A Few Blue Collar Bands

Recently we were asked by you to name a few groups that were very successful, but not considered the superstars of their era. You know, our favorite blue collar bands. Here are a couple of our favorites…

The band Three Dog Night has had a tough year in 2015, losing original members Cory Wells and Jimmy Greenspoone to early deaths. The boys in the band will always be remembered as one of the most prolific groups in the 70s and 80s. Yes, the name of the group comes from the Australian practice of huddling with their sheep dogs on cold nights; a three dog night being the coldest. Three Dog Night was inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000, and has sold over 50 million records.

The Association kicked off the 1967 Monterey Festival with great surprise, as there were many psychedelic bands on the bill, and the Association looked like a church choir. The 5th Dimension had a big hit with covering their song “Never My Love,” while selling over 30 million records during their career. “Cherish”, “Windy” and “Never My,” were all certified Gold. The Association’ lead singer Hilario Ramos was a native Hawaii, and s the only original member to have left us, losing his life to cancer in 2014

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Photo credit: Arnie Lee