When Eric Burdon first heard the music of Ray Charles the "world exploded'' and he began a musical journey matched by few other performers in modern music history.
He is considered to be one of the true greats of the rock industry.
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| FAME NO BURDON |
| Central Coast Express, NSW, Australia - Friday 07-Apr-2000 page 33. |
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When Eric Burdon first heard the music of Ray Charles the "world exploded'' and he began a musical journey matched by few other performers in modern music history. |
He is considered to be one of the true greats of the rock industry. |
| "I'd always enjoyed being the centre of attention from when I was very young'', Burdon said last week. "When I was 15 or 16 I was trying to emulate Johnny Ray and Lonnie Donnigan and performing jazz for my parents. But it was when I heard Ray Charles for the first time that my world exploded. I went to Paris and realised there was a whole world outside England - the left bank opened up all sorts of new musical and artistic possibilities - and I went home spreading the word.'' |
| Burdon has gone from fronting Britain's grittiest band to pioneering the San Francisco psychedelic rock scene to funk bands and blues LPs before coming full circle to re-form his original band The Animals for a world tour. |
| The original Animals quickly gained a reputation as Britain's best rhythm and blues band. It took the world by storm when it recorded and re-released an electrified version of the folk number The House of the Rising Sun. |
| The band followed with such classics as Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place, The Story of Bo Didley and Inside Looking Out. |
| "I found that I both loved and hated fame when it came'', Burdon said. "I suppose the music has changed somewhat over the years but I still basically deliver the same message in the same way. I have retained my musical anchor." |
| The latest collaboration, Eric Burdon and The New Animals, has its own sound and, in addition to the classic Burdon songs, its own material. |
| Eric Burdon and the New Animals will play tonight at the Central Coast Leagues Club, Gosford. Doors will open at 7.30pm with the show starting at 8.30pm and tickets are $25. |
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