Eric Burdon & the Animals

Eric Burdon & The Animals, a rock'n'roll band from Newcastle upon Tyne, England, formed in 1963. The original lineup included Eric Burdon on vocals, Alan Price on organ and keyboards, Hilton Valentine on guitar, John Steel on drums, and Chas Chandler on bass. Their early performances featured blues covers of artists such as John Lee Hooker and Sam Cooke. In 1964, they moved to London and signed with EMI's Columbia Records, releasing their first single "Baby Let Me Take You Home"—a reimagining of Bob Dylan's "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down"—which reached number 21 in the UK charts. Their breakthrough came with "The House of the Rising Sun" later that year, topping the charts in both the US and UK. The band released several successful albums, including The Animals (1964) and Animal Tracks (1965). However, internal conflicts led to Alan Price's departure in 1965 and John Steel leaving in early 1966. Despite these changes, they continued with new members, releasing Animalism (1966) under Decca Records. In December 1968, Eric Burdon & The Animals disbanded, bowing out with Love Is that year. However, they later reunited and released Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted in 1977, with Ark following in 1983. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and still remained active on the live circuit in the 2020s, albeit not under the original lineup.