Eric Burdon
Encyclopedia
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals
, and the funk rock
band War
and for his aggressive stage performance. He was ranked 57th in Rolling Stone
' s list - The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
, formed during 1962 in Newcastle, England. The original band was the Alan Price Combo which formed in 1958. They became the Animals shortly after Burdon joined the band. They combined electric blues
with rock and in the USA were one of the leading bands of the British Invasion
. Along with The Beatles
, The Rolling Stones
, The Dave Clark Five
, and The Kinks
, the group introduced British music and fashion. Burdon's powerful voice can be heard in The Animals singles "The House of the Rising Sun
", "Sky Pilot
", "Monterey
", "I'm Crying
", "Boom Boom", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
", "Bring It On Home to Me
", "Baby Let Me Take You Home
", "It's My Life
", "We Gotta Get out of This Place
", "Don't Bring Me Down
", and "See See Rider
".
By late 1966 the other original members, including keyboardist Alan Price
, had left. Burdon and drummer Barry Jenkins
reformed the group as Eric Burdon and The Animals. This more psychedelic
incarnation featured future Family
member John Weider
and was sometimes called Eric Burdon and the New Animals. Keyboardist Zoot Money
joined during 1968 until they split up in 1969. This group's hits included the ballad "San Franciscan Nights
", the grunge
–heavy metal
-pioneering "When I Was Young
", "Monterey
", the anti-Vietnam anthem
"Sky Pilot
" and the progressive cover of "Ring of Fire
".
In 1975 the original Animals
reunited and recorded an album called Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted, released in 1977 and overlooked due to the dawning of punk. In May 1983 The Animals reunited with their original lineup and the album Ark
was released on 16 June 1983, along with the singles "The Night
" and "Love Is For All Time". A world tour followed and the concert at Wembley Arena
, London, recorded on 31 December 1983 was released in 1984 as Rip It To Shreds. Their concert at the Royal Oak Theatre in April 1984 was released in 2008 entitled Last Live Show; the band members were augmented by Zoot Money
, Nippy Noya, Steve Gregory
and Steve Grant
. The original Animals broke up for the last time at the end of 1984.
Although the band Burdon formed in the late '60s was sometimes called Eric Burdon and The New Animals, it wasn't until 1998 that the name Eric Burdon and The New Animals was officially adopted. The 1998 band had bassist Dave Meros
, guitarist Dean Restum , drummer Aynsley Dunbar
and keyboard guitarist Neal Morse
. They recorded Live At The Coach House on 17 October 1998, released on video and DVD in December that year. In 1999 they released The Official Live Bootleg #2 and in August 2000 The Official Live Bootleg 2000, with Martin Gerschwitz on keyboards.
In June 2003, he formed another Eric Burdon and The Animals, with keyboardist Martin Gerschwitz, bassist Dave Meros
, guitarist Dean Restum, and drummer Bernie Pershey. They disbanded in 2005. During 2008 Burdon toured again as Eric Burdon and The Animals with a variable lineup of backing musicians.
On 13 December 2008, Burdon lost a three-year legal battle to win the name "The Animals" in the UK. Drummer John Steel now owns the rights in the UK only. Burdon still tours as Eric Burdon and the Animals, but is prevented from using the name "The Animals" in England while the case is under appeal. Steel was a member in its heyday and left before the band split in 1966. Steel later played in various reunion versions of the band with Burdon.
band War
. The resulting album was entitled Eric Burdon Declares "War" which produced the singles "Spill the Wine
" and "Tobacco Road
". A two-disc set
entitled The Black-Man's Burdon
, was released later in September 1970. The singles from the double album, "Paint It, Black
" and "They Can't Take Away Our Music
", had moderate success during 1971. During this time Burdon collapsed on the stage during a concert, caused by an asthma
attack, and War continued the tour without him.
In 1976 a compilation album, Love Is All Around
, was released by ABC Records
which had recordings of Eric Burdon with War and a live version of "Paint it Black" and a jam session called "A Day In The Life".
Eric Burdon and War were reunited for the first time in 37 years, to perform a concert at the Royal Albert Hall
London on 21 April 2008. The concert coincided with a major reissue campaign by Rhino Records (UK), who released all the War albums including Eric Burdon Declares "War" and The Black-Man's Burdon.
–heavy metal
–funk style. In August 1971 he recorded the album Guilty
! which featured the blues shouter
Jimmy Witherspoon
, and also Ike White of the San Quentin Prison Band. In 1973 the band performed at the Reading Festival and in 1974 they travelled to New York. At the end of 1974 the band released the album Sun Secrets and this was followed by the album Stop in 1975. Burdon moved to Germany in 1977 and recorded the album Survivor with a lineup including guitarist Alexis Korner
and keyboardist Zoot Money
; the album also had a line-up of four guitarists and three keyboard players and is known for its interesting album cover
, which depicts Burdon screaming.
In May 1978 he recorded the album Darkness Darkness
at the Roundwood House in County Laois
, Ireland, using Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio
and featuring guitarist and vocalist Bobby Tench
from The Jeff Beck Group
, who had left Streetwalkers
a few months before. The album was eventually released in 1980. During January 1979 Burdon changed his band for a tour taking in Hamburg
, Germany and the Netherlands
.
On 28 August 1982 "The Eric Burdon Band" including Red Young (keyboards) performed at the Rockpalast
Open Air Concert in Lorelei
, Germany. Following this Burdon toured heavily with his solo project from March 1984 to March 1985, taking in UK, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Canada and Australia. In 1986 Burdon published his autobiography
entitled I Used To Be An Animal, But I'm Alright Now.
In March 1979 he played a concert in Cologne
and changed the band's name to "Eric Burdon's Fire Department", whose lineup included backing vocalist Jackie Carter of Silver Convention
, Bertram Engel of Udo Lindenberg
's "Panik Orchester" and Jean-Jaques Kravetz. In mid 1980 they recorded the album The Last Drive. "Eric Burdon's Fire Department" toured Europe with this lineup and Paul Millins and Louisiana Red
made special appearances in Spain and Italy. By December 1980 the band had broken up.
In April 1981, Christine Buschmann began to film Comeback
with Burdon as the star. They created a new "Eric Burdon Band" whose lineup included Louisiana Red
, Tony Braunagle, John Sterling and Snuffy Walden. This band recorded live tracks in Los Angeles. They also recorded in Berlin with another lineup, the only remaining member being John Sterling. In September 1981 the final scenes of Comeback were shot in the Berlin Metropole and Burdon and his band continued to tour through Australia and North America. A studio album titled Comeback
was released in 1982. The 1983 album Power Company
also included songs recorded during the Comeback project.
In 1988 he put together a band with 15 musicians including Andrew Giddings
- keyboards, Steve Stroud - bass, Adrian Sheppard - drums, Jamie Moses - guitar and four backing vocalists to record the album I Used To Be An Animal
in Malibu, in the United States. In 1990 Eric Burdon's cover version
of "Sixteen Tons
" was used for the film Joe Versus the Volcano
. The song, which played at the beginning of the film, was also released as a single. He also recorded the singles "We Gotta Get out of this Place" with Katrina & The Waves and "No Man's Land" with Tony Carey
and Anne Haigis
. Later in 1990 he had a small lineup of an Eric Burdon Band featuring Jimmy Zavala (sax and harmonica), Dave Meros
(bass), Jeff Naideau (keyboards), Thom Mooney (drums) and John Sterling (guitar) before he began a tour with The Doors
guitarist Robbie Krieger and they appeared at a concert from Ventura Beach
, California, which was released as a DVD on 20 June 2008.
On 13 April 2004 he released a "comeback" album, My Secret Life
, which was his first album with new recordings for 16 years. When John Lee Hooker
died in 2001, Burdon had written the song "Can't Kill the Boogieman" the co-writers of the songs, on the album, were Tony Braunagel and Marcelo Nova
. In 2005 they released a live album, Athens Traffic Live
, with special DVD bonus material and a bonus studio track and disbanded in November 2005. He began a short touring as "The Blues Knights".
On 27 January 2006 he released his blues–R&B album Soul of a Man
. This album was dedicated to Ray Charles
and John Lee Hooker
. The cover of the album was a picture, which was sent to Burdon a few years before. Burdon then formed a new band, with the following members: Red Young
(keyboards), Paula O'Rourke (bass), Eric McFadden
(guitar) and Wally Ingram
(drums). They also performed at the Lugano
Festival and in 2007 he toured as the headlining act of the "Hippiefest" lineup, produced and hosted by Country Joe McDonald
.
formed the "Eric Burdon – Brian Auger Band" with the following lineup: Eric Burdon – vocals, Brian Auger – keyboards, vocals, Dave Meros
– bass, vocals, Don Kirkpatrick
– guitar, vocals, and Paul Crowder – drums, vocals. By 1992, Larry Wilkins replaced Kirkpatrick and Karma Auger (Brian's son) replaced Crowder and in 1993 they added Richard Reguria (percussion). The live album Access All Areas was then released. In 1994 the "Eric Burdon – Brian Auger Band" disbanded. Burdon then formed the "Eric Burdon's i Band". The lineup included Larry Wilkins, Dean Restum (guitar), Dave Meros (bass) and Mark Craney (drums).
In 1995, Burdon made a guest appearance with Bon Jovi
, singing "It's My Life
"/"We Gotta Get out of This Place
" medley at the Hall of Fame. He also released the album Lost Within The Halls Of Fame, with past tracks and re-recordings of some songs from I Used To Be An Animal. In October 1996, Aynsley Dunbar
replaced Craney on drums. The Official Live Bootleg was recorded in 1997 and in May that year Larry Wilkins died of cancer. He also released the compilations Soldier Of Fortune and I'm Ready which featured recordings from the 1970s and 1980s.
In 2000 he recorded the song "Power to the People
" together with Ringo Starr
and Billy Preston
for the motion picture Steal This Movie!
. On 11 May 2001, The Animals were inducted into the Rock Walk Of Fame on Burdon's 60th birthday. On 3 March 2002, the live album Live in Seattle was recorded. Ex-War member Lee Oskar
made a guest appearance on the album. In 2003 he made a guest appearance on the album Joyous in the City of Fools by the Greek
rock band Pyx Lax, singing lead vocal on "Someone Wrote 'Save me' On a Wall".
In 2001, his second critically acclaimed memoir, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," written with author/filmmaker J. Marshall Craig, was released in the U.S., followed by editions in Greece, Germany and Australia.
On 7 June 2008 Burdon performed at the memorial service of Bo Diddley
in Gainesville
, Florida. During July and August 2008, Burdon appeared as the headline act of the "Hippiefest". He also recorded the single "For What It's Worth" with Carl Carlton
and Max Buskohl
.
On 12 November 2008 Rolling Stone
ranked Eric Burdon #57 on the list of the 100 Greatest Singers of all Time. On 22 January 2009 he first performed with his new band, including keyboardist Red Young
, guitarist Rick Hirsch, bass player Jack Bryant and drummer Ed Friedland. For a few months he was sick and did not perform except in the United States. On 26 June, he began his European tour. The band includes Red Young (keyboards), Billy Watts (guitar), Terry Wilson (bass), Brannen Temple (drums) and Georgia Dagaki (cretan lyra). On 7 August the tour ended.
influenced many Britpop
, alternative rock
and power pop
groups, and his voice has been highly respected by many people such as Jim Morrison
, Robert Plant
, Tom Petty
, David Johansen
, Joe Cocker
and Dan Zanes
.
Iggy Pop
and Bruce Springsteen
voted for Burdon in the poll of Rolling Stone
s list of the Top One Hundred best singers.
Brian Jones
called him "The best blues singer to ever come out of England."
Alan Price
has called him "The best singer in a white band."
(1966). Director Michelangelo Antonioni
wanted to use him as a musician in a club scene. Burdon turned the role down, because he had acted in movies before, where he sang songs. He disbanded The Animals and went to California where he met Jim Morrison
and came to the realisation that his real inspiration was acting
.
Later, he turned down major roles in Zabriskie Point
and Performance
(both 1970).
In 1973 he formed The Eric Burdon Band and recorded the soundtrack for his own film project, Mirage. He spent much money to make this film, produced as a motion picture for Atlantic. The film and the soundtrack were to be released in July 1974, but somehow they never were. The soundtrack was released in 2008.
In 1979 he acted in the TV movie The 11th Victim. Then in the German motion picture Gibbi - Westgermany (1980). In 1982 he starred in another German motion picture, Comeback
, again as a singer.
In 1991 he had a cameo appearance
in The Doors
.
In 1998 he acted as himself in the Greek movie My Brother and I, followed by a bigger role in the German motion picture Snow on New Year's Eve (1999).
In the following years he was credited in many documentaries and in an independent
movie called Fabulous Shiksa in Distress (2003), along with Ned Romero
and Ted Markland.
In 2007 he performed the traditional "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
" in the drama festival film The Blue Hour
and in a documentary about , where Burdon lives, called Nowhere Now (2008).
1964: Whole Lotta Shakin
1965: Pop Gear
1965: The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood
1967: World Of The Animals
1967: The War (short)
1967: It's a Bikini World
1967: Tonite Let's Make All Love in London
1968: All My Loving
1968: Monterey Pop
1973: Mirage (never filmed)
1979: 11th Victim
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
, and the funk rock
Funk rock
Funk rock is a music genre that fuses funk and rock elements. Its earliest incarnation was heard in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s by acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Eric Burdon and War, Trapeze, Parliament-Funkadelic, Betty Davis and Mother's Finest. The 1990s were known for acts...
band War
War (band)
War is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae...
and for his aggressive stage performance. He was ranked 57th in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
The Animals
Burdon was lead singer of The AnimalsThe Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
, formed during 1962 in Newcastle, England. The original band was the Alan Price Combo which formed in 1958. They became the Animals shortly after Burdon joined the band. They combined electric blues
Electric blues
Electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and often the harmonica. Pioneered in the 1930s, it emerged as a genre in Chicago in the 1940s. It was taken up in many areas of America leading to the development of regional subgenres...
with rock and in the USA were one of the leading bands of the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
. Along with The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five were an English pop rock group. Their single "Glad All Over" knocked The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK singles charts in January 1964: it eventually peaked at No.6 in the United States in April 1964.They were the second group of the British Invasion,...
, and The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, the group introduced British music and fashion. Burdon's powerful voice can be heard in The Animals singles "The House of the Rising Sun
The House of the Rising Sun
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans...
", "Sky Pilot
Sky Pilot (song)
"Sky Pilot" is a 1968 song by Eric Burdon & The Animals, released on the album The Twain Shall Meet. When released as a single the song was split across both sides, due to its length. As "Sky Pilot " it reached number 14 on the U.S...
", "Monterey
Monterey (song)
"Monterey" is a 1967 song by Eric Burdon & The Animals, with music and lyrics by the group's members, Eric Burdon, John Weider, Vic Briggs, Danny McCulloch, and Barry Jenkins...
", "I'm Crying
I'm Crying
"I'm Crying" is a song originally performed by British rock band The Animals, written by the group's lead vocalist Eric Burdon and organist Alan Price. The song was released as a single in September 1964 and became their second transatlantic hit after "The House of the Rising Sun", which was...
", "Boom Boom", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell and Sol Marcus for the singer/pianist Nina Simone, who first recorded it in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been recorded or performed by many artists, and is widely known by the 1965 blues rock hit...
", "Bring It On Home to Me
Bring It On Home to Me
"Bring It On Home to Me" is a 1962 soul song written and recorded by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. The song, about infidelity, was a hit for Cooke and has become a pop standard covered by numerous artists of different genres. It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped...
", "Baby Let Me Take You Home
Baby Let Me Take You Home
"Baby Let Me Take You Home", a song credited to Bert Russell and Wes Farrell, was The Animals' debut single, released in 1964. In the UK, it reached #21 on the pop singles chart. In the U.S...
", "It's My Life
It's My Life (The Animals song)
"It's My Life" is a song written by Brill Building songwriters Roger Atkins and Carl D'Errico. The song was originally performed by British rock band the Animals, who released it as a single in October 1965 and was one of three songs that the Animals recorded by Brill Building songwriters.The song...
", "We Gotta Get out of This Place
We Gotta Get out of This Place
"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
", "Don't Bring Me Down
Don't Bring Me Down (The Animals song)
"Don't Bring Me Down" is a rock song composed by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded as a 1966 hit single by The Animals.-History:"Don't Bring Me Down" was the third of The Animals' epic personalisations of Brill Building material, following the 1965 hits "We Gotta Get out of This Place" and...
", and "See See Rider
See See Rider
The song is generally regarded as being traditional in origin. Ma Rainey's version became popular during 1925, as "See See Rider Blues." It became one of the most famous of all blues songs, with well over 100 versions. It was recorded by Big Bill Broonzy, Mississippi John Hurt, Lead Belly,...
".
By late 1966 the other original members, including keyboardist Alan Price
Alan Price
Alan Price is an English musician, best known as the original keyboardist for the English band The Animals, and for his subsequent solo work....
, had left. Burdon and drummer Barry Jenkins
Barry Jenkins
Colin Ernest "Barry" Jenkins is an English musician, who is best known for being a drummer for The Animals during both of that 1960s group's incarnations....
reformed the group as Eric Burdon and The Animals. This more psychedelic
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
incarnation featured future Family
Family (band)
Family were an English rock band that formed in late 1966 and disbanded in October 1973. Their style has been characterised as progressive rock, although their sound often explored other genres, incorporating elements of styles like as folk, psychedelia, acid, jazz fusion and rock and roll...
member John Weider
John Weider
John Weider is a rock musician who plays guitar, bass, and violin. He is best known as the bass player for the British band, Family from 1969 to 1971.-Biography:...
and was sometimes called Eric Burdon and the New Animals. Keyboardist Zoot Money
Zoot Money
George Bruno Money, known as Zoot Money is a British vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band...
joined during 1968 until they split up in 1969. This group's hits included the ballad "San Franciscan Nights
San Franciscan Nights
"San Franciscan Nights" is a 1967 song performed by Eric Burdon and The Animals, with words and music by the group's members, Eric Burdon, Vic Briggs, John Weider, Barry Jenkins, and Danny McCulloch...
", the grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
–heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
-pioneering "When I Was Young
When I Was Young
"When I Was Young" is a song performed in 1967 by The Animals with Eric Burdon on vocals. It was released on 8 April. It charted in Australia peaking #2 and stayed 4 weeks there. Later it was a hit charting #10 on the Canadian RPM chart, # 15 in the US and #7 in the Netherlands. The song was...
", "Monterey
Monterey (song)
"Monterey" is a 1967 song by Eric Burdon & The Animals, with music and lyrics by the group's members, Eric Burdon, John Weider, Vic Briggs, Danny McCulloch, and Barry Jenkins...
", the anti-Vietnam anthem
Opposition to the Vietnam War
The movement against US involvment in the in Vietnam War began in the United States with demonstrations in 1964 and grew in strength in later years. The US became polarized between those who advocated continued involvement in Vietnam, and those who wanted peace. Peace movements consisted largely of...
"Sky Pilot
Sky Pilot (song)
"Sky Pilot" is a 1968 song by Eric Burdon & The Animals, released on the album The Twain Shall Meet. When released as a single the song was split across both sides, due to its length. As "Sky Pilot " it reached number 14 on the U.S...
" and the progressive cover of "Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (song)
"Ring of Fire" or "The Ring of Fire" is a country music song popularized by Johnny Cash and co-written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore. The single appears on Cash's 1963 compilation album, Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash...
".
In 1975 the original Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
reunited and recorded an album called Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted, released in 1977 and overlooked due to the dawning of punk. In May 1983 The Animals reunited with their original lineup and the album Ark
Ark (The Animals album)
Ark is a reunion album released in 1983 by the original members of The Animals. It was the second, and last, reunion attempt of the original group.-Track listing:# "Loose Change" -...
was released on 16 June 1983, along with the singles "The Night
The Night (The Animals song)
"The Night" is a song performed by The Animals in 1983. It was the first single from their 1983 Ark reunion effort. It reached #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #34 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart....
" and "Love Is For All Time". A world tour followed and the concert at Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
, London, recorded on 31 December 1983 was released in 1984 as Rip It To Shreds. Their concert at the Royal Oak Theatre in April 1984 was released in 2008 entitled Last Live Show; the band members were augmented by Zoot Money
Zoot Money
George Bruno Money, known as Zoot Money is a British vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band...
, Nippy Noya, Steve Gregory
Steve Gregory
Steve Gregory is an English jazz saxophonist and composer. He plays tenor, alto, soprano and baritone saxophone as well as the flute.Steve Gregory was born in the UK. At St. Paul's School he learned guitar and piano and played clarinet in the school orchestra. He turned down a place at the...
and Steve Grant
Steve Grant
Stephen Mitchell "Steve" Grant is a former American football linebacker for the West Virginia Mountaineers and Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League. Grant is currently the chaplin for the Texas Tech University football program in Lubbock , Texas.-Freshman season:Steve Grant enrolled...
. The original Animals broke up for the last time at the end of 1984.
Although the band Burdon formed in the late '60s was sometimes called Eric Burdon and The New Animals, it wasn't until 1998 that the name Eric Burdon and The New Animals was officially adopted. The 1998 band had bassist Dave Meros
Dave Meros
Dave Meros , is an American bass guitar player, best known as the bass player for progressive rock band Spock's Beard...
, guitarist Dean Restum , drummer Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with some of the top names in rock, including Eric Burdon, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar, UFO, and Journey...
and keyboard guitarist Neal Morse
Neal Morse
Neal Morse is an American multi-instrumentalist and progressive rock composer based in Nashville, Tennessee.-Background:...
. They recorded Live At The Coach House on 17 October 1998, released on video and DVD in December that year. In 1999 they released The Official Live Bootleg #2 and in August 2000 The Official Live Bootleg 2000, with Martin Gerschwitz on keyboards.
In June 2003, he formed another Eric Burdon and The Animals, with keyboardist Martin Gerschwitz, bassist Dave Meros
Dave Meros
Dave Meros , is an American bass guitar player, best known as the bass player for progressive rock band Spock's Beard...
, guitarist Dean Restum, and drummer Bernie Pershey. They disbanded in 2005. During 2008 Burdon toured again as Eric Burdon and The Animals with a variable lineup of backing musicians.
On 13 December 2008, Burdon lost a three-year legal battle to win the name "The Animals" in the UK. Drummer John Steel now owns the rights in the UK only. Burdon still tours as Eric Burdon and the Animals, but is prevented from using the name "The Animals" in England while the case is under appeal. Steel was a member in its heyday and left before the band split in 1966. Steel later played in various reunion versions of the band with Burdon.
War
During 1969, while living in San Francisco, Burdon joined forces with Californian funk rockFunk rock
Funk rock is a music genre that fuses funk and rock elements. Its earliest incarnation was heard in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s by acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Eric Burdon and War, Trapeze, Parliament-Funkadelic, Betty Davis and Mother's Finest. The 1990s were known for acts...
band War
War (band)
War is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae...
. The resulting album was entitled Eric Burdon Declares "War" which produced the singles "Spill the Wine
Spill the Wine
"Spill the Wine" is a 1970 song performed by Eric Burdon and War. Released as a single in May 1970 , it was War's first chart hit, peaking at number three. It was also a top three hit in Canada and Australia...
" and "Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road (song)
"Tobacco Road" is a song written and first recorded by John D. Loudermilk in 1960 that was a hit for The Nashville Teens in 1964 and has since become a standard across several musical genres....
". A two-disc set
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
entitled The Black-Man's Burdon
The Black-Man's Burdon
The Black-Man's Burdon is a double LP by funk band Eric Burdon and War, released in December 1970 on MGM Records. It was the second of two albums by the group before Burdon left and the remaining band continued as War....
, was released later in September 1970. The singles from the double album, "Paint It, Black
Paint It, Black
"Paint It, Black" is a song released by The Rolling Stones on 13 May 1966 as the first single from their fourth album Aftermath. It was originally titled "Paint It Black" without a comma. Keith Richards has stated that the comma was added by the record label, Decca.The song was written by Mick...
" and "They Can't Take Away Our Music
They Can't Take Away Our Music
They Can't Take Away Our Music is a song performed by Eric Burdon & War featuring Sharone Scott & The Beautiful New Born Children in 1970. It was released as a single in 1970 . This was their last single before they split in the same year...
", had moderate success during 1971. During this time Burdon collapsed on the stage during a concert, caused by an asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
attack, and War continued the tour without him.
In 1976 a compilation album, Love Is All Around
Love Is All Around (album)
Love Is All Around is an album by Eric Burdon and War . Released in 1976 on ABC Records, it contains tracks recorded during the band's brief existence from 1969 to 1971, but not found on their two albums from 1970...
, was released by ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
which had recordings of Eric Burdon with War and a live version of "Paint it Black" and a jam session called "A Day In The Life".
Eric Burdon and War were reunited for the first time in 37 years, to perform a concert at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
London on 21 April 2008. The concert coincided with a major reissue campaign by Rhino Records (UK), who released all the War albums including Eric Burdon Declares "War" and The Black-Man's Burdon.
Solo career
Burdon began a solo career in 1971 with The Eric Burdon Band, continuing with a hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
–heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
–funk style. In August 1971 he recorded the album Guilty
Guilty (1971 album)
Guilty! is a 1971 album by Eric Burdon and Jimmy Witherspoon. It was the first release by Burdon after he left his band War.-History:...
! which featured the blues shouter
Blues shouter
A blues shouter is a blues singer, often male, capable of singing with a band. The singer must project, or "shout", to be heard over the drums and musical instruments of the band. Blues shouting was a major pathway by which jazz music edged over into rock and roll...
Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
, and also Ike White of the San Quentin Prison Band. In 1973 the band performed at the Reading Festival and in 1974 they travelled to New York. At the end of 1974 the band released the album Sun Secrets and this was followed by the album Stop in 1975. Burdon moved to Germany in 1977 and recorded the album Survivor with a lineup including guitarist Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner was a blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a Founding Father of British Blues"...
and keyboardist Zoot Money
Zoot Money
George Bruno Money, known as Zoot Money is a British vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band...
; the album also had a line-up of four guitarists and three keyboard players and is known for its interesting album cover
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
, which depicts Burdon screaming.
In May 1978 he recorded the album Darkness Darkness
Darkness Darkness
Darkness Darkness is an album by the former vocalist from The Animals, Eric Burdon. It was recorded in May 1978 at Roundwood House, County Laois in Ireland, using Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio. The album was released by Polydor in 1980...
at the Roundwood House in County Laois
County Laois
County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
, Ireland, using Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio
Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio
Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio, also known as LMS, is a mobile recording studio originally owned by Ronnie Lane.Lane acquired the studio in 1972. It was one of the first ever mobile recording studios, and consisted of a 16 track studio housed in a 26' Airstream trailer, with a Helios mixing console,...
and featuring guitarist and vocalist Bobby Tench
Bobby Tench
Robert Tench , also known as Bob Tench, Bobby Tench and Bobby Gass is a British vocalist and guitarist. Originally a bass player he began singing with Gass influenced by artists such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles...
from The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group were an English rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy sounding blues and R&B was a major influence on popular music.- The first Jeff Beck Group :...
, who had left Streetwalkers
Streetwalkers
Streetwalkers were an English rock band formed in late 1973 by two former members of Family, vocalist Roger Chapman and guitarist John "Charlie" Whitney...
a few months before. The album was eventually released in 1980. During January 1979 Burdon changed his band for a tour taking in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
On 28 August 1982 "The Eric Burdon Band" including Red Young (keyboards) performed at the Rockpalast
Rockpalast
Rockpalast is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk . Rockpalast started in 1974 and continues to this day. Hundreds of rock and jazz bands have performed on Rockpalast...
Open Air Concert in Lorelei
Lorelei
The Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat...
, Germany. Following this Burdon toured heavily with his solo project from March 1984 to March 1985, taking in UK, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Canada and Australia. In 1986 Burdon published his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
entitled I Used To Be An Animal, But I'm Alright Now.
In March 1979 he played a concert in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and changed the band's name to "Eric Burdon's Fire Department", whose lineup included backing vocalist Jackie Carter of Silver Convention
Silver Convention
Silver Convention was a German euro disco recording act of the 1970s. The group was originally named Silver Bird Convention, or Silver Bird.-Career:...
, Bertram Engel of Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg is a German rock musician and composer.-Career:Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969 Lindenberg founded his first band Free Orbit and also appeared as a studio and guest musician . In 1970 he collaborated as a drummer with jazz-saxophonist Klaus Doldinger in...
's "Panik Orchester" and Jean-Jaques Kravetz. In mid 1980 they recorded the album The Last Drive. "Eric Burdon's Fire Department" toured Europe with this lineup and Paul Millins and Louisiana Red
Louisiana Red
Louisiana Red is an African American blues guitarist, harmonica player, and singer, who has recorded more than 50 albums...
made special appearances in Spain and Italy. By December 1980 the band had broken up.
In April 1981, Christine Buschmann began to film Comeback
Comeback (film)
Comeback is a 1982 semi-autobiographical film starring Eric Burdon.- Cast :*Eric Burdon*Julie Carmen*Michael Cavanaugh*John Aprea*Louisiana RedIt was shot first in Los Angeles then in Berlin....
with Burdon as the star. They created a new "Eric Burdon Band" whose lineup included Louisiana Red
Louisiana Red
Louisiana Red is an African American blues guitarist, harmonica player, and singer, who has recorded more than 50 albums...
, Tony Braunagle, John Sterling and Snuffy Walden. This band recorded live tracks in Los Angeles. They also recorded in Berlin with another lineup, the only remaining member being John Sterling. In September 1981 the final scenes of Comeback were shot in the Berlin Metropole and Burdon and his band continued to tour through Australia and North America. A studio album titled Comeback
Comeback (album)
Comeback is an album by Eric Burdon released in 1982, during the Comeback project. It was the studio album to the film. Live tracks during this sessions were released later on compilations.-Track list:# "No More Elmore" – 4:36# "The Road" – 4:50...
was released in 1982. The 1983 album Power Company
Power Company (album)
Power Company is an album by Eric Burdon released in 1983. It features recordings from the Comeback project. It also features live recordings.- Side One :# "Power Company" # "Devil's Daughter"...
also included songs recorded during the Comeback project.
In 1988 he put together a band with 15 musicians including Andrew Giddings
Andrew Giddings
Andrew Giddings Born July 10, 1963 in Pembury, Kent) is an English keyboardist and was a member of classic rock band Jethro Tull from 1991 to 2007.-Early life:...
- keyboards, Steve Stroud - bass, Adrian Sheppard - drums, Jamie Moses - guitar and four backing vocalists to record the album I Used To Be An Animal
I Used To Be An Animal
I Used To Be An Animal is an album by Eric Burdon from 1988. It was his first new album in almost four years. It was recorded in Malibu, USA....
in Malibu, in the United States. In 1990 Eric Burdon's cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Sixteen Tons
Sixteen Tons
"Sixteen Tons" is a song about the life of a coal miner, first recorded in 1946 by American country singer Merle Travis and released on his box set album Folk Songs of the Hills the following year...
" was used for the film Joe Versus the Volcano
Joe Versus the Volcano
Joe Versus the Volcano is a 1990 comedy film written and directed by John Patrick Shanley and starring Tom Hanks and—in three roles—Meg Ryan. The film is writer Shanley's directorial debut and the first of three films pairing Hanks and Ryan....
. The song, which played at the beginning of the film, was also released as a single. He also recorded the singles "We Gotta Get out of this Place" with Katrina & The Waves and "No Man's Land" with Tony Carey
Tony Carey
Antony Laurence Carey is a keyboard player best known for his work with Rainbow.One of his earliest musical experiences was in a band called Blessings, in which he played until 1975 when Ritchie Blackmore discovered and hired him as keyboardist for Rainbow. He played with Rainbow on two world...
and Anne Haigis
Anne Haigis
Anne Haigis is a German musician and singer. Through the 1980s she gained commercial success with German language songs, but in the 1990s she focused more on English language material.-Discography:...
. Later in 1990 he had a small lineup of an Eric Burdon Band featuring Jimmy Zavala (sax and harmonica), Dave Meros
Dave Meros
Dave Meros , is an American bass guitar player, best known as the bass player for progressive rock band Spock's Beard...
(bass), Jeff Naideau (keyboards), Thom Mooney (drums) and John Sterling (guitar) before he began a tour with The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
guitarist Robbie Krieger and they appeared at a concert from Ventura Beach
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
, California, which was released as a DVD on 20 June 2008.
On 13 April 2004 he released a "comeback" album, My Secret Life
My Secret Life (Eric Burdon album)
My Secret Life is an album by Eric Burdon released in 2004. It was his first solo album release, which contains new titles, in nearly 16 years. It was his comeback album....
, which was his first album with new recordings for 16 years. When John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
died in 2001, Burdon had written the song "Can't Kill the Boogieman" the co-writers of the songs, on the album, were Tony Braunagel and Marcelo Nova
Marcelo Nova
Marcelo Nova is a Brazilian singer born in the state of Bahia.He began his career in the group Camisa de Vênus in the 1980s and had recorded several hit songs such as "Bete Morreu", "Eu Não Matei Joana D'Arc" and "Silvia"...
. In 2005 they released a live album, Athens Traffic Live
Athens Traffic Live
Athens Traffic Live is a live album by Eric Burdon recorded in 2005 in Greece. It includes a bonus DVD.-Track listing:# "Introduction" – 0:16# "Boom Boom" – 5:57# "When I Was Young" Athens Traffic Live is a live album by Eric Burdon recorded in 2005 in Greece. It includes a bonus DVD.-Track...
, with special DVD bonus material and a bonus studio track and disbanded in November 2005. He began a short touring as "The Blues Knights".
On 27 January 2006 he released his blues–R&B album Soul of a Man
Soul of a Man (Eric Burdon album)
Soul of a Man is a 2006 R&B album by Eric Burdon. It is dedicated to Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker and the city of New Orleans. It follows his 2004 comeback album My Secret Life and the 2005 live album & DVD Athens Traffic Live....
. This album was dedicated to Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
and John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
. The cover of the album was a picture, which was sent to Burdon a few years before. Burdon then formed a new band, with the following members: Red Young
Red Young
Red Young is a keyboard, piano, synthesizer and organ player.- Beginnings and early success :Grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. He began playing piano at age 3 and did first classical recital at age 10...
(keyboards), Paula O'Rourke (bass), Eric McFadden
Eric McFadden
Eric Byron McFadden is an American guitarist, vocalist and songwriter from San Francisco Bay Area, California, at times described as "an authentic old-west troubadour and an absolutely wicked 6-string maestro."...
(guitar) and Wally Ingram
Wally Ingram
Wally Ingram is an American drummer and musician. He is most famous as a member of the band, Timbuk 3.In recent years, he has toured with the multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, and released several records with him :* 2000 : Twango Bango Deluxe...
(drums). They also performed at the Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
Festival and in 2007 he toured as the headlining act of the "Hippiefest" lineup, produced and hosted by Country Joe McDonald
Country Joe McDonald
Country Joe McDonald is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.-Personal life:...
.
Other associations
In 1991, Burdon and Brian AugerBrian Auger
Brian Auger is a jazz and rock keyboardist, who has specialized in playing the Hammond organ.A jazz pianist, bandleader, session musician and Hammond B3 player, Auger has played or toured with artists such as Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Boy Williamson, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon...
formed the "Eric Burdon – Brian Auger Band" with the following lineup: Eric Burdon – vocals, Brian Auger – keyboards, vocals, Dave Meros
Dave Meros
Dave Meros , is an American bass guitar player, best known as the bass player for progressive rock band Spock's Beard...
– bass, vocals, Don Kirkpatrick
Don Kirkpatrick
Don Kirkpatrick was an American jazz pianist and arranger.Kirkpatrick worked intermittently with Chick Webb between 1927-1937 and with Don Redman from 1933-1937; it is for these associations that he is best known...
– guitar, vocals, and Paul Crowder – drums, vocals. By 1992, Larry Wilkins replaced Kirkpatrick and Karma Auger (Brian's son) replaced Crowder and in 1993 they added Richard Reguria (percussion). The live album Access All Areas was then released. In 1994 the "Eric Burdon – Brian Auger Band" disbanded. Burdon then formed the "Eric Burdon's i Band". The lineup included Larry Wilkins, Dean Restum (guitar), Dave Meros (bass) and Mark Craney (drums).
In 1995, Burdon made a guest appearance with Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, singing "It's My Life
It's My Life (Bon Jovi song)
"It's My Life" is Bon Jovi's first single from the album Crush. It was released on May 23, 2000. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Max Martin. The song hit #1 across several countries...
"/"We Gotta Get out of This Place
We Gotta Get out of This Place
"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
" medley at the Hall of Fame. He also released the album Lost Within The Halls Of Fame, with past tracks and re-recordings of some songs from I Used To Be An Animal. In October 1996, Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with some of the top names in rock, including Eric Burdon, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar, UFO, and Journey...
replaced Craney on drums. The Official Live Bootleg was recorded in 1997 and in May that year Larry Wilkins died of cancer. He also released the compilations Soldier Of Fortune and I'm Ready which featured recordings from the 1970s and 1980s.
In 2000 he recorded the song "Power to the People
Power to the People (song)
"Power to the People" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1971 by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apple R5892 in the United Kingdom and Apple 1830 in the United States. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the British singles chart...
" together with Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
and Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
for the motion picture Steal This Movie!
Steal This Movie!
Steal This Movie is a 2000 American biographical film of 1960s radical figure Abbie Hoffman. It was directed by Robert Greenwald and the screenplay was written by Bruce Graham...
. On 11 May 2001, The Animals were inducted into the Rock Walk Of Fame on Burdon's 60th birthday. On 3 March 2002, the live album Live in Seattle was recorded. Ex-War member Lee Oskar
Lee Oskar
Lee Oskar is a Danish harmonica player, notable for his contributions to the sound of the rock-funk fusion group War, which he formed with Eric Burdon, his solo work, and as a harmonica manufacturer...
made a guest appearance on the album. In 2003 he made a guest appearance on the album Joyous in the City of Fools by the Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
rock band Pyx Lax, singing lead vocal on "Someone Wrote 'Save me' On a Wall".
In 2001, his second critically acclaimed memoir, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," written with author/filmmaker J. Marshall Craig, was released in the U.S., followed by editions in Greece, Germany and Australia.
On 7 June 2008 Burdon performed at the memorial service of Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
in Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, Florida. During July and August 2008, Burdon appeared as the headline act of the "Hippiefest". He also recorded the single "For What It's Worth" with Carl Carlton
Carl Carlton
Carl Carlton is an American R&B, soul, and funk singer and songwriter, best known for his hits "Everlasting Love" and "She's a Bad Mama Jama ".-Career:...
and Max Buskohl
Max Buskohl
Max Buskohl was a contestant who finished 4th in season 4 of Deutschland sucht den Superstar. Max stated in an interview with Der Spiegel that he left DSDS voluntarily while RTL claims they threw out Max. Dieter Bohlen claims that Max tried to "extort record company and the station"...
.
On 12 November 2008 Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
ranked Eric Burdon #57 on the list of the 100 Greatest Singers of all Time. On 22 January 2009 he first performed with his new band, including keyboardist Red Young
Red Young
Red Young is a keyboard, piano, synthesizer and organ player.- Beginnings and early success :Grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. He began playing piano at age 3 and did first classical recital at age 10...
, guitarist Rick Hirsch, bass player Jack Bryant and drummer Ed Friedland. For a few months he was sick and did not perform except in the United States. On 26 June, he began his European tour. The band includes Red Young (keyboards), Billy Watts (guitar), Terry Wilson (bass), Brannen Temple (drums) and Georgia Dagaki (cretan lyra). On 7 August the tour ended.
Influence
The sound of The AnimalsThe Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
influenced many Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
groups, and his voice has been highly respected by many people such as Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
, Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, David Johansen
David Johansen
David Roger Johansen is an American rock, protopunk, blues, and pop singer, as well as a songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal protopunk band The New York Dolls and also achieved commercial success under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter.-Early life:Johansen was born in...
, Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
and Dan Zanes
Dan Zanes
Dan Zanes was a member of the popular 1980s band The Del Fuegos and is currently the front man of the Grammy-winning group Dan Zanes and Friends.-History:...
.
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
voted for Burdon in the poll of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s list of the Top One Hundred best singers.
Brian Jones
Brian Jones
Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones , known as Brian Jones, was an English musician and a founding member of the Rolling Stones....
called him "The best blues singer to ever come out of England."
Alan Price
Alan Price
Alan Price is an English musician, best known as the original keyboardist for the English band The Animals, and for his subsequent solo work....
has called him "The best singer in a white band."
Film career
Burdon wanted to act in the movie BlowupBlowup
Blowup is a 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English-language film.It tells of a British photographer's accidental involvement with a murder, inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las babas del diablo" or "The Devil's Drool" , translated also as Blow-Up, and by the life...
(1966). Director Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
wanted to use him as a musician in a club scene. Burdon turned the role down, because he had acted in movies before, where he sang songs. He disbanded The Animals and went to California where he met Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
and came to the realisation that his real inspiration was acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
.
Later, he turned down major roles in Zabriskie Point
Zabriskie Point (film)
Zabriskie Point is a 1970 film by Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni, widely noted at the time for its setting in the late 1960s counterculture of the United States...
and Performance
Performance (film)
Performance is a 1968 British crime drama film; the film was produced in 1968 but not released until 1970. Directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, Performance stars James Fox and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones in his film acting debut.-Plot:...
(both 1970).
In 1973 he formed The Eric Burdon Band and recorded the soundtrack for his own film project, Mirage. He spent much money to make this film, produced as a motion picture for Atlantic. The film and the soundtrack were to be released in July 1974, but somehow they never were. The soundtrack was released in 2008.
In 1979 he acted in the TV movie The 11th Victim. Then in the German motion picture Gibbi - Westgermany (1980). In 1982 he starred in another German motion picture, Comeback
Comeback (film)
Comeback is a 1982 semi-autobiographical film starring Eric Burdon.- Cast :*Eric Burdon*Julie Carmen*Michael Cavanaugh*John Aprea*Louisiana RedIt was shot first in Los Angeles then in Berlin....
, again as a singer.
In 1991 he had a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in The Doors
The Doors (film)
The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,...
.
In 1998 he acted as himself in the Greek movie My Brother and I, followed by a bigger role in the German motion picture Snow on New Year's Eve (1999).
In the following years he was credited in many documentaries and in an independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
movie called Fabulous Shiksa in Distress (2003), along with Ned Romero
Ned Romero
Ned Romero is an American actor and opera singer who has appeared in television and film.Romero was born in Franklin, the seat of St. Mary Parish in South Louisiana, the son of Anna and Sidney Romero. His ancestry is Chitimacha Native American, as well as Spanish and French...
and Ted Markland.
In 2007 he performed the traditional "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
"Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" is a traditional Negro spiritual.The song dates back to the era of slavery in the United States when it was common practice to sell children of slaves away from their parents. An early performance of the song dates back to the 1870s by the Fisk Jubilee...
" in the drama festival film The Blue Hour
The Blue Hour
The Blue Hour is a film directed and written by Eric Nazarian. It stars Alyssa Milano and had its world premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2007...
and in a documentary about , where Burdon lives, called Nowhere Now (2008).
Filmography
- 1964:
Get Yourself a College Girl
Get Yourself a College Girl is a 1964 Metrocolor film comedy in the style of a beach party movie. The plot involves a college co-ed who tries to balance her time writing songs and dealing with her publisher who tries to pursue her. It was directed by Sidney Miller and written by Robert E...
Monterey Pop
Monterey Pop is a 1968 concert film by D. A. Pennebaker that documents the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967. Among Pennebaker's several camera operators were fellow documentarians Richard Leacock and Albert Maysles...
- 1980: Gibbi (West German)
- 1982: ComebackComeback (film)Comeback is a 1982 semi-autobiographical film starring Eric Burdon.- Cast :*Eric Burdon*Julie Carmen*Michael Cavanaugh*John Aprea*Louisiana RedIt was shot first in Los Angeles then in Berlin....
- 1991: The DoorsThe Doors (film)The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,...
- 1999: Snow on New Year's Eve
- 2001: Plaster Caster
- 2001: Screamin' Jay Hawkins: I Put a Spell on Me
- 2003: Fabulous Shiksa In Distress
- 2003: Yes, You Can Go Home
- 2007: The Blue Hour
- 2008: Nowhere Now: The Ballad of Joshua Tree
- 2010: Remembering Nigel
Festivals
- 1965: The Richmond Jazz Festival
- 1967: The WindsorWindsor, BerkshireWindsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
Jazz Festival of the Flower Power Children - 1967: Monterey Pop FestivalMonterey Pop FestivalThe Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
- 1968: Newport Pop Festival '68Newport Pop FestivalThe Newport Pop Festival, held in Costa Mesa, California, August 3–4, 1968, was the first music concert ever to have more than 100,000 paid attendees....
- 1969: Newport Pop Festival '69Newport Pop FestivalThe Newport Pop Festival, held in Costa Mesa, California, August 3–4, 1968, was the first music concert ever to have more than 100,000 paid attendees....
- 1994: Sziget
- 2000: Moondance JamMoondance JamMoondance Jam is an annual rock and classic rock festival held in mid-July in the Leech Lake/Chippewa National Forest Area near Walker, Minnesota. It is recognized as Minnesota's largest rock festival and the premier classic rock festival in the United States...
- 2004: Arrow Rock FestivalArrow Rock FestivalArrow Rock Festival is a rock festival that takes place on a yearly basis since 2003 in the Netherlands. This festival presents mostly classic rock bands. The original location for the festival was Lichtenvoorde; until 2007 when the venue changed to Biddinghuizen. 2008 saw another location change,...
- 2005: San SebastianSan SebastiánDonostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
Jazz Festival - 2006: LuganoLuganoLugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
Jazz Festival - 2008: Hippiefest
- 2009: Maryport Blues Festival
- 2010: Montreal Jazz Festival
- 2010: Ribfest
- 2010: Satsop River Rock
- 2010: Legenda Rocka
Further reading
- Burdon, Eric. I Used to Be an Animal, but I'm All Right Now. Faber and Faber, 1986. ISBN 0-571-13492-0.
- Burdon, Eric (with J. Marshall Craig). Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: A Memoir. Thunder's Mouth Press, 2001. ISBN 1-56025-330-4.
External links
- Eric Burdon website
- Eric Burdon Eric Burdon Interview from 2009