Hilton Valentine is DEAD to me!
All right, I'm guessing most of you lot are too young to remember the vitality of the early Animals and their blues-rhythm and blues sound, but . . .
Lead guitarist Hilton Valentine, whose opening riff on "House of the Rising Sun" is now immortalised, died at age 77.
Of the original band, only Eric Burdon, Alan Price, and John Steel, all closing in on 80 are still alive (bassist Chas Chandler died of an aortic aneurism in the late 1990s - he launched Jimi Hendrix on the world after Chandler left the band.
Factoid: that was the lead guitarist's real name (Hilton Stuart Patterson Valentine).
RIP - loved his work.
Surprised The Guardian hasn't listed it yet.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | February 1, 2021 6:35 PM
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So sad. And with his holiday coming up right around the corner, too.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | February 1, 2021 3:06 PM
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How is Paris handling it?
by Anonymous | reply 2 | February 1, 2021 3:07 PM
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LOL. Actually, Eric Burdon put up a rather sweet acknowledgement to the "Geordie lad".
Given how famous that opening riff is in "House of the Rising Sun" I'm surprised it hasn't gotten at least a mention in the TIMES and Guardian.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | February 1, 2021 4:32 PM
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R1 - Now, now - mocking people's last names isn't nice . . .
Valentine is actually a surprisingly common name in the UK, both as a first and last. (Valentine Low come to mind, and, of course, Shirley Valentine)
by Anonymous | reply 4 | February 1, 2021 4:34 PM
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RIP. The Animals were such an incredible band.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | February 1, 2021 4:58 PM
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Loved The Animals.......they were on MGM records in the U.S. and their producer was the same guy who produced Herman's Hermits!
by Anonymous | reply 6 | February 1, 2021 5:10 PM
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R6 - MGM, I think, totally shafted the band - whoever handled the band, and I'm not sure if it was Most, did a terrible job on their contract and made off with a good deal of the money - the band members saw hardly a dollar of it all.
Mickie Most also handled Lulu and the Jeff Beck Group and Donovan, if I remember - ah, the Sixties!
by Anonymous | reply 7 | February 1, 2021 6:35 PM
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