Jimmy becomes Jimi – 9/24/66
- Jimi Hendrix and Chas Chandler (1967)
On this day in 1966, Jimi Hendrix and Chas Chandler (the Animals’ former bassist) flew from New York to London. En route, they decided to change the Jimmy’s name to Jimi.
Chandler continued to be influential in Jimi’s career. While in London, Hendrix formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Chandler recruited other musicians to join the group, managed the group and produced their first two albums.
The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)
Today in 1964, the Animals became the first British group to top the American charts with a song not written by Lennon and McCartney with their cover of “House of the Rising Sun.”
MSD Spotlight — Eric Burdon
As lead singer of The Animals, Eric Burdon was at the forefront of the British Invasion. The band’s, “House Of The Rising Sun”, was a #1 hit in the US, UK, Sweden and Canada in 1964. The song tells of life gone awry in New Orleans. Here is the song as it appeared in 1965′s Pop Gear:
The Animals sound was one that merged R&B and blues into pop tunes. Eric’s voice was at times pleading and longing at others, wrathful and angry with a sharp edge and a growl. Here they are with the written for Nina Simone song, 1965′s, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”:
“Paint It Black” from Monterrey:
Burdon was known for his wild man ways and partied with Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison & Alexis Korner. The “egg man” from The Beatles, “I Am The Walrus”, was supposedly based on Burdon’s fondness for cracking raw eggs on friends and foes alike. A hard drinker, Eric Burdon was known to consume liters upon liters of alcohol daily.
The Animals continued until 1969. Burdon then joined funky southern California jam band, War. Their first release, “Eric Burdon Declares War”, was released in 1971 and yielded the following song, “Spill The Wine”:
Burdon split from War in 1974 and went solo. To this day, he continues to perform solo shows, shows with The Animals and collaborates sporadically with The Doors’ Robbie Krieger. Here he is from 2008, displaying a voice that is still as strong as ever, performing “The House Of The Rising Sun”:
