One of the first British Invasion bands, The Animals were formed in Newcastle in 1962 centering around Eric Burdon's growling, authentic blues vocals featured on such classics as "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." After the original Animals splintered in 1969 he went on to front the funk-jazz group War, yielding another Top 10 hit in "Spill the Wine." His prodigious vocal talents were cited by such diverse artists as Jim Morrison, Iggy Pop, and Tom Petty.
