Joe Schermie

Bass player Joe Schermie was born Joseph Edward Schermetzler on February 12, 1946 in Madison, Wisconsin. Both of his parents were in vaudeville and ran a nightclub in Madison. He was raised in Phoenix, Arizona and had a sister named Judy. Joe played in various rock bands at school and worked in bar bands in Los Angeles, California. A versatile bass player with a strong sense of rhythm, Schermie was proficient in jazz, blues, Latin, and rock music. Joe was most famous for being the bass player for the 70s rock group Three Dog Night; he was an original founding member when the band first formed in 1968 and played bass on most of the group's 21 hit songs. Schermie became disillusioned with his role in the band and subsequently left Three Dog Night in 1973. Joe went on to form his own group called S.S. Fools. He also played some shows with former Three Dog Night vocalist Chuck Negron's band and was a member of the group KATT (Katt and the Time Trippers). In addition, Schermie worked for such artists as Stephen Stills, Kim Fowley, Gayle McCormick, and Yvonne Elliman. Joe died of a heart attack at age 56 on March 25, 2002 in Los Angeles, California.