S.O.D. "Black and White" by Three Dog Night

    10/10/2014

     This may never stop being a big issue, everyone getting along.  In fact this song was inspired by a court case over racial segregation in public schools.  The original lyrics were actually based on the courts and changed later, even more guided toward children.

     Written by lyricist David Arkin and singer-songwriter and composer Earl Robinson,  the first recording was by musician, songwriter and TV host, Pete Seeger in 1956.  A second version by Sammy Davis Jr. was released in 1957 but the most successful was Three Dog Night's in 1972 which climbed to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts.  

     Three Dog Night, forming in Los Angeles in 1967 at first took the name Redwood until 1968 when band member and vocalist Danny Hutton was dating actress June Fairchild, who played the Ajax Lady in Cheech and Chong's film "Up In Smoke".  She had read an article about staying warm at night in the elements having to do with indigenous Australians, a people dating back 30-40,000 years.  Apparently they would sleep with dingos (Australians dogs) for body warmth on cold nights.  One dog, sometimes two, but if it was overly frigid, it was a Three Dog Night.