By just 15 years old, Negron had already recorded his first single and performed at the legendary Apollo Theater with his vocal group, The Rondells — an experience that would leave a permanent mark on him.
Looking back years later in a 2004 interview with the Rapid City Journal, he recalled the moment vividly:
“We were not just only the white group in the building. But by our second verse, something magical happened. The audience started to cheer us on.”
It was an early lesson in the unifying power of music — one that transcended race, background, and expectation.
Negron later moved west on a basketball scholarship to California State University, but music quickly took priority. In Los Angeles, he joined forces with Danny Hutton and the late Cory Wells, forming Three Dog Night in 1967. The group’s signature blend of bold harmonies and emotionally charged vocals would soon dominate radio airwaves.
Negron’s soaring, gritty voice became the heart of the band, carrying classics like “Joy to the World (Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog),” “One (Is the Loneliest Number),” “Old Fashioned Love Song,” “The Show Must Go On,” “Easy to Be Hard,” and “Mama Told Me (Not to Come).” At their peak, Three Dog Night expanded to include guitarist Michael Allsup, along with the late Jimmy Greenspoon, Joe Schermie, and Floyd Sneed.
fame arrived fast — and with it, pressure. Despite massive commercial success, the band eventually unraveled at the height of its popularity. Heavy drug use and internal tensions fractured relationships, and Three Dog Night ultimately disbanded.
