The animals rock and roll hall of fame

Q: Is Eric Burdon in the Rock Hall of Fame?

Since I was inducted, Ive signed more autographs, to the point where its a menace,” he said. But Im flattered to be a member.” Burdon missed the 1994 induction ceremony because he was on tour in Europe. But he performed the following year at the Concert for the Hall of Fame at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

Q: What artists are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

21 Musicians You Wont Believe Arent in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In the UK in 1993, when Hilton Valentine was a member of Tyneside based Rhythm & Blues band The Alligators, he was approached by Peter Barton, an agent from Lancashire in the UK, to see if he would be interested in performing some shows in Germany as The Animals. Hilton liked the idea and quickly set about augmenting the Alligators band with a keyboard player to recreate the original 1960’s Animals sound. Auditions were held at the Pheasant pub in Tynemouth where Hilton, along with original Animals bass player Chas Chandler and original drummer John Steel were present. Following a comprehensive trial run of the Animals songs Chas Chandler decided that local keyboard player Steve Hutchinson (Stevie Hutch) was in his words “The man for the job”. Chas Chandler however declined to become a member of the band due to health problems, but did offer instead to become the manager for the band.

Índice Show

Why did the animals break up?
Is Eric Burdon in the Rock Hall of Fame?
What happened to lead singer of the animals?
What artists are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Using the remaining members from The Alligators band, the line-up of Hilton Valentine's new Animals band was complete, and with all of the members living within 10 miles of Newcastle the birth place of the original Animals band. The line-up comprised of original Animals Hilton Valentine on guitar and John Steel on drums, Robert Kane (aka Robert Robinson) on Vocals, Steve Hutchinson on keyboards, George Fearon on guitar, and Joss Elliott on bass guitar.

John Steel, who at that time kept in regular contact with Eric Burdon in the USA, contacted Eric Burdon to ask if he would mind if this new band could use 'The Animals' name. Eric allegedly replied stating that Hilton and John were both Animals as much as he was, and did not mind so long as there would not be any confusion with his own band that regularly performed in the USA and Germany as Eric Burdon and The Animals. To solve this problem George Fearon suggested that the psuedo name 'Animals II' could be used in those two countries. So with the acceptance of the original members of the band Hilton now had The Animals back on the road again.

This new 2nd generation of The Animals performed its first 'dress rehearsal' show under the name of 'Hilton Valentine’s Animals' on 14th March 1994 at The Pheasant pub in Tynemouth, followed by another show at Bultins in Ayr Scotland. Much larger shows then followed shortly afterwards in the UK and Scandinavia with both Chas Chandler and Eric Burdon’s blessing under the name of 'The Animals'.

Hilton's unmistakable guitar playing and John's unique drumming style, coupled with Robert Kane's uncanny vocal resemblance to Eric Burdon and Steve Hutchinson's ability to play the keyboard in the distinctive style of Alan Price undoubtedly made for a very authentic re-creation of The Animals sound, leaving fans in no doubt that The Animals were well and truly back on the road.

In the summer of 1995 after two years of extensive touring in Europe and Scandinavia unrest had unfortunately grown within the band, said in part to be due to the strong Alligators influence in the band. Hilton and John's wish to promote the band's individual identity as 'The Animals' resulted in them looking for replacement band members. Robert Kane and Steve Hutchinson retained their exacting roles however Joss Elliott and George Fearon having heard of the impending split immediately left the band.

The Animals at this point had a full diary of shows to fulfill so on 28th July 1995 Hilton and John recruited bass player Graham Hill, and guitarist George Whiffen who would go on to tour the UK and Scandinavian performing many shows with the band.

In August 1995 local guitarist Tony Ions was brought in for the recording of the Northern Ireland TV Show "It's only Telly"which was broadcast on 23rd August 1995. This TV show lineup featured Hilton Valentine, John Steel, Robert Kane, Steve Hutchinson, Graham Hill and Tony Ions.

The Alligators in 1993 featuring left to right: Davy Dodsworth, Hilton Valentine, Robert Kane, George Fearon and Joss Elliott

The Animals poster 1994 featuring: John Steel, Hilton Valentine, Robert Kane, George Fearon, Steve Hutchinson and Joss Elliott

The Animals 1993 left to right: Steve Hutchinson, Hilton Valentine, John Steel, George Fearon, Robert Kane, and Joss Elliott

The Animals 1994 left to right: Steve Hutchinson, Hilton Valentine, Robert Kane, John Steel Joss Elliott, George Fearon

Why did the animals break up?

Firstly there was a dispute between the group and Alan Price over the royalties from the smash hit House of the Rising Sun. Although the song is an old traditional American folk song, it was Price who was credited with the royalties from The Animals version.

Is Eric Burdon in the Rock Hall of Fame?

“Since I was inducted, I've signed more autographs, to the point where it's a menace,” he said. “But I'm flattered to be a member.” Burdon missed the 1994 induction ceremony because he was on tour in Europe. But he performed the following year at the Concert for the Hall of Fame at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

What happened to lead singer of the animals?

He disbanded the Animals and went to California, where he met Jim Morrison and decided he wanted to go into acting. Later, he turned down major roles in Zabriskie Point and Performance (both 1970). In 1973, he formed the Eric Burdon Band and recorded the soundtrack for his own film project, Mirage.