NEW YORK, USA – Cory Wells, a singer in Three Dog Night whose radio-friendly cover songs yielded a stream of hits in the 1970s, has died, the band said Wednesday, October 21. He was 73.
Wells, one of 3 singers in the Los Angeles-bred band, died unexpectedly Tuesday, October 20 in Dunkirk in western New York state, the band said on its Facebook page.
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Wells, who grew up nearby in the Buffalo area, was still touring with the band until last month when he developed severe back pain, the band said without giving a cause of death.
"Cory was an incredible singer – a great performer, he could sing anything," wrote fellow Three Dog Night singer Danny Hutton.
Three Dog Night – named for an aboriginal Australian expression on the number of dogs needed to keep warm at night – enjoyed immense popularity in the 1970s through the band's use of vocal harmonies in rock songs that often covered other artists.
Wells took the lead singing Three Dog Night's version of Randy Newman's "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)," which topped the US pop singles chart in 1970.
Other hits in which Wells took the lead included "One," "Eli's Coming" and "Shambala."
Of partial Polish ancestry, Wells was born as Emil Lewandowski and had relatives who played in polka bands.
Three Dog Night initially broke up in 1976 but returned in the 1980s with a New Wave sound. The band has remained active, despite the members' advancing age, with concerts scheduled across the United States from November through March. – Rappler.com