Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne) was the lead singer of The Animals and War before becoming a solo artist.
Career
He was a founding member and vocalist of the Animals, a band originally formed in Newcastle in the early 1960s. The Animals were one of the leading bands of the "British Invasion", and the band had quite a following around the world. Along with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark Five, and Gerry and The Pacemakers, they introduced British music and fashion to an entire generation in an explosion of great tunes and outspoken attitude on, and off the stage. Burdon sang on such Animal classics as "The House of the Rising Sun", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "Bring It On Home to Me", "See See Rider" and "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place". The Animals combined the traditional blues with rock to create a unique sound.Original Animals members keyboardist Alan Price and drummer John Steel quit, and were replaced by Dave Rowberry and Barry Jenkins respectively.By 1966 the other members had left, except for Barry Jenkins, and the band was reformed as Eric Burdon and the Animals, which featured future Family member John Weider and future The Police guitarist Andy Summers. This incarnation had hit with songs such as "When I Was Young", "San Franciscan Nights", "Sky Pilot" and "Monterey".This ensemble lasted until 1969, going through several line-up changes, and changing the name from Eric Burdon and the Animals to Eric Burdon and the New Animals.Burdon is claimed by some to be the 'Eggman' from The Beatles song "I Am The Walrus". The reason for this is that Burdon was known as 'Eggs' to his friends, originating from his fondness for breaking eggs over naked girls. Burdon's biography mentions such an affair taking place in the presence of John Lennon, who shouted "Go on, go get it, Eggman ..."When the New Animals disbanded, Burdon joined forces with funky California jam band War. The resulting album, Eric Burdon Declares "War" yielded the classics "Spill the Wine" and "Tobacco Road". A second Burdon and War album, a two-disc set, The Black-Man's Burdon, was released later in 1970.Burdon received a phone call on 18 September 1970 from Monika Dannemann, informing him that her boyfriend Jimi Hendrix was not waking up and was unresponsive. He told her to call him an ambulance.In 1971 Burdon began a solo career. Around this time, he also recorded the album Guilty! (later released on CD as Black & White Blues) with the great blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon and also featuring Ike White & the San Quentin Prison Band.Burdon rejoined briefly with the other original Animals in 1976 and 1983, but neither union lasted, although the 1983 reunion yielded the ignored single "The Night".He has led a number of groups named Eric Burdon Band or some variation thereof, with constantly changing personnel. His popularity has remained stronger in continental Europe than in the UK or U.S. Today he continues to record and tour either on his own, or in front of yet another version of "Eric Burdon and the Animals". In 1990, a re-formed "Eric Burdon and the Animals" recorded a cover of the Merle Travis single "Sixteen Tons" for the film Joe Versus the Volcano, which played over the opening credits of the film.As of 2007 he was touring as the headlining act of the "Hippiefest" lineup, produced and hosted by Country Joe McDonald.
Album discography
The Animals
- 1964: The Animals
- 1965: Animals Tracks
- 1965: In the Beginning (Live)
- 1965: The Animals on Tour
- 1966: Animalisms
- 1966: The Best of The Animals (Compilation)
- 1966: Animalization
- 1966: Animalism
- 1973: The Animals with Sonny Boy Williamson (Live)
- 1977: Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted
- 1983: Ark
- 1984: Rip it to Shreds: Greatest Hits Alive (Live)
Eric Burdon and The (New) Animals
- 1967: Eric Is Here
- 1967: Winds of Change
- 1967: The Best of Eric Burdon & The Animals, Vol. II (Compilation)
- 1968: The Twain Shall Meet
- 1968: Every One of Us
- 1969: Love Is
- 1969: The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals (Compilation)
- 1990: Roadrunners! (Live)
Eric Burdon and War
- 1970: Eric Burdon Declares "War"
- 1971: The Black-Man's Burdon
- 1976: Love is All Around
- 1996: The Best of Eric Burdon & War (Compilation)
Others
- 1971: Guilty
- 1973: Best of The Animals (Compilation)
- 1974: Sun Secrets (The Eric Burdon Band)
- 1975: Stop (The Eric Burdon Band)
- 1977: Survivor
- 1979: Black & White Blues (Re-release of Guilty)
- 1980: Darkness Darkness
- 1980: The Last Drive
- 1982: Comeback
- 1984: Power Company
- 1985: That's Live (Live)
- 1987: The Singles Plus (Compilation)
- 1988: I Used To Be An Animal
- 1988: Wicked Man
- 1988: The Best of The Animals (Compilation)
- 1989: The EP Collection (Compilation)
- 1990: The Complete Animals (Compilation)
- 1990: Inside Looking Out: The 1965-1966 Sessions (Compilation)
- 1992: The Unreleased Eric Burdon
- 1994: Crawling King Snake (Re-release of Comeback)
- 1994: The Singles Plus (Compilation)
- 1995: Animalism Hits (Compilation)
- 1997:
The Best of The Animals (Compilation)
- 1997: The Official Live Bootleg (Live)
- 1997: Soldier of Fortune
- 1997: I'm Ready: The Unreleased Eric Burdon #2
- 1998: Live At The Roxy (Live)
- 1998: The Official Live Bootleg #2 (Live)
- 2000: The Official Live Bootleg 2000 (Live)
- 2001: The Night (Compilation)
- 2003: Don't Bring Me Down: The Decca Years (Compilation)
- 2003: A's, B's & EP's (Compilation)
- 2003: Absolute Animals 1964-1968 (Compilation)
- 2004: Gratefully Dead 1964-1968 (Compilation)
- 2004: Retrospective (Compilation)
- 2004: My Secret Life
- 2005: Athens Traffic Live (Live)
- 2005: Rumble In London (with The Yardbirds) (Live)
- 2006: Soul of a Man
- 2006: Tobacco Road (Compilation)
- 2006: Wild & Wicked
- 2007: The Hits (Compilation)
Filmography:
- 1964: Get yourself a College Girl
- 1964: Whole Lotta Shakin'
- 1965: Pop Gear
- 1965: The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood
- 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
- 1980: Gibbi - Westgermany
- 1982: Comeback
- 1991: The Doors
- 1999: Snow on New Year's Eve
- 2001: Plaster Caster
- 2001: Screamin' Jay Hawkins: I put a Spell on me
- 2007: The Blue Hour
Concert Films:
- 1976: Rockpalast
- 1982: Rockpalast 1982
- 1983: GasTank
- 1991: Finally...
- 1999: Live at the Coach House
- 2000: The Eric Burdon Band Live
- 2001: The British Invasion Returns
- 2003: When I was Young
- 2003: Yes, you can go Home
- 2004: Rockpalast 2004 (Private)
- 2008: In Concert - The Best Of
TV Shows:
- 1964: Ed Sullivan Show
- 1964: Top of the Pops
- 1965: Ed Sullivan Show
- 1965: Top of the Pops
- 1966: Ed Sullivan Show
- 1967: Ready, Steady, Go!
- 1967: Beat-Club
- 1970: Beat-Club
- 1974: Rock Concert
- 2000: Biography
- 2006: 50 Jahre Rock
Bootlegs
- The Deluxe BBC Files
- Mirage (up to be released 2008 in Japan)
- Unreleased Project #2
- Unreleased Masters and Alternative Takes (up to be released 2008 in Japan)
- War (Live from '71)
- Searching for a Brand New Day (Live from '86)
- When I Was Young (Live from Oct. 1974)
- Live at the Marquee Club 1967
Festivals:
- 1965: The Richmond Jazz Festival (with The Yardbirds, The Animals Big Band, The Who,...)
- 1967: The Windsor Jazz Festival of the Flower Power Children
- 1967: Monterey Pop Festival
- 1969: The Newport Festival (with Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Miles, Lee Oskar,...)
- 2006: Lugano Jazz Festival
- 2008: Porsche Oldie Night
Books
- 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.
References
External links
1941 birthsLiving peopleBritish blues musiciansEnglish male singersPeople from Newcastle upon TyneEric BurdonEric BurdonEric BurdonEric BurdonEric BurdonEric BurdonEric Burdon??????, ????Eric BurdonEric Burdon
