The Animals

The Animals are an English rhythm-and-blues and rock band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s, fronted by the powerful, gritty voice of Eric Burdon. Relocating to London as they found fame in 1964, the group became one of the key acts of the British Invasion, distinguished from their peers by a tougher, blues-rooted sound and by material that leaned into social and political themes rather than straightforward pop romance.

Their breakthrough came with a transformed arrangement of the traditional folk song «The House of the Rising Sun», which topped charts on both sides of the Atlantic and became one of the defining singles of the era. They followed it with a run of hits including «We Gotta Get Out of This Place», «It’s My Life» and «Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood», balancing rougher R&B album cuts against polished pop singles, often built around Alan Price’s organ work and Burdon’s raw delivery.

After the mid-1960s lineup dissolved, Burdon continued under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals, steering the sound toward psychedelia with songs like «San Franciscan Nights» and «Sky Pilot». The band’s influence stretched into garage rock, psychedelic rock and beyond, and their catalogue remains a touchstone of 1960s British rock.