You probably remember today’s classic song of the day, “Black and White,” from the 1972 single by Three Dog Night. But the song is a lot older than that and has a storied history.
“Black and White” was written by David Arkin (words) and Earl Robinson (music) back in 1954. Mr. Arkin was the father to actor Alan Arkin; Mr. Robinson was a popular composer, arranger, and folksinger. They wrote “Black and White” following the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown vs. the Board of Education decision, which outlawed racial segregation in public schools. The original lyrics (long since dropped) were most explicit on this point:
Their robes were black, their heads were white
The schoolhouse doors were closed so tight
Nine judges all set down their names
To end the years and years of shame
The first recording of “Black and White” was made by legendary folksinger Pete Seeger in 1956. That was followed by co-writer Earl Robinson’s own version in 1957. Sammy Davis Jr. also recorded a version of the song that same year.
In the early ’70s, several reggae groups picked up on the song, with the Jamaican group the Maytones and the UK group Greyhound both releasing versions of the tune. The Greyhound single reached #6 on the UK charts and was heard by members of Three Dog Night, who were inspired to record their own reggae-influenced version.
Three Dog Night’s single of “Black and White” was released in August of 1972. It went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. It also hit #1 in Canada and New Zealand.
And here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, Three Dog Night performing “Black and White” live on the West German program Beat-Club in 1972. That’s Danny Hutton singing lead—and the great Floyd Sneed rocking out on his clear acrylic Zickos drums.
