LAS VEGAS — Cory Wells, one of the founders of the seminal rock band 3 Dog Night, will be hosting the Parnelli Awards in Las Vegas on Oct. 20, executive producer Terry Lowe announced. The band had 21 top 40 hits, and Wells sang nine of them, including “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “Never Been to Spain,” and “Try a Little Tenderness.”
“How we sound and how we look on stage has always been important to the band, and I’m looking forward to spending an evening in room of so many who have made our live performances what they are,” says Cory Wells.
“We are thrilled to have Cory be part of show,” Lowe, also publisher of PLSN and FOH, says. “As a member of one of rock’s greatest band, he took production to new heights, as they always have, and still do, put on a fantastic show, and from 1969 to 1974, no other group sold more concert tickets. Personally, he is admired for his down-to-earth attitude and funny stories. It’s going to be another sell-out show.”
Wells was originally offered the lead singer spot with Paul Revere and the Raiders, but turned it down. He met Sonny & Cher at the Whisky a Go Go and was asked to tour with them. On that tour, he met future dog Danny Hutton, and the two still tour as the band today. They formed the band with Chuck Negron in 1968 (who dropped out in 1985). They were one of the first arena rock bands, and the first to go out with a new production company called Showco. The band had 21 top 40 hits, and Wells sang nine of them, including “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “Never Been to Spain,” and “Try a Little Tenderness.” An avid outdoorsman, when not performing he’s most likely found at the business end of a fishing pole.
The 2012 Parnelli Awards gala will take place at the Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The show will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Charlie Hernandez, the Audio Innovator Award to Sound Image founders Dave Shadoan and (posthumously) Ross Ritto, and the Visionary Award to Joe Branam. The show is made possible by generous and forward-thinking sponsoring companies including:
Gold: All Access Staging & Production, Branam Enterprises, Brown United, CT Touring, Epic Production Technologies, Gallagher Staging & Productions, Harman International (AKG, BSS, Crown, dbx, JBL, Soundcraft), JH Audio, Leprecon, Littlite, Martin Audio, Meyer Sound, Precise Corporate Staging/Dedicated Staging, Rock-it-Cargo, Screenworks NEP, Sennheiser/K-array/Neumann, Solotech, Sound Image, Stagemaker, Strictly FX, Tannoy/Lab.gruppen, Tour Tech East, Ltd., Ultratec Special Effects Inc. and Upstaging; Silver: Chauvet, Elation Professional, Hemphill Brothers, Pyrotek Special Effects, XL Video and Yamaha/NEXO; and Production Partners: On Stage Audio, PRG, Stage Crew, Techni-Lux, and TPI. Chaos Visual Productions is hosting the cocktail party, and 4Wall and Daktronics are among the sponsors for the Parnelli Golf Tournament, set for Oct. 18 at the Arroyo Golf Club in Las Vegas.
For more information or make your reservation today, go to www.parnelliawards.com.
