Eric
Burdon & The Animals
Eric
Burdon's life has been a musical journey matched by few other
performers in rock music history. He has gone from the driving
force of the grittiest British Invasion band, to pioneering the
San Francisco psychedelic rock scene, to fronting WAR - the biggest
funk band of the 1970's, to cutting an LP with an early influence,
jazz-blues great Jimmy Witherspoon, to coming full-circle and
reuniting his original band, The Animals, for a series of projects
and world-wide tours, to forming new groups of “Animals”
and releasing a series of studio CDs, live CD’s, a DVD, and
his second autobiography, which was translated in several languages.
Also Eric
took a part in many movies like the semi-autobiographical film
Comeback - which he starred in and performed the entire soundtrack
for director Christel Buschmann. His numerous other acting forays
include everything from television appearances on shows such as
China Beach, to made-for-television movies like The Eleventh Victim.
Burdon’s ongoing interest in film has also resulted in roles
in major motion pictures such as Gibbi West Germany and The Doors.
He can be found in two very well-received film-festival outings,
namely the 1999 Greek film My Brother and I by Antonis Kokkinos
- which was singled out at the Cannes and Karlovy Vary Film Festivals-
and the 2000-release by Thorsten Schmidt, Snow Fall on New Year’s
Eve. Burdon’s soundtrack work has appeared in more than two-dozen
projects ranging from the television program The Wonder Years,
to the documentary films The London Scene & The Big Pink,
to the cult films Going to War & The Magic Garden of Stanley
Sweetheart, to major motion picture productions including Joe
vs. The Volcano, American Me, Hamburger Hill, Casino, and Boogie
Nights.
Burdon’s
lengthy recording career began in Newcastle, England, where he
first covered songs by his idols, such greats as Ray Charles,
Chuck Berry, Josh White, Brownie McGhee, John Lee Hooker, and
Jimmie Reed. He and The Animals quickly gained notoriety as England’s
best R&B band, and they were selected by the pirate station
Radio Caroline as the feature for the first broadcast to the U.S.
They were a part of the first live R&B recording in the U.K.,
when they joined Sonny Boy Williamson for the now famous 1963
New Year’s Eve concerts. This raw performance was followed
by a more polished outing when The Animals appeared with Jerry
Lee Lewis & Gene Vincent on renegade Granada TV in 1964, for
the Whole Lotta Shakin’ concert feature (released on film
as Don’t Knock the Rock); the film showcased their rendition
of Talkin’ Bout You. Shortly thereafter, The Animals took
the music world by storm when they recorded and released an electrified
version of the traditional folk number, The House of the Rising
Sun. In short order they followed with such classics as Don’t
Let Me Be Misunderstood, We Gotta Get Out of This Place, It’s
My Life, I’m Crying, Inside Looking Out, The Story of Bo
Diddley, Bring It On Home to Me, and See See Rider.
|
