Eric Burdon

  • Newcastle upon Tyne, England
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  • Rock
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  • 1960
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About Eric Burdon


As the lead singer of the Animals, Eric Burdon was one of the British Invasion's most distinctive vocalists, with a searingly powerful blues-rock voice. When the first lineup of the group fell apart in 1966, Burdon kept the Animals' name going with various players for a few years. Usually billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals, the group was essentially Burdon's vehicle, which he used to purvey a far more psychedelic and less R&B-oriented vision. Occasionally he came up with a good second-division psychedelic hit, like "Sky Pilot"; more often, the music was indulgent, dating it almost immediately. Burdon's real triumphs as a solo artist came at the beginning of the '70s, when he hooked up with a bunch of L.A. journeyman soul/funksters who became his backing band, War. Recording three albums' worth of material in the year or two that they were together, the Burdon/War records could ramble on interminably, and would have benefited from a lot of editing. But they contained some spacy funkadelia of real quality, especially their number three hit single "Spill the Wine," which was almost recorded as an afterthought in the midst of sessions dominated by exploratory jams. Eric Burdon & War were already big stars on record and stage when Burdon, for reasons unclear to almost everyone, quit the band in 1971. War defied expectations and became even bigger when left to their own devices; Burdon, after recording an album with veteran bluesman Jimmy Witherspoon, cut a series of generally desultory solo albums. He recorded off and on after that, at times with the Animals, but has never come close to reaching the heights of his work with the early Animals and War. Burdon was always a riveting live performer, though, and he continued to tour with various incarnations of the Animals and as a solo act, branching out as a painter and author as well, and working in the studio when it suited him.

Burdon continued on this journeyman path until well into the new millennium, recording such solid albums as 2004's My Secret Life and 2006's Soul of a Man. In 2012, he experienced an unexpected comeback when Bruce Springsteen made him a cornerstone of his keynote speech at South by Southwest. Burdon joined Springsteen on-stage and was soon in demand. First, he recorded an EP with the Ohio-based garage rockers the Greenhornes, and then he devoted himself to the full-length 'Til Your River Runs Dry, which received a high-profile launch in January 2013. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi

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Photos

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  • Variety Artists
    Eric Burdon
    Variety Artists

News

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  • Eric Burdon
    Watch Springsteen Joined By Arcade Fire, Tom Morello, Eric Burdon, And Others At SXSW
    stereogum.com
    bunch of people who did, and nobody had anything bad to say about it. As luck would have it, the show took place on Woody Guthrie's birthday, and Spri...
    Read More
  • Eric Burdon
    Eric Burdon Shares New Song for Memorial Day Weekend
    www.jambands.com
    Rock and Roll Hall of famer Eric Burdon (The Animals, WAR) will release his new album, titled 'Til Your River Runs Dry, on September 18 via ABKCO Reco...
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  • Eric Burdon
    Eric Burdon Postpones Tour Dates, Album Release to Undergo Back Surgery
    www.jambands.com
    Former Animals frontman Eric Burdon will undergo back surgery later this week, and has subsequently cancelled more 2012 tour dates. The news comes mon...
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  • Eric Burdon
    Eric Burton Records with the Greenhorns
    www.jambands.com
    Animals/WAR frontman Eric Burdon has enlisted members of The Raconteurs for his next project. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee has teamed up wi...
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  • Eric Burdon
    Eric Burdon Records with the Greenhorns
    www.jambands.com
    Animals/WAR frontman Eric Burdon has enlisted members of The Raconteurs for his next project. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee has teamed up wi...
    Read More
  • Eric Burdon
    Eric Burdon: 'Til Your River Runs Dry
    American Songwriter
    Eric Burdon 'Til Your River Runs Dry (Abkco) Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5) Late career boosts don't come any more effusive (or unexpected) than having ...
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  • Eric Burdon
    SXSW 2013: Charles Bradley, Eric Burdon Bring Blues and Noise to Rolling Stone Rock Room
    www.rollingstone.com
    band, Sonic Youth, is uncertain, Moore proved his perennial status as the most singular guitar god when it comes to beautifully ugly noise-rock." And ...
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  • Eric Burdon
    MMJ, Flaming Lips, Alabama Shakes, Eric Burdon and More Contribute to New True Blood Soundtrack
    www.jambands.com
    My Morning Jacket, The Flaming Lips, Alabama Shakes, Iggy Pop, Eric Burdon with Jenny Lewis, Los Lobos, Best Coast and more contribute tracks to True ...
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  • Eric Burdon
    Eric Burdon & Jenny Lewis - "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
    stereogum.com
    In 1965, British Invasion greats the Animals had a hit with their cover of Nina Simone's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," and now the former Animals f...
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  • Eric Burdon
    Listen to Eric Burdon and Jenny Lewis Sing The Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
    Paste
    A song from True Blood: Music From The HBO Original Series Volume 4 has emerged and this one features another duet (remember Iggy and Bethany?), breat...
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Tour Dates

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  • Jul 4 Thursday
    Ottawa, ON, Canada LeBreton Flats
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  • Jul 7 Sunday
    Ottawa, ON, Canada LeBreton Flats
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  • Jul 10 Wednesday
    Vienna, Austria Wiener Rathaus
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  • Jul 10 Wednesday
    Vienna, Austria Wiener Rathaus
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  • Aug 31 Saturday
    Seattle, WA, US Seattle Center
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  • Oct 11 Friday
    Beverly Hills, CA, US Saban Theatre
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  • Nov 12 Tuesday
    Cologne, Germany Live Music Hall
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  • Nov 14 Thursday
    Essen, Germany Colosseum Theater
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  • Nov 14 Thursday
    Essen, Germany Colosseum Theater
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  • Nov 15 Friday
    Erfurt, Germany Stadtgarten
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  • Nov 19 Tuesday
    Hamburg, Germany Fabrik
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  • Nov 23 Saturday
    Beverly Hills, CA, US Saban Theatre
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  • Nov 30 Saturday
    Stuttgart, Germany LKA-Longhorn
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  • Dec 3 Tuesday
    Mainz, Germany Frankfurter Hof
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  • Dec 3 Tuesday
    Mainz, Germany Frankfurter Hof
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  • Dec 12 Thursday
    Beverly Hills, CA, US Saban Theatre
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Discography

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  • 'Til Your River Runs Dry (2013)
    Eric Burdon
    'Til Your River Runs Dry (2013)
    Universal
  • Love Is All Around (2010)
    Eric Burdon
    Love Is All Around (2010)
    Far Out Records
  • Mirage (2008)
    Eric Burdon
    Mirage (2008)
    Universal Distribution
  • Soul of a Man (2006)
    Eric Burdon
    Soul of a Man (2006)
    SPV
  • Athens Traffic Live (2005)
    Eric Burdon
    Athens Traffic Live (2005)
    SPV
  • Live [Legacy] (2005)
    Eric Burdon
    Live [Legacy] (2005)
    Legacy
  • My Secret Life (2004)
    Eric Burdon
    My Secret Life (2004)
    SPV
  • Live: The House of the Rising Sun (2002)
    Eric Burdon
    Live: The House of the Rising Sun (2002)
    Going For A Song
  • Official Live Bootleg 2000 (2001)
    Eric Burdon
    Official Live Bootleg 2000 (2001)
    Flying Eye Records
  • Official Live Bootleg #2 (2000)
    Eric Burdon
    Official Live Bootleg #2 (2000)
    Flying Eye Records
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