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This day-by-day diary of The Animals' live, studio, broadcasting and private activities is the result of three decades of research work by Bruno Ceriotti, but without the significant contributions by other kindred spirits this diary would not have been possible. So, I would like to thank all the people who, in one form or another, contributed to this timeline: Sean Egan, John Steel, Alan Price, Eric Burdon, James 'Tappy' Wright, John H. Warburg, Mick Capewell, Ross Hannan, Corry Arnold, Jim Perry, Philip J. Payne, Chris Broom, and Nick Warburton.
Sunday, December 18, 1938
Bryan James 'Chas' Chandler - the group's founder bassist - was born at 35 Second Avenue, Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear.
Tuesday, February 4, 1941
John Steel - the group’s founder drummer - was born in Gateshead, County Durham, as the youngest of four children (one brother and two sisters). When they were kids, John and his brother and sisters all had to do classical piano lessons. However, John was the only one who had the ambition early on to become a musician and his first instrument was a trumpet so his first influences were jazz, initially trad jazz and then he got into modern jazz.
Sunday, May 11, 1941
Eric Victor Burdon - the group's founder singer - was born at 31 Marondale Avenue, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, as the oldest son of Matthew and Irene Burdon. His father Matthew worked as an electrical engineer in the Royal Navy during the World War II. His younger sister is called Irene Jr.
Sunday, April 19, 1942 (some wrong sources say "1941")
Alan Price - the group’s founder piano player - was born in Fatfield, Washington, County Durham, but after his father John George Price - a charge-hand at British Oxygen - was killed in an industrial accident at BOC in 1948 (during an emergency, a cylinder blew up as he carried it to safety), he moved to his granny’s in Jarrow, County Durham, along with his mother Elizabeth (d. 1965) and his older brother John George Jr. (d. 200?). He went to the Ellison School and passed the 11 plus and went to Jarrow Grammar School.
Friday, May 21, 1943
Hilton Stewart Paterson Valentine - the group’s founder guitarist - was born in North Shields, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear. Hilton’s mother had died when he was 14. He sadly passed way on Friday, January 29, 2021, in Connecticut, in the US.
1954
Alan Price forms his first group - a skiffle band called The Black Diamonds - when he was twelve years old. There was a better piano player than him at the Jarrow Grammar School called Frankie Headley (or Hedley) so Alan played bass guitar. One of the first songs done by them was 'What A Friend We Have in Jesus'. The band later transmogrified into The Frankie Headley/Hedley Five (according to Alan Price) or The Frankie Headley/Hedley Combo (according to other sources).
Bryan James 'Chas' Chandler - the group's founder bassist - was born at 35 Second Avenue, Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear.
Tuesday, February 4, 1941
John Steel - the group’s founder drummer - was born in Gateshead, County Durham, as the youngest of four children (one brother and two sisters). When they were kids, John and his brother and sisters all had to do classical piano lessons. However, John was the only one who had the ambition early on to become a musician and his first instrument was a trumpet so his first influences were jazz, initially trad jazz and then he got into modern jazz.
Sunday, May 11, 1941
Eric Victor Burdon - the group's founder singer - was born at 31 Marondale Avenue, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, as the oldest son of Matthew and Irene Burdon. His father Matthew worked as an electrical engineer in the Royal Navy during the World War II. His younger sister is called Irene Jr.
Sunday, April 19, 1942 (some wrong sources say "1941")
Alan Price - the group’s founder piano player - was born in Fatfield, Washington, County Durham, but after his father John George Price - a charge-hand at British Oxygen - was killed in an industrial accident at BOC in 1948 (during an emergency, a cylinder blew up as he carried it to safety), he moved to his granny’s in Jarrow, County Durham, along with his mother Elizabeth (d. 1965) and his older brother John George Jr. (d. 200?). He went to the Ellison School and passed the 11 plus and went to Jarrow Grammar School.
Friday, May 21, 1943
Hilton Stewart Paterson Valentine - the group’s founder guitarist - was born in North Shields, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear. Hilton’s mother had died when he was 14. He sadly passed way on Friday, January 29, 2021, in Connecticut, in the US.
1954
Alan Price forms his first group - a skiffle band called The Black Diamonds - when he was twelve years old. There was a better piano player than him at the Jarrow Grammar School called Frankie Headley (or Hedley) so Alan played bass guitar. One of the first songs done by them was 'What A Friend We Have in Jesus'. The band later transmogrified into The Frankie Headley/Hedley Five (according to Alan Price) or The Frankie Headley/Hedley Combo (according to other sources).
THE BLACK DIAMONDS (1954 - 195?) / THE FRANKIE HEADLEY/HEDLEY FIVE or THE FRANKIE HEADLEY/HEDLEY COMBO (195? - 1958 (?))
1) Alan Price bass
2) Frankie Headley/Hedley piano, vocals
3) ? drums?
4) ? lead guitar?
5) ? rhythm guitar?
1) Alan Price bass
2) Frankie Headley/Hedley piano, vocals
3) ? drums?
4) ? lead guitar?
5) ? rhythm guitar?
1956
Hilton Valentine forms his first group - a skiffle band called The Heppers - when he was thirteen years old with a friend down the road and a group of school friends in North Shields. Hilton played a mail-order Spanish Plywood acoustic guitar. Other band members plucked away at a tea-chest bass, scrubbed a washboard used thimbled fingers, or played a comb and paper to get a kazoo sound. One of the guys had a little plastic toy saxophone (which played) one note. They played 'See You Later, Alligator' and the saxophonist would follow the refrain with a “toot, toot, toot, toot” solo of the one note. Their first drum was a biscuit tin. Like many of the teen bands of the time, The Heppers’ set list mixed adrenaline-fueled Lonnie Donegan covers of American folk blues tunes like 'Wreck of the Old’ 97' with early rock and roll songs: Elvis Presley’s 'Hound Dog', Little Richard’s 'Tutti Frutti', and, more obscurely, Charlie Gracie’s 'Fabulous'. The Heppers debuted before an audience of “old-age pensioners” in a church hall. The enthusiastic young teenagers went over great with the seniors. Somebody passed the hat. They made a few bob.
Hilton Valentine forms his first group - a skiffle band called The Heppers - when he was thirteen years old with a friend down the road and a group of school friends in North Shields. Hilton played a mail-order Spanish Plywood acoustic guitar. Other band members plucked away at a tea-chest bass, scrubbed a washboard used thimbled fingers, or played a comb and paper to get a kazoo sound. One of the guys had a little plastic toy saxophone (which played) one note. They played 'See You Later, Alligator' and the saxophonist would follow the refrain with a “toot, toot, toot, toot” solo of the one note. Their first drum was a biscuit tin. Like many of the teen bands of the time, The Heppers’ set list mixed adrenaline-fueled Lonnie Donegan covers of American folk blues tunes like 'Wreck of the Old’ 97' with early rock and roll songs: Elvis Presley’s 'Hound Dog', Little Richard’s 'Tutti Frutti', and, more obscurely, Charlie Gracie’s 'Fabulous'. The Heppers debuted before an audience of “old-age pensioners” in a church hall. The enthusiastic young teenagers went over great with the seniors. Somebody passed the hat. They made a few bob.
THE HEPPERS (1956 - 1959)
1) Hilton Valentine acoustic guitar
2) ? kazoo
3) ? drums
4) ? sax
5) ? tea-chest bass
6) ? washboard
1) Hilton Valentine acoustic guitar
2) ? kazoo
3) ? drums
4) ? sax
5) ? tea-chest bass
6) ? washboard
September 1956
John Steel met up with Eric Burdon during his first days at the 'Newcastle College of Art and Industrial Design' on Clayton Road. Both John and Eric were dropouts, everybody in the first-year class was a dropout basically, rather than get a job. It was so easy to get into art school in those days. You had to have a little bit of talent but it was a great option rather than working for a living, going to art school. John and Eric share common interests such as music and cinema.
October 1956 or January 1957
Eric Burdon (trombone) and John Steel (trumpet) form The Pagan Jazzmen with two Eric’s schoolmates, Alan Sanderson (b. Tuesday, February 4, 1941, Newcastle upon Tyne), aka 'Blackie', aka 'Blacks', on drums - which was snare drum and a hi-hat, that’s it, that was the kit - and James 'Jimmy' Crawford (b. Friday, April 24, 1942, Newcastle upon Tyne) on 4-string banjo. They played skiffle and trad jazz songs and had a lot of jam sessions in the university's common room.
THE PAGAN JAZZMEN (OCTOBER 1956 or JANUARY 1957 - DECEMBER 1956 or SPRING 1958)
1) Eric Burdon trombone
2) John Steel trumpet
3) Alan 'Blackie' 'Blacks' Sanderson drums
4) James 'Jimmy' Crawford 4-string banjo
1) Eric Burdon trombone
2) John Steel trumpet
3) Alan 'Blackie' 'Blacks' Sanderson drums
4) James 'Jimmy' Crawford 4-string banjo
December 1956 or Spring 1958
The Pagan Jazzmen became The Pagans after switching from skiffle and trad jazz to rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Eric Burdon couldn’t play trombone to save his life and he just said he wanted to do rock and roll. Alan Sanderson the drummer said he wanted to play a new flat Fender bass and Jimmy Crawford the banjo player said he wanted to play electric guitar, so John Steel said he’ll just play drums then - just like that! So it was that easy.
THE PAGANS #1 (DECEMBER 1956 or SPRING 1958 - 1958 (?))
1) Eric Burdon vocals
2) John Steel drums
3) Alan Sanderson bass
4) Jimmy Crawford lead guitar
1) Eric Burdon vocals
2) John Steel drums
3) Alan Sanderson bass
4) Jimmy Crawford lead guitar
1957: Jarrow Congregational Church, Jarrow, County Durham
The Black Diamonds’ debut gig. There is a possibility that the band had already became The Frankie Headley/Hedley Five (or Combo) by then.
1958 (?): Methodist Church Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Frankie Headley/Hedley Five (or Combo)'s gig. Alan Price's future bandmate Eric Burdon was in the audience that night, although the two didn't speak or meet on this occasion (they maybe just say "Hello" to each other).
1958 (?)
The Frankie Headley/Hedley Five became The Headley/Hedley Trio (wrong sources say "The Thomas Hedly Trio") and Alan Price switched from bass to rhythm guitar. The trio played only Jerry Lee Lewis covers, so nowadays you'd call them a Jerry Lee Lewis tribute band.
THE HEADLEY/HEDLEY TRIO (1958 (?) - MARCH 1959)
1) Alan Price rhythm guitar
2) Frankie Headley/Hedley vocals, piano
3) ? lead guitar or bass?
1) Alan Price rhythm guitar
2) Frankie Headley/Hedley vocals, piano
3) ? lead guitar or bass?
1958 (?)
The Pagans added to the lineup another Newcastle Art student called David 'Dave' Ashcroft (b. 1941/42) on rhythm guitar and piano.
THE PAGANS #2 (1958 (?) - MARCH 1959)
1) Eric Burdon
2) John Steel
3) Alan Sanderson
4) Jimmy Crawford
5) David 'Dave' Ashcroft rhythm guitar, piano
1) Eric Burdon
2) John Steel
3) Alan Sanderson
4) Jimmy Crawford
5) David 'Dave' Ashcroft rhythm guitar, piano
1958: Byker Parish Rock Club, Church Hall, Headlam Street, Byker, east Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Pagans' gig.
1959
Hilton Valentine (lead guitar) forms his second group - a rock and roll band called The Wildcats - when he was sixteen years old with his step brother Harry Dixon on bass, James 'Tappy' Wright (b. 1943, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear) on rhythm guitar, and Ronnie 'Mad Mac' McKenzie on drums. Harry, Tappy and Ronnie were school mates in Whitley Bay where they had played together as a skiffle trio called The Alley Cats (Harry on tea-chest bass, Tappy on acoustic guitar and Ronnie on washboard). Hilton met up with Tappy some time before when they both heading back from a talent competition at the Newcastle Empire. Neither of them had been successful and, as they headed to the train station together, they found a friendship on an agreement that the winners (The Railroaders Skiffle Group who included Hank B. Marvin and Bruce Welsh, who went to be part of Cliff Richard and The Shadows) would never amount to anything! Apparently from time to time The Wildcats also had a couple of singers named Keith Shields and Dominic Malia. After gaining something of a reputation played in working men’s clubs and dances in small east-coast towns like Whitley Bay and Cullercoats, they won the North Shields’ cinema group skiffle competition, which eared them their first Newcastle booking at the Majestic Ballroom. They played regularly at a Whitley Bay dance, but it will be a quite an experience to play from the stage of big ballroom like the Majestic.
THE WILDCATS (1959 - SEPTEMBER ?, 1963)
1) Hilton Valentine lead guitar
2) Harry Dixon bass
3) James 'Tappy' Wright rhythm guitar
4) Ronnie 'Mad Mac' McKenzie drums
+
5) Keith Shields vocals (occasional guest vocalist)
or
5) Dominic Malia vocals (occasional guest vocalist)
1) Hilton Valentine lead guitar
2) Harry Dixon bass
3) James 'Tappy' Wright rhythm guitar
4) Ronnie 'Mad Mac' McKenzie drums
+
5) Keith Shields vocals (occasional guest vocalist)
or
5) Dominic Malia vocals (occasional guest vocalist)
Monday, March ?, 1959: 'Church Hop', Byker Parish Rock Club, Church Hall, Headlam Street, Byker, east Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Pagans and The Headley/Hedley Trio played on the same bill together tonight. The Pagans played their little spot and they were doing different things when Alan Price came over and said “Can I sit in?”. It was one of these church halls with an old upright piano and they were playing beside it and Alan sat at the piano (by the way, according to Alan it wasn’t him that asked to sit in but actually was the band that asked him to sit in with them). So they said “Sure”, and he hammered this piano with a strong left hand boogie style. They went “Oh come on, you’re in the wrong band, you should be playing piano not guitar!”. Eric Burdon said “Why don’t you join The Pagans?”. So that’s how Alan Price joined The Pagans right after that night (and Dave Ashcroft was fired because, although he was a good boy, he really sucks as piano player!).
THE PAGANS #3 (MARCH 1959 - SUMMER 1959)
1) Eric Burdon
2) John Steel
3) Alan Sanderson
4) Jimmy Crawford
5) Alan Price piano
1) Eric Burdon
2) John Steel
3) Alan Sanderson
4) Jimmy Crawford
5) Alan Price piano
Summer 1959 (wrong sources say "late 1959")
The Pagans more or less folded after John Steel left art school and Newcastle and got himself a job as a technical illustrator at the De Havilland aircraft company down in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Alan Sanderson and Jimmy Crawford later formed The Gamblers in 1961.
1960 (?)
Chas Chandler forms his first group - a rock and roll band called The Kon-tors - with Nick Brandon on vocals, Gordon 'Cleg' Cleghorn on guitar (b. 1938?), John 'Chunky' Bourne on drums, and Bernie McGuigan on guitar (b. 1939). The group was putting together by Chas Chandler and Cleg Cleghorn after they met Bernie McGuigan of Sydney Court, Gateshead, in a music shop in Newcastle’s Grainger Market. Bernie was having an argument with a shop owner over an amplifier he had bought which wasn’t working. Chas and Cleg happened to be in the shop, joined in and then asked if he would play with them. The band initially honed their talents by playing around eight gigs a week at the Downbeat Club and Club A’ Gogo in Newcastle, as well as Wetheralls nightclub in Sunderland.
THE KON-TORS #1 (1960 (?) - MAY 18, 1962)
1) Chas Chandler bass
2) Nick Brandon vocals
3) Gordon 'Cleg' Cleghorn guitar
4) John 'Chunky' Bourne drums
5) Bernie McGuigan guitar
1) Chas Chandler bass
2) Nick Brandon vocals
3) Gordon 'Cleg' Cleghorn guitar
4) John 'Chunky' Bourne drums
5) Bernie McGuigan guitar
Saturday, unknown date, 1960: The Hotspur dance hall, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
The Wildcats’ gig.
April 1960
John Steel was in the wrong place in this drawing office at the De Havilland, rows and rows of big drawing boards, all of them drawing the insides of Comet aircraft. He couldn’t stand it, so after a few months he though “To hell with this, I’m going back to Newcastle.”
Spring 1960
After going back to Newcastle, John Steel immediately hooked up with Eric Burdon at the Downbeat Club one night, and soon they asked Alan Price to join them in a new rhythm and blues band. They found this album by Joe Turner called 'Boss of the Blues' which was Kansas City urban blues with Pete Johnson playing really powerful boogie on keyboard. They thought that was good so they started calling themselves The Kansas City Seven (aka The KC7) and lifted a couple of numbers off that album and added it in with the rest of the mix. They had a tenor sax player (Alan Price's fomer schoolmate Geoff Hedley), and a double bass player (John Steel's old friend Roger Noble was the guy who played with them for most of time, but he wasn't the only bassist they had), and a guitar player (first a guy called Derek and then John Steel's old friend George Stoves), and an alto sax player (an high society guy from Ghana called Danny Okpoti), and a trumpet player (another high society guy from Ghana called Pat Odoi), then two trumpet players (Pat + an unknown guy with an eyepatch on the right eye!), so it became The Kansas City “Several”, based on however many that turned up.
THE KANSAS CITY SEVEN (aka THE KC7) (SPRING 1960 - 1961)
1) Eric Burdon vocals
2) John Steel drums
3) Alan Price piano
4) Geoffrey 'Geoff' Hedley tenor sax
+ (in and out)
5) Roger Noble double bass
6) Derek ? guitar
7) Danny Okpoti alto sax
8) Pat Odoi trumpet
9) ? trumpet
10) George Stoves guitar
1) Eric Burdon vocals
2) John Steel drums
3) Alan Price piano
4) Geoffrey 'Geoff' Hedley tenor sax
+ (in and out)
5) Roger Noble double bass
6) Derek ? guitar
7) Danny Okpoti alto sax
8) Pat Odoi trumpet
9) ? trumpet
10) George Stoves guitar
1960 - 1961: The New Orleans Club, Melbourne Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Kansas City Seven played regularly once a week at The New Orleans Club for about a year, thanks to their old friend George Pearson who had secured the gig for them.
1961: Kirklevington Country Club (aka The Kirk), Kirklevington, Stockton-on-Tees, North Yorkshire
The Kon-tors’ gig.
1961: Seaton Terrace Working Men’s Club, Seaton Delaval, Seaton Valley, Northumberland
The Wildcats played along with a male stripper!
1961
Eric Burdon employed his artistic talents to design the cover for the emcee 5’s debut album, 'Let’s Take Five!'. Eric also sang with the band as guest around that time, at the Downbeat Club in Newcastle on Saturday (few times) and also once at an unknown venue in Redcar (for this gig he got a few pints and ten bob as well).
THE EMCEE 5 (1961)
1) Michael Anthony 'Mike' Carr piano
2) Francis Gary Cox tenor sax
3) Ian Henry Randall Carr trumpet
4) Ronald 'Ronnie' Stephenson drums
5) John O'Carroll double bass
+
6) Eric Burdon vocals (as guest)
1) Michael Anthony 'Mike' Carr piano
2) Francis Gary Cox tenor sax
3) Ian Henry Randall Carr trumpet
4) Ronald 'Ronnie' Stephenson drums
5) John O'Carroll double bass
+
6) Eric Burdon vocals (as guest)
1961
The Kansas City Seven became The Kansas City Five after Danny Okpoti and Pat Odoi leave the band and moved to Manchester in search of fame and fortune.
THE KANSAS CITY FIVE (aka THE KC5) (1961 - MAY 18, 1962)
1) Eric Burdon
2) John Steel
3) Alan Price
4) Geoff Hedley
5) George Stoves
1) Eric Burdon
2) John Steel
3) Alan Price
4) Geoff Hedley
5) George Stoves
1961 - 1962
Eric Burdon often sat-in as guest vocalist with The Mighty Joe Young Band.
THE MIGHTY JOE YOUNG BAND with ERIC BURDON (1961 - 1962)
1) John 'Mighty Joe' Young acoustic guitar, (possibly) banjo
2) John Walters vocals, trumpet
3) Barry Robinson alto sax
4) Leo Harwood tenor sax
5) William 'Bill' Harper piano
6) Brian Fisher double bass
7) Ian Forbes drums
8) Richard 'Dick' Errington baritone sax
+
9) Eric Burdon vocals (as guest)
1) John 'Mighty Joe' Young acoustic guitar, (possibly) banjo
2) John Walters vocals, trumpet
3) Barry Robinson alto sax
4) Leo Harwood tenor sax
5) William 'Bill' Harper piano
6) Brian Fisher double bass
7) Ian Forbes drums
8) Richard 'Dick' Errington baritone sax
+
9) Eric Burdon vocals (as guest)
Friday, April 21, 1961: 'Newcastle Jazz Arts Festival', Newcastle City Hall, Northumberland Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Mighty Joe Young Band with Eric Burdon were advertised to play from 8:45pm to 9:30pm (their performance was also recorded). Also on the bill: The Dave Rowberry Septet.
July ??, 1961
Eric Burdon, John Steel, and George Pearson attended a performance of their idol Ray Charles at the '2ème Festival International du Jazz' held from July 18 to 24 in Juan-Les-Pins, Antibes, Côte d'Azur, south of France. This was the first time that Ray Charles played outside the US, and it was also the first time Eric, John, and George went out of their home country. By the way, actually Eric, John, and George were never able to see their idol live in persons because with the little money they had, they managed to barely get up to Paris where they spent a week in a youth hostel located in a small old and disused football stadium located in the district of Malakoff. There they discovered a little bar that had a jukebox with a lot of Ray Charles' records, so every night they put on some good ol' Ray's music for the pleasure of local people and Sweden and German tourists.
January - May 1962: Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Kansas City Five play every Friday night at the Downbeat Club. It was supposedly at one of these Friday night gigs that Chas Chandler of The Kon-tors saw the band in action for the first time and he was so impressed by Alan Price's piano ability that he later secretly proposed to Alan to quit The Kansas City Five and join The Kon-tors.
Friday, May 18, 1962: Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Kansas City Five's last gig ever. Alan Price wasn't even there and no one knew why (see below).
Saturday, May 19, 1962
Alan Price was poached by The Kon-tors (he used to come and listen them when they practised in the Living Rooms in Byker) and he went with them because they were making more money than The Kansas City Five and the latter then just fell apart because they needed that keyboard input. So John Steel got a job in a nightclub with a bow tie, playing cocktail jazz and backing cabaret artists six night a week until 2 in the morning, singing the likes of 'Moon River' with piano, bass and drums.
THE KON-TORS #2 (MAY 19, 1962 - SEPTEMBER ?, 1963)
1) Chas Chandler
2) Nick Brandon
3) Gordon 'Cleg' Cleghorn
4) John 'Chunky' Bourne
5) Bernie McGuigan
6) Alan Price piano
1) Chas Chandler
2) Nick Brandon
3) Gordon 'Cleg' Cleghorn
4) John 'Chunky' Bourne
5) Bernie McGuigan
6) Alan Price piano
1962: Mortonsound Recording Studio, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Kon-tors recorded six songs - 'It Might As Well Rain Until September', 'How Cruel Love Can Be', 'Twist Locomotion', 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do', 'Point Of No Return' and 'Love Letters' - that were pressed into an acetate. It is tought that only six copies were made and given to band members, so it is extremely rare. In recent years the Tyne & Wear Museums bought the only surviving copy in circulation for £600. They acquired The Kon-tors record for the exhibition in several local museums like the Discovery Museum in Newcastle, the South Shileds Musem and Art Gallery, and the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens.
Summer 1962: Rex Hotel, 26 Promenade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
The Mighty Joe Young Band with Eric Burdon played here throughout the summer months.
1962
In the space of just a few months, Alan Price had got a bit bored with playing in The Kon-tors because they just did covers of American hits basically. So he formed a splinter band called The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo with Chas Chandler and John Bourne also of The Kon-tors, plus Geoff Hedley formerly of The Kansas City Five, and an unknown guitar player. The band’s set list included John Lee Hooker’s 'Boom Boom' and Ray Charles’ 'Talking About You'.
THE ALAN PRICE RHYTHM AND BLUES COMBO #1 (1962)
1) Alan Price piano, vocals
2) Chas Chandler bass
3) John 'Chunky' Bourne drums
4) Geoffrey 'Geoff' Hedley tenor sax
5) ? guitar
1) Alan Price piano, vocals
2) Chas Chandler bass
3) John 'Chunky' Bourne drums
4) Geoffrey 'Geoff' Hedley tenor sax
5) ? guitar
1962
When it became clear that he wasn't good as a singer, Alan Price asked Eric Burdon to join his Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo as the new singer exactly.
THE ALAN PRICE RHYTHM AND BLUES COMBO #2 (1962 - 1963)
1) Alan Price
2) Chas Chandler
3) John 'Chunky' Bourne
4) Geoffrey 'Geoff' Hedley
5) ?
6) Eric Burdon vocals
1) Alan Price
2) Chas Chandler
3) John 'Chunky' Bourne
4) Geoffrey 'Geoff' Hedley
5) ?
6) Eric Burdon vocals
February 1963
John Steel leaves his job as a clerk at a local department store to become a professional musician.
1963 (wrong sources say "March 1962")
Eric Burdon goes to London over a weekend to see the local rhythm and blues scene and there, maybe at the Ealing Club, he sings once as guest vocalist with the legendary Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated.
ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INCORPORATED #? (1963)
1) Alexis Korner vocals, guitar
2) ??????????? + other uknown players
+
3) Eric Burdon vocals (as guest)
1) Alexis Korner vocals, guitar
2) ??????????? + other uknown players
+
3) Eric Burdon vocals (as guest)
1963
John 'Chunky' Bourne, Geoff Hedley, and the unknown guitar player leave The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo (Chunky left as his new bride was unhappy enough about his involvement with The Kon-Tors, but that on his night off he was playing with the sane guys under the different name of The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo, was to much!) and were replaced by Nigel Stanger (b. William John Nigel Stanger, Saturday, January 16, 1943, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear - d. Monday, March 15, 1999, of cancer) on tenor and alto sax, and Barry Preston on drums.
THE ALAN PRICE RHYTHM AND BLUES COMBO #3 (1963 - SEPTEMBER 6, 1963)
1) Alan Price
2) Eric Burdon
3) Chas Chandler
4) Nigel Stanger tenor sax, alto sax
5) Barry Preston drums
1) Alan Price
2) Eric Burdon
3) Chas Chandler
4) Nigel Stanger tenor sax, alto sax
5) Barry Preston drums
Saturday, ? - Saturday, August 31, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo play every Saturday at the Downbeat Club's 'All-Nighter' session from midnight to 3am.
Sunday, August 18, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, August 25, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Late August 1963
John Steel was walking down Northumberland Street in Newcastle one afternoon and Chas Chandler stop him in the street and said “Just the man, we’ve got this drummer in the band, a guy called Barry Preston whose driving everybody crazy, he’s not right musically and is getting up everybody’s nose personally as well” (Barry was a good enough drummer by all accounts, but pissed everybody off, that he quickly rendeded himself redundant). So he said “Do you want to come and joins us?” and John thought, with being down in the basement playing cocktail jazz for 10 months he’d lost touch with what was going on in the dirty end of town; the Downbeat Club, the Club A Go-Go. He didn’t realise what they’d been up to and he said “That’s all right I’ve turned professional now”, as he quit the little day job he had. He said he was on 15 quid a week which was all right at that time. Chas said “Well we’re doing that, 14-15 quid a week” and John said “What, playing good stuff?” and Chas said “Yeah!” and John said “Oh, OK I’m in”. John said that he had a week’s holiday in Belgium or France. This was only a week or two away, so he said “How about when I’m back in the September?” and Chas said “That’ll do, we’ll make that the date for our first gig”. Oh, by the way, after he was fired by The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo, Barry Preston will joins Paul Ryan and The Streaks
Sunday, September 1, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Saturday September 7, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
John Steel went down to the Downbeat Club, it was an all-nighter - it started at midnight - and the place was rammed. They’d built up this following in R&B. So John walk in, sets his kit up and says “Hello”. By this time Nigel Stanger the sax player had gone to Oxford University, he was following an academic life (although he later will play again with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Georgie Fame, and the Newcastle Big Band, among others). They said they’ve got this new guitarist called Hilton Valentine. And that was the first time John met Hilton. They just got up and played a three-hour set. In those days they just knew so much material. All Eric Burdon had to do was call the number and they could play it. So that was the first time the five people (Burdon, Steel, Price, Chandler, and Valentine) who became The Animals were on stage together, although at that time they were still called The Alan Price Rhythm And Blues Combo.
The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo play every Saturday at the Downbeat Club's 'All-Nighter' session from midnight to 3am.
Sunday, August 18, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, August 25, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Late August 1963
John Steel was walking down Northumberland Street in Newcastle one afternoon and Chas Chandler stop him in the street and said “Just the man, we’ve got this drummer in the band, a guy called Barry Preston whose driving everybody crazy, he’s not right musically and is getting up everybody’s nose personally as well” (Barry was a good enough drummer by all accounts, but pissed everybody off, that he quickly rendeded himself redundant). So he said “Do you want to come and joins us?” and John thought, with being down in the basement playing cocktail jazz for 10 months he’d lost touch with what was going on in the dirty end of town; the Downbeat Club, the Club A Go-Go. He didn’t realise what they’d been up to and he said “That’s all right I’ve turned professional now”, as he quit the little day job he had. He said he was on 15 quid a week which was all right at that time. Chas said “Well we’re doing that, 14-15 quid a week” and John said “What, playing good stuff?” and Chas said “Yeah!” and John said “Oh, OK I’m in”. John said that he had a week’s holiday in Belgium or France. This was only a week or two away, so he said “How about when I’m back in the September?” and Chas said “That’ll do, we’ll make that the date for our first gig”. Oh, by the way, after he was fired by The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo, Barry Preston will joins Paul Ryan and The Streaks
Sunday, September 1, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Saturday September 7, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
John Steel went down to the Downbeat Club, it was an all-nighter - it started at midnight - and the place was rammed. They’d built up this following in R&B. So John walk in, sets his kit up and says “Hello”. By this time Nigel Stanger the sax player had gone to Oxford University, he was following an academic life (although he later will play again with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Georgie Fame, and the Newcastle Big Band, among others). They said they’ve got this new guitarist called Hilton Valentine. And that was the first time John met Hilton. They just got up and played a three-hour set. In those days they just knew so much material. All Eric Burdon had to do was call the number and they could play it. So that was the first time the five people (Burdon, Steel, Price, Chandler, and Valentine) who became The Animals were on stage together, although at that time they were still called The Alan Price Rhythm And Blues Combo.
THE ALAN PRICE RHYTHM AND BLUES COMBO #4 (SEPTEMBER 7, 1963 - DECEMBER ?, 1963) / THE ANIMALS #1 (DECEMBER ?, 1963 - MAY 1965)
1) Alan Price
2) Eric Burdon
3) Chas Chandler
4) Hilton Valentine guitar
5) John Steel drums
1) Alan Price
2) Eric Burdon
3) Chas Chandler
4) Hilton Valentine guitar
5) John Steel drums
Sunday, September 8, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Tuesday, September 10, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo became the house band of the Club A' Gogo. The Downbeat session at midnight was an extra. It was like an all-nighter, but the main gig was the Club A Go-Go in Newcastle. Mchael Frank 'Mike' Jeffery founded it, owned it and ran it (Mike also offered to Eric Burdon the job of designing the interior of the club, and this was Eric's first and only job as a designer in the commercial world), and he had them on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, then they’d go down to the Downbeat Club for the all-nighter. They used to play two three-hours sets on a Saturday night. They became the house band and became massively popular as the local band. They also got to be support for guest people like John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson II. They were so used to each other, with those two guys especially, who didn't play like anybody else in the world. They didn't play a set structure, you would go a couple bars over or a couple bars less and you just had to go with them you know, and Sonny Boy Williamson II was just evil. He would pull an harmonica out and call a key and play a completely different key - a subtle switch. Great fun and education as well. There were also visiting bands, they would play a set, then the visiting band would do their set and they would play at the interval or something like that. One night it was Graham Bond, the Graham Bond Organisation. Brilliant band, Graham on keyboards, Jack Bruce on bass guitar, Ginger Baker on drums, and Dick Heckstall-Smith on sax. When they did their bit Graham got up and had a blow with them because he played alto sax as well as Hammond organ, a good jazz musician he was. He got talking to Mike Jeffery and said "You want to get these guys down to London because it's all going off". Its 1963, the Beatles were already knocking the doors down and Mike thought he would sign them up with a management agreement. He wasn't going to lose them! What happened was Graham got Mike down to London and introduced him to Ronan O'Rahilly, who later founded Radio Caroline, but he had a club in the West End call the Scene Club, just up near the Windmill in a basement. He also introduced him to Georgio Gomelsky who was managing the Yardbirds at that time and had been involved with the Rolling Stones earlier, then the Yardbirds had taken over the Stones circuit because the Stones have started to move up a rank.
Wednesday, September 11, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, September 12, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, September 13, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, September 14, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, September 14, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, September 15, 1963: Graphis Sound Studio, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo went for the first time in this recording studio - a former farmhouse situated on the south side of the river just west of Newcastle - to lay down four tracks with producer Phil Woods. The songs - 'I Just Wanna Make Love To You', 'Boom Boom', 'Big Boss Man', and 'Roadrunner' - were then pressed on one side of a 12-inch vinyl, which was pressed in 500 copies that were later distributed by the band members themselves to their fans during their gigs.
Sunday, September 15, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Wednesday, September 18, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, September 19, 1963: 'Saturday Club', BBC Studio, Leeds, West Yorkshire
The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo auditioned for the famous BBC radio show 'Saturday Club'. They didn't know whether they passed the audition or not that day, but few weeks later a BBC representative sent them a letter to tell them that not only had they passed the audition, but their performance was so good that they would have aired as it was on Wednesday, December 11, 1963.
Thursday, September 19, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, September 20, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, September 21, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, September 21, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, September 22, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Wednesday, September 25, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, September 26, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, September 27, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, September 28, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, September 28, 1963: The New Orleans Club, Melbourne Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, September 28, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, September 29, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Wednesday, October 2, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, October 3, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, October 4, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, October 5, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, October 5, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, October 6, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
Wednesday, October 9, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, October 10, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, October 11, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, October 12, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, October 12, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, October 13, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
Wednesday, October 16, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, October 17, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, October 18, 1963
The band saw The Rolling Stones, Everly Brothers, and Bo Diddley at the Odeon, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Friday, October 18, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, October 19, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, October 19, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, October 20, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
Wednesday, October 23, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, October 24, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, October 25, 1963: 'University Rag Ball', The Oxford Galleries, Oxford, Oxfordshire
Friday, October 25, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, October 25, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, October 26, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, October 27, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
Wednesday, October 30, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, October 31, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, November 1, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, November 2, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, November 2, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, November 3, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Wednesday, November 6, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, November 7, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, November 8, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, November 9, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, November 9, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, November 10, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Wednesday, November 13, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, November 14, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, November 15, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, November 16, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, November 16, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, November 17, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Tuesday, November 19, 1963: Students Union, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Wednesday, November 20, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, November 21, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, November 22, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, November 23, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, November 23, 1963: 'All-Nighter', Downbeat Club, Carliol Square off Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Sunday, November 24, 1963: 'Lunchtime Session', Agogo's Club, 1 North Parade, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
Wednesday, November 27, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Thursday, November 28, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Friday, November 29, 1963: 'Jazz Lounge', Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Saturday, November 30, 1963: Students Union, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Supposedly The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo's last gig with this name.
December ?, 1963
Mike Jeffery came back to Newcastle and he said they've got a good deal, The Yardbirds are going to come up there in Newcastle and do their gigs for 10 days or something and they are going to go down there and do the Yardbirds gigs in and around London; gigs like the Ricky Tik clubs and Eel Pie Island. Also they were going to have a base at Ronan O'Rahilly's Scene Club in Piccadilly. He said "Oh, by the way, you've got a new name. Graham Bond had suggested that you want to get rid of that 'Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo' name. You want something more snappy, so your called 'The Animals' now!".
Saturday, December 7, 1963: 'All-Nighter', The Scene, 41 Great Windmill Street, Piccadilly Circus, City of Westminster, Greater London
The band play for the first time as The Animals at The Scene Club's All-Nighter session from midnight to 2am. Apparently the band played the 'All-Nighter' sessions at the Scene almost every nights during their 10-days London trip.
Tuesday, December 9, 1963: 'Scene At 6:30', Granada TV Show, Granada Studios, Quay Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester (broadcast date)
The Animals' first television appearance is aired today.
Wednesday, December 10, 1963: Cavern Club, 10 Mathew Street, Liverpool, Merseyside
December 1?, 1963: Ricky-Tick, Windsor, Berkshire
December 1?, 1963: Craw Daddy R&B Club, Richmond Athletic Association Grounds, Twickenham Road, Richmond, London Borough of Richmond, Greater London
December 1?, 1963: Ricky-Tick, Guildford, Surrey
December 1?, 1963: The Flamingo, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
December 1?, 1963: Ricky-Tick, The Olympia Ballroom, 75-77 London Street, Reading, Berkshire
Friday, December 20, 1963: Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Animals first gig in their home town.
Saturday, December 21, 1963: Craw Daddy R&B Club, Star Club, Star Hotel, London Road, Croydon, London Borough of Croydon, Greater London
Monday, December 30, 1963: Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
The Animals also backed up Sonny Boy Williamson II tonight. Both performances of The Animals with and without Williamson, were recorded by sound engineer Phil Woods and later released posthumously by Giorgio Gomelsky on the album, 'Taken Alive!'.
