky.[6] He overcame his addiction in September 1991 and embarked on a solo career, recording the albums:

Book

He wrote his autobiography, Three Dog Nightmare (1999), in which he describes his life as a high school athlete, member of a successful rock band, and drug addict. In the book, he discusses his descent into drug abuse and attributes his recovery from heroin addiction to his turning to God in desperation, after dropping out from more than thirty drug treatment facilities. A revised edition with several new chapters was released in 2008, with an updated version released in 2018.[14]

Personal life

In 2006, Negron was featured in an episode of the A&E reality show, Intervention, about his son Chuckie and grandson, Noah Negron.[15]

Negron has been married four times. He was married to Paula Louise Ann Goetten from 1970-73. They had one daughter, Shaunti Negron-Levick. In 1976, he married Julia Densmore, the former wife of The Doors drummer John Densmore. They were married for twelve years, [16] with Chuck stepping into the role of step dad for her son, Berry Duane Oakley, Jr. [17] They also had a son, Charles Negron III (Chuckie).

In 1993, Negron married Robin Silna. They had a daughter, Charlotte Rose Negron,[18] and they divorced in 2001.

Negron also has a daughter, Annabelle Negron, with actress Kate Vernon.[19] Taylor Negron (an actor, comedian, painter, and playwright) was Negron's cousin.[20]

On May 9th, 2020 Chuck Negron married his long time girlfriend and manager Ami Albea.

Due to the pandemic, their wedding took place on the balcony of their home with Chuck’s two youngest daughters and the minister on the street below.

The ceremony can be viewed on Chuck Negron’s YouTube channel.

References
  1. George-Warren, Holly; Romanowski, Patricia, eds. (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (3rd ed.). Fireside. p. 990. ISBN 0-7432-9201-4.
  2. Hoffmann, Frank, ed. (2005). "Soft Rock And Related Styles". Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. 2. Routledge. pp. 1011–12. ISBN 0-415-93835-X.
  3. Negron, Chuck (2008). Three Dog Nightmare: The Continuing Chuck Negron Story. Literary Architects. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-9336-6913-7.
  4. "Chuck Negron biodata". Ask.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  5. Freeman, Paul (August 15, 2012). "The dark, one-dog night of Chuck Negron". San Jose Mercury News.
  6. Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London, UK: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 278. CN 5585.
  7. Negron, Chuck (1995). Am I Still In Your Heart?. Viceroy.
  8. Negron, Chuck (1996). Joy to the World. Viceroy.
  9. Negron, Chuck (1999). Long Road Back. Hip-O.
  10. Negron, Chuck (2001). Chuck Negron – Live In Concert. Sin-Drome Records.
  11. Negron, Chuck. Live and In Concert. Delta Distribution.
  12. Negron, Chuck. The Chuck Negron Story. Delta Distribution.
  13. "OFFICIAL SITE for Chuck Negron - Formerly of Three Dog Night - Shop". www.chucknegron.com.
  14. Negron, Chuck & Blatchford, Chris (June 1999). Three Dog Nightmare: The Chuck Negron Story (Hardcover, First ed.). Renaissance Books. ISBN 1580630405.
  15. "Intervention Episode Guide". A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  16. "She survived drug abuse, and now helps others". Herald Tribune. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  17. "Berry Duane Oakley". Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  18. Peter Castro. "Three Dog Nightmare". People Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  19. Zach Farnum. "Chuck Negron Releases New Album Negron Generations June 30, Features Unreleased Three Dog Night Tracks". 117 Entertainment Group.
  20. Looseleaf, Victoria (April 27, 2001). "For Negron, It's Totally Cool to Be Unhip". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2015.

Sources
  • Negron, Chuck; Chris Blatchford (2000). Three Dog Nightmare: The Chuck Negron Story. Renaissance Books. 158063155X.
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