At 75, Eric Burdon Wants You to Keep Rockin’
- Share
- Tweet
- Pin
- Share
It’s hard to believe that it was more than a half-century ago when a gruff-voiced young Geordie from the northern English coal mining town of Newcastle and his bandmates – known as The Animals – recorded the revolutionary sounds of “The House of the Rising Sun.”
Fast forward from the summer of 1964 to now. That young singer – Eric Burdon – turned 75 on May 11. Burdon brings a new version of The Animals to Waterfest on Aug. 11. A face-to-face interview was requested to catch up with Eric, but his wife, Marianna, who also serves as his manager, said he only does email interviews these days. Here’s what he had to say.
Jim Lundstrom (JL): In her Encyclopedia of Rock, Lillian Roxon wrote that “when the hard, raspy voice of Eric Burdon hit the airwaves with ‘The House of the Rising Sun,’ that was when America knew the English meant business. With Eric up there on the charts, they knew that the British invasion was for real…” Any thoughts on your role in that important piece of musical history?
Eric Burdon (EB): I never took the talk about a British Invasion seriously. I thought it was just a line that some PR person came up with. Then, a few years ago I discovered that it was Walter Cronkite that first coined the phrase and somehow it seemed more real. At the time, we were just excited to traveling to the land of the blues, where all of our favorite music had been created. I knew that House of the Rising Sun was a great song when I first heard it and it was a pleasure to return it to it’s birthplace in America.
JL: Speaking of rock history, “The Story of Bo Diddley” might be the most perfectly composed musical telling of rock history. It would take a Bo Diddley fan to do that, so I thought I would share my Bo Diddley story. Somewhere around the turn of the century I did a telephone interview with him and started off by talking about the guitar sound on his earliest record, which sounded way ahead of its time to me. So I asked what inspired him to achieve what must have been the first psychedelic guitar sound. He immediately barked, “Are you saying Bo Diddley did drugs?” What else could I say but, “No, Bo Diddley! No!”
For those who have forgotten or don’t know (they are legion), who was Bo Diddley?
EB: Bo Diddley was one of my early mentors and heroes. He was a great musician and a great character, with his cigar box guitar on his back, riding on his Vespa in his leather hat. He always had a great sense of humor about himself – even his name was proof of that – but he was a serious artist. He had an utterly unique sense of rhythm. In fact, the “Bo Diddley Beat” is one of the most definable sounds in all of music. I sang about him on the very first Animals record and again on my most recent album, ‘Til Your River Runs Dry. For years, we had sent messages to one another but we never met him in person. His family invited my wife and me to attend his funeral and I came face to face with him in his coffin, for the first time. He looked alive to me. I could almost hear him whispering, “Write more Bo Diddley songs!” Bo Diddley will live forever because his music is ageless.
JL: The Animals were great, an important piece of many people’s lives, because, I think, of your sincerity as a singer. I’ve seen videos of the band performing on TV shows and in concert, and even at the earliest when you look like a pimple-faced teen, your demeanor and voice were full of gravitas. I have to wonder, what force drove you to front a band? What sort of life did you envision for yourself as a child growing up in Newcastle?
EB: As a kid, I once heard Muddy Waters sound-checking for a gig, through an open door at Newcastle City Hall and it stopped me in my tracks. I knew then and there what I had to do. Many of the great singers came through our town and I got to witness them, study them, absorb them into my core. Louis Armstrong was one who I got to see at an early age. These men were more than icons to me. They were signposts pointing out the way for me. Newcastle was a tough place but the experience of growing up there builds character. The fact that it welcomed so many of the great black artists from America made it the perfect place for me to come into my own as an artist.
JL: I have been a fan of Eric Burdon Declares War ever since I stole it from a Woolworth’s upon its release (has it really been 46 years?). How did that collaboration happen?
EB: That’s funny. Those were the good old days when you had to risk going to Juvenile Hall to steal music! It’s become much easier now. I was in LA looking for a new sound when Gold and Goldstein took me to see a band called Nightshift in Long Beach.
JL: That record was also my first exposure to (jazz multi-instrumentalist) Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Because of your beautiful tribute to him, I had to know more and searched out his music and the few articles I could find on him. Did you know him? Do you know if he was aware of your tribute?
EB: I did know him and got to play with him on several occasions, including during a weeklong run he did at Ronnie Scott’s in London. He was aware of the tribute and I know he appreciated it. A lot of people considered his work to be a gimmick, as he could play several instruments at once. But he could make you cry if you were paying attention. Even when he lost use of one hand, he redesigned his flute and saxophone so he could play one-handed! He could pick his friends out of a crowd, he had such a strong sixth sense, the kind that only a blind person has.
JL: I see you are heading home for a concert in Newcastle in September with your new band. When’s the last time you played there and what does it mean to return? Expect any old mates to show up?
EB: It means a lot to me to return to my hometown. I’m very sad to say that I just received news that my closest friend from Newcastle, Philip Payne, just passed away into the night. Philip and I never lost our connection and in fact, he spent much of his last few years working a book about our early days, Rebel Without a Pause. I haven’t absorbed the loss as of yet but I know that he will be there watching when I return to Newcastle, so among the other friends who show up that night, I know Phil will be there.
JL: I really wish we could have done a personal interview, or at least a phoner, but since the email format is the only option available to me, I had to take it. Any one of the questions above could have resulted in twists and turns in a conversation. It’s very difficult to come up with written questions to a guy who sent chills down my spine the first time I heard “House of the Rising Sun” 50 years ago. So I will end with this: What is the most important thing people should know about Eric Burdon?
EB: That I truly appreciate all the love and warmth I have received from my fans all throughout the years and I will be here for you as long as you’re there for me. Keep on rockin’.
WHAT: Eric Burdon and the Animals, with WIFEE and the HUZzband and David Rogan Band
WHERE: Oshkosh Waterfest
WHEN: Aug. 11
COST: $10 before 6 pm, $15 before 7 pm, $20 general admission
INFO: waterfest.org, ericburdon.com
