The Animals were part of the budding, homegrown U.K. blues scene of the early Sixties and one of the most noteworthy bands of the British Invasion. Formed in Newcastle-on-Tyne, a port city and coal-mining hub in northeast England, the Animals reflected their upbringing with brawling, blues-based rock and roll. The group derived its inspiration—and much of its early repertoire—from American blues and R&B sources, adapting them to their native British working-class sensibility. Eric Burdon was among the best white R&B singers of the Sixties. His gruff, soulful vocals brought out the anguish in such anthems as "It's My Life" and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." The band's sound was also heavily defined by Alan Price's organ playing, which provided dramatic accents and a blues-jazz atmosphere. The other founding members—guitarist Hilton Valentine, bassist Chas Chandler and drummer John Steel—balanced Burdon's earthiness and Price's melodic finesse.
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