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Soul of a Man: The Story of Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon is a living legend, known for his groundbreaking work as lead singer for the Animals and WAR, as well as his deep involvement with the protest and counterculture movements of the 1960s and ’70s. Rolling Stone Brian Jones called Burdon the best blues singer to ever come out of England; he toured with Chuck Berry, partied with Jim Morrison and Keith Richards, rode motorcycles with Steve McQueen, and was one of the last people to see Jimi Hendrix alive. His work has influenced artists ranging from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen and Nina Simone to the Police, while his words helped shape an entire generation’s ideas on war, race relations, and social justice.
Now 67, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member hasn’t slowed down a bit, touring virtually non-stop and releasing albums at a faster pace than many younger acts. Currently working on a new live album and a follow-up to his 2006 studio release Soul of a Man, Burdon also just finished an extensive US and Canadian tour with Hippiefest, which he has headlined for the last two years, and is now doing a series of additional shows in cities across North America. He took a break from this busy schedule recently for a revealing discussion on his life, his work, and his plans for the future.
Born in working-class Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England during World War II, Burdon says he first fell in love with American blues and rock after a chance encounter with Muddy Waters, who was in Europe on tour with the Chris Barber Jazz Band. “In the heart of my hometown there’s the city hall,” he explains. “It’s the premier performance place in North East England. One summer’s eve, I was coming home from exams to enter art school, and the doors leading to the stage were wide open. From a city block away, I heard this sound that went straight to my inner self—it turned out to be Muddy Waters doing a sound check.”
Blues ’66, Part One: Eric Burdon and Howlin’ Wolf
First published in Crawdaddy! Issue 5, September 1966
Eric Burdon is lead singer of the Animals, a British rock ‘n’ roll group best known for “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and “House of the Rising Sun.” This interview was recorded in aBoston hotel in early August 1966; Dan Alexander, engineer; Pamela Matz, transcriber; Paul Williams, interviewer and editor.
CRAWDADDY: How much do you think American blues, both the material and the vocal styling, has had to do with your group’s actual success?
“Don’t Bring Me Down”
by: Denise Sullivan
The basic definition of the bring down might seem obvious and unnecessary to outline, but since over-explaining is a bit of a specialty of mine, I’m going to do it anyway. If it’s too much of a bring down for you, you can skip this part. But the general idea is that a negative person or event come to destroy an otherwise perfectly good situation—an instant depressor and a real bad vibe—is a bring down. Born from ’50s jazz and hipster lingo (look, I’m no William Safire, but it’s my best guess), whether it’s a party, an idea, a person’s lifetime hopes and dreams, or even their delusions—to be told, ‘That’s not gonna fly, Jim,” is a definite bring down. Ruining someone’s high or coming down from one? A bring down. Get off my cloud, and don’t be a downer, a bummer, or a drag—these are all other ways of saying, “Don’t Bring Me Down.” As jazz lingo had a way of finding its way into R&B and rock ‘n’ roll, and into the vocabs of the people who listen to the stuff, the bring down found its way into hundreds of songs, some more memorable than others. Dig?
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by: Denise Sullivan
published: November 4, 2009
in column: Origin of Song
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