INTERVIEW: Danny Hutton Of Three Dog Night Checks In With WMTR During NJ Tour Stop
In the late ’60s and “’70s, the pop charts were filled with songs recorded by Three Dog Night. Those songs were made up of 21 Top 40 hits including, Joy To The World, Black and White, and Mama Told Me (Not To Come). Seven of those singles released went gold, not to mention their 12 consecutive certified gold albums.
Although the band has been known for recording songs by many talented composers, their representation and presentation was always second to none. Their success was built upon making those songs their own. That effort was in full throttle Friday night (October 14, 2022) at State Theater in New Brunswick.
These days, the band is made up of co-founder Danny Hutton (Vocals), Paul Kingery (Vocals, Guitar), Pat Bautz (Drums), David Morgan (Vocals), Howard Laravea (Keyboards), and Danny’s son Timothy Hutton (Bass). Their 17-song set list remains pretty consistent through this 2022 tour. Opening with “The Family of Man”, followed by the Earl Robinson cover of “Black and White”. Finishing with their fan-favorite Hoyt Axton’s “Joy To The World”.
The band’s timing and vocal prowess was on point. Equally enjoyable was their crisp harmonies and powerful gospel undertones that made Three Dog Night a household name. But what stuck with me the most was David Morgan’s story he told about a moment he shared with an old friend and bandmate, Dwayne Smith. David Morgan, who joined the band after co-founder Corey Wells passed away in 2015 began the tale, “Dwayne was blind from birth. But he was only blind in the sense that he couldn’t see with his eyes”. David Morgan who is now 75, said he could complain about his aches and pains and the challenge of growing old, but instead he is reminded of that night he and Dwayne were sitting in the lounge at the Rivera Hotel in Las Vegas. The room was so smokey from everyone smoking, Morgan began to scratch his eyes and verbally complain about how the smoke was scratching his eyes. Dwayne who caught wind of his grumbling, turned and lifted his glasses, and asked, “are they working”? This caught Morgan off guard. “Who am I to complain about my scratchy eyes, when I am sitting across the table from a blind man”, he said.
Morgan went on to say, “there are millions of people all over this world, who would trade their pain for mine without a moment’s hesitation, without a second thought.” As the almost sold-out State Theater crowd acknowledged him with arousing applause, Morgan went on to say, “When we sing this song I don’t think about those aches and pains, I think about how life is short and we should enjoy it while we got it instead of being ungrateful all the time.” The applause grew louder and fuller as he sat down on a stool and the band led into John Hiatt’s “Sure As I Am Sitting Here”.
The effort and energy it requires to perform on the level Three Dog Night continue to reach now 54 years after they debuted in Los Angelos California in 1968, is no easy feat. Danny Hutton who just turned 80 this past September 10 is equally embracing being grateful and is also showing no signs of slowing down.
If you didn’t catch my interview with Danny Hutton. Click below.
