Three Dog Night was one of the hottest acts of the early 70s. Combining rock, soul, and pop, this group led by Danny Hutton was the most successful chart artists of 1971 and the 14th most successful of the decade. Hutton got his start as a solo artist in the 60s, landing a single chart hit in 1965 when "Roses And Rainbows" reached #73. It wasn't long before his new band got him back on the charts in a big way. The band's cover of "Try A Little Tenderness" got to #29 in 1969, but their remarkable string of super hits quickly followed, starting with "One" (written by Harry Nilsson) peaking at #5 later that year. The band's chart career was relatively short, ending in 1975 after "Til The World Ends" stalled at #32. But it was filled with timeless classics including three #1's: "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)," (written by Randy Newman), "Joy To The World" (six weeks at #1), and "Black & White." In addition to those already mentioned, the band's hits included songs written by John Hiatt, Dave Loggins, Leo Sayer, and Russ Ballard. "Put Out The Light" is an overlooked highlight from the band's 1974 record, "Hard Labor," which is also one of the creepiest album covers ever.
Harry Nilsson was a singer and songwriter from New York who caught his first big break with the song "Everybody's Talkin'," which was featured in the movie Midnight Cowboy. It hit #6 in 1969 and earned Nilsson his first Grammy for Pop Male Vocal. He would win that Grammy again in 1971 when the stellar ballad, "Without You," stayed on top the chart for four weeks. Nilsson had one other top 10 hit, the novelty track "Coconut" (#8 in 1972). Of these three tracks, "Coconut" was the only one written by Nilsson. Nilsson was an accomplished songwriter, however. He penned the classic hit "One," which has been covered by many artists, most notably Three Dog Night. He also wrote several tunes that he took into the top 40 himself, including "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City" and "Me and My Arrow," both of which peaked at #34. "Jump Into the Fire" is one of my favorites by Nilsson, which reached #27 in 1972. Nilsson's final chart appearance came in 1974 when "Daybreak" hit #39. It was used in the film Son of Dracula, which starred Nilsson and Ringo Starr. Nilsson died of a heart attack 20 years later at the age of 52.
You've got to be kidding me! John Hiatt has never had a single song chart on the hot 100? Criminal! This legendary, Grammy-winning singer/songwriter has been writing hits for years, but they only land on the charts when other artists cover them. One of the most prolific artists of our time, he currently has 22 studio albums under his belt. Hiatt's first taste of success goes back to 1974, when his song "Sure As I'm Sittin' Here" was made into a #16 hit for Three Dog Night. Some of his other famous tunes include Jeff Healey's "Angel Eyes," which peaked at #5 in 1989 and Bonnie Raitt's version of "Thing Called Love." Hiatt's 1987 album (his eighth) was his first to chart and yielded several of his classics, including the gorgeous "Have A Little Faith In Me." The song has been covered by many, from Bon Jovi to Jewel to Joe Cocker. It's never cracked the top 100.
