(Credits: Far Out / Heinrich Klaffs)
Wed 15 October 2025 11:00, UK
While most of the British Invasion bands continued on to lead storied careers in which they elaborated upon their sound in interesting ways, there likely isn’t anyone who has had a more diverse career path than Eric Burdon.
Born and raised in Tyneside, Burdon first came to prominence as lead singer of rock and blues band ‘The Animals’, most famously with their version of traditional folk song ‘The House of the Rising Sun’ and other classics like ‘We Gotta Get Out of This Place’ and ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’, but this was not the direction that he would follow as a musician for the rest of his life.
Characterised by his bluesy rasp, Burdon’s vocals were much more nuanced than most of his peers, and it was soon clear that he was intent on branching out into other areas in his art. After transforming the group into a psychedelic outfit in the late 1960s, The Animals would finally disband in 1969, with Burdon making the bold decision to relocate to San Francisco. It was while he was there that he began performing alongside the funk group War and would eventually become a full-time member of the group later that year.
His stint with the California band only ended up being short-lived, with him only being a part of the project for two years, but the fact that he, as a white British vocalist, had managed to transform from being part of the R&B and rock scene into a successful performer on the other side of the Atlantic singing in a scene dominated by Black artists was stunning to many.
It’s for this display of versatility that he remains highly regarded as one of the greatest vocalists of all time, with him regularly appearing in lists celebrating this, but when asked by Songfacts during a 2010 interview, he claimed that his own propensity for changing his style on a regular basis is also part of why he’s not regarded higher.
“I’m my own worst enemy because I move around too much,” he proclaimed, before beginning to speak about the full range of influences that he has tried to touch upon, naming two of his favourite vocalists of all time. “I change my attitude and feelings, then jump from blues to rhythm and blues, then to jazz and folk. But I’m a singer, and that’s what I do. A couple of my favourite singers are Ray Charles and Jimmy Witherspoon.”
Given how his own interpretation of R&B had a soulful lilt to it and how he would eventually end up spending time fronting War, both of these selections make complete sense for Burdon to highlight as his biggest influences. While Charles was as much of a pianist as he was a vocalist, the amount of soul and character that he put into his performances was unable to be matched by many of his peers, and similarly, Witherspoon’s raucous take on blues and jazz has made him a favourite among other vocalists from this field.
For Burdon to speak so highly of both of these singers makes it abundantly clear that while his influences have flitted about, soul and blues will always have his heart.
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