List of the Animals band members

Five line-ups of The Animals performing in 1964, 1967, 2008, 2015 and 2016

The Animals are an English rock band founded as Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo in 1962, by Eric Burdon (vocals), Alan Price (keyboards), Hilton Valentine (guitar), John Steel (drums) and Bryan "Chas" Chandler (bass).^[1]^[2] Two versions of the band currently exist one is led by Steel under the name Animals and Friends and another is led by Burdon under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals, which is also the name the band went by between 1966–1969 after all other original band members had departed.^[3]

Steel's version includes Steel (since 1994), guitarist/vocalist Danny Handley (since 2009), bassist/vocalist Roberto Ruiz (since 2012) and keyboardist Barney Williams (since 2022). Burdon's version has been active since 2016 and features Davey Allen (keyboards, vocals), Dustin Koester (drums, vocals), Justin Andres (bass, vocals), Johnzo West (guitar, vocals), Ruben Salinas (saxophone, flute) and Evan Mackey (trombone).^[4]

History[edit]

1962–1969 Original run[edit]

Formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during 1962 and 1963 when Burdon joined the Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo, the original lineup was Burdon (vocals), Price (organ and keyboards), Hilton Valentine (guitar), John Steel (drums) and Bryan "Chas" Chandler (bass),^[5]^[6] they changed their name to the Animals.

By May 1965, the group was starting to feel internal pressures. Price left because of personal and musical differences, as well as his fear of flying while on tour.^[7] He went on to a successful career as a solo artist and with the Alan Price Set. Mick Gallagher filled in for Price on keyboards^[8] for a short time until Dave Rowberry replaced Gallagher.^[9]

The Animals assembled a big band to play at the fifth annual British Jazz and Blues Festival in Richmond. The Animals Big Band made their one public appearance on 5 August 1965. In addition to Burdon, Rowberry, Valentine, Chandler and Steel, the band featured a brass/horn section of Ian Carr, Kenny Wheeler and Greg Brown on trumpet and Stan Robinson, Al Gay, Dick Morrissey and Paul Carroll on saxophone.

In February 1966, Steel left and was replaced by Barry Jenkins. Burdon began work on a solo album called Eric Is Here, By this time, the Animals' business affairs "were in a total shambles" according to Chandler (who went on to manage Jimi Hendrix and produce Slade) and the group disbanded.

A group with Burdon, Jenkins and new sidemen John Weider (guitar/violin/bass), Vic Briggs (guitar/piano) and Danny McCulloch (bass) was formed under the name Eric Burdon and Animals (or sometimes Eric Burdon and the New Animals) in December 1966. Zoot Money was added to the lineup in April 1968, initially as organist/pianist only, but upon McCulloch's departure, he also took on bass and occasional lead vocals.^[10] In July 1968, Andy Summers (later the guitarist for the Police) replaced Briggs. Both Money and Summers were formerly of British psychedelic outfit Dantalian's Chariot. By December 1968, this incarnation of the Animals had dissolved.

1968– Reunions[edit]

The original Animals lineup of Burdon, Price, Valentine, Chandler and Steel reunited for a benefit concert in Newcastle in December 1968 and reformed in late 1975 to record again.^[11] They embarked on a brief tour in 1976 and shot videos for their new songs such as "Lonely Avenue" and "Please Send Me Someone to Love". They released an album in 1977 that was aptly titled Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted.^[12]

On 12 December 1982, Burdon performed with Price and a complete lineup, foreshadowing future events.

All five original band members reunited in 1983 for the album Ark and a world concert tour, supplemented by Zoot Money on keyboards, Nippy Noya on percussion, Steve Gregory on saxophone and Steve Grant on guitar.

In the 1990s, Danny McCulloch, from the later-1960s Animals, released several albums as the Animals.^[13] The albums contained covers of some original Animals songs, as well as new ones written by McCulloch.

In 1992, Barry Jenkins joined a reconstituted version of the Animals, including "New Animals" members Vic Briggs and Danny McCulloch along with new percussionist Jack McCulloch and Phil Ryan instead of Eric Burdon on lead vocals. The band played the first rock concert held in Red Square, Moscow, as part of a benefit concert for the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.^[14]

Also in 1992, Hilton Valentine formed the Animals II from a local North East band he was playing with called The Alligators, and was joined by Steel in 1994 and Rowberry in 1999. Other members of this version of the band include Robert Kane (now vocalist with Dr. Feelgood), Steve Hutchinson, Steve Dawson (now guitarist with Geordie) and Martin Bland.

From 1999 until Valentine's departure in 2001, the band toured under the name the Animals. This version featured Tony Liddle on lead vocals backed by Valentine, Steel, Rowberry and Jim Rodford. Chris Allen occasionally depped for Rodford (while he was playing with The Zombies). Steve Farrell contributed backing vocals and hand percussion.

After Valentine left this line up in Summer 2001, Steel and Rowberry continued with Steve Dawson, who returned to replace Valentine until the Winter of 2002. The band then morphed into Animals and Friends, with Peter Barton on vocals, Rodford, and John E. Williamson on guitar. When Rowberry died in 2003, he was replaced by Mick Gallagher (who had briefly replaced Price in 1965). Danny Handley joined the band in 2009, initially as lead guitarist, but replaced Barton on lead vocals when Barton retired in 2012. Scott Whitley had a brief tenure in the band before Roberto "Bobby" Ruiz took over on bass. This successful lineup continues to tour the world with guests such as Steve Cropper and Spencer Davis. In 2022, Barney Williams replaced Gallagher due to the latter's ill health.^[15]

In 2016, Burdon formed the current lineup of Eric Burdon and the Animals, including Johnzo West (guitar/vocals), Davey Allen (keys/vocals), Dustin Koester (drums/vocals), Justin Andres (bass guitar/vocals), Ruben Salinas (sax/flute) and Evan Mackey (trombone).^[16]

Members[edit]

Original band[edit]

Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
Eric Burdon	1963–1966 1975–1976 1983	vocals	All Animals releases
Hilton Valentine	1963–1966 1975–1976 1983 (died 2021)	guitar backing vocals
Chas Chandler	1963–1966 1975–1976 1983 (died 1996)	bass vocals
John Steel	1963–1966 1975–1976 1983	drums
Alan Price	1963–1965 1975–1976 1983	keyboards backing vocals	All Animals releases except Animalisms (1966; UK), Animalization (1966; US) and Animalism (1966; US)
Mick Gallagher	1965		none
Dave Rowberry	1965–1966 (died 2003)		Animal Tracks (1965; US) Animalisms (1966; UK) Animalization (1966; US) Animalism (1966; US) The Best of The Animals (1966) The Most of the Animals (1966)
Barry Jenkins	1966	drums	Animalisms (1966; UK) Animalization (1966; US) Animalism (1966; US) The Best of The Animals (1966) The Most of the Animals (1966)
Zoot Money	1983	keyboards	Ark (1983) Greatest Hits Live (Rip It to Shreds) (1984)
Steve Grant		guitar synthesiser backing vocals
Steve Gregory		saxophones
Nippy Noya		percussion

Current members[edit]

Animals and Friends

Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
John Steel	1994–present	drums	none
Danny Handley	2009–present	guitar vocals
Barney Williams	2022–present	keyboards
Norman Helm	2023–present	bass vocals

Eric Burdon and The Animals

Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
Eric Burdon	1966–1968 2016–present	vocals	all releases
Davey Allen	2016–present	keyboards vocals	none
Dustin Koester		drums vocals
Justin Andres		bass vocals
Johnzo West		guitar vocals
Ruben Salinas		saxophone flute
Evan Mackey		trombone

Former members[edit]

Animals and Friends/Animals II/Valentine's Animals

Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
Hilton Valentine	1992–2001 (died 2021)	guitar	none
Robert Kane	1992–1999	vocals
Joss Elliott	1992–1994	bass
George Fearon		guitar
Dave Dodsworth		drums
Steve Hutchinson	1994–1999	keyboards
Fred Hill	1994–1995	bass
Dave Whiffin	1994–1995	guitar
Steve Dawson	1995–1999 2001–2002	guitar
Martin Bland	1995–1999	bass
Steve 'ih' Farrell	1999	backing vocals percussion
Tony Liddle	1999–2001 2001–2002	vocals
Eamon Cronin	2001	vocals
Jim Rodford	1999–2003 (died 2018)	bass
Dave Rowberry	1999–2003 (until his death)	keyboards
Pete Barton	2001–2011	vocals bass guitar
John E. Williamson	2001–2009	guitar vocals
Mick Gallagher	2003–2022	keyboards backing vocals
Scott Whitley	2011–2012	bass vocals
Roberto Ruiz	2012–2023	bass vocals

Eric Burdon and The Animals

Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
Barry Jenkins	1966–1968	drums backing vocals	all Eric Burdon and The Animals releases
John Weider	1966–1968	guitar bass violin backing vocals	all Eric Burdon and The Animals releases
Vic Briggs	1966–1968 (died 2021)	guitar piano bass	Winds of Change (1967) The Twain Shall Meet (1968) Every One of Us (1968; US) The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals (1969)
Danny McCulloch	1966–1968 (died 2015)	bass vocals guitar
Zoot Money	1968	keyboards bass vocals	Every One of Us (1968; US) Love Is (1968) The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals (1969)
Andy Summers	1968	bass guitar backing vocals	Love Is (1968) The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals (1969)

Timeline[edit]

Line-ups[edit]

Period	Members	Releases
1963 – May 1965 The Animals	Eric Burdon – vocals Chas Chandler – bass, backing vocals Alan Price – keyboards, backing vocals John Steel – drums Hilton Valentine – guitar, backing vocals	The Animals (1964; US) / The Animals (1964; UK) The Animals on Tour (1965; US) Animal Tracks (1965; UK) Animal Tracks (1965; US) The Best of The Animals (1966)
May 1965	Eric Burdon – vocals Chas Chandler – bass, backing vocals John Steel – drums Hilton Valentine – guitar, backing vocals Mick Gallagher – keyboards
May 1965 – February 1966	Eric Burdon – vocals Chas Chandler – bass, vocals John Steel – drums Hilton Valentine – guitar, backing vocals Dave Rowberry – keyboards	Animal Tracks (1965; US) two tracks The Best of The Animals (1966) two tracks Animalization (1966; US) Animalisms (1966; UK)
February–September 1966	Eric Burdon – vocals Chas Chandler – bass, vocals Hilton Valentine – guitar, backing vocals Dave Rowberry – keyboards Barry Jenkins – drums	Animalization (1966; US) three tracks Animalism (1966; US) unspecified tracks Animalisms (1966; UK) three tracks
December 1966 – April 1968 Eric Burdon and the Animals	Eric Burdon – vocals Barry Jenkins – drums Vic Briggs – guitar, piano Danny McCulloch – bass, vocals John Weider – guitar, violin, bass	Animalism (1966; US) unspecified tracks Winds of Change (1967) The Twain Shall Meet (1968) The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals (1969)
April–July 1968	Eric Burdon – vocals Barry Jenkins – drums Vic Briggs – guitar, piano, bass Danny McCulloch – bass, vocals, guitar John Weider – guitar, violin, celeste Zoot Money – keyboards, vocals	Every One of Us (1968; US) The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals (1969)
July–December 1968	Eric Burdon – vocals Barry Jenkins – drums, backing vocals John Weider – guitar, bass (live), violin, backing vocals Zoot Money – keyboards, bass (studio), vocals Andy Summers – bass (live), guitar, backing vocals	Love Is (1968) The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals (1969)
December 1968 – 1975	Disbanded
1975 – 1976 The Animals	Eric Burdon – vocals Chas Chandler – bass Alan Price – keyboards John Steel – drums Hilton Valentine – guitar	Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted (1977)
1976–1983	Disbanded
September–December 1983	Eric Burdon – vocals Chas Chandler – bass, backing vocals Alan Price – keyboards, backing vocals John Steel – drums Hilton Valentine– guitar Steve Grant – guitar, synthesiser, backing vocals Steve Gregory – saxophones Zoot Money – keyboards Nippy Noya – percussion	Ark (1983)
1983–1992	Disbanded
1992 Valentine's Animals	Hilton Valentine – guitar Robert Kane – vocals Joss Elliott – bass George Fearon – guitar Dave Dodsworth – drums	none
1994–1995 Animals II	Hilton Valentine – guitar Robert Kane – vocals Steve Hutchinson – keyboards Dave Whiffin – guitar Fred Hill – bass John Steel – drums
1995–1999	Hilton Valentine – guitar Robert Kane – vocals Steve Hutchinson– keyboards John Steel – drums Steve Dawson – guitar Martin Bland – bass
1999	Hilton Valentine – guitar Robert Kane – vocals Steve Hutchinson– keyboards John Steel – drums Steve Dawson – guitar Martin Bland – bass Steve 'ih' Farrell – backing vocals live
1999–2001 The Animals	Hilton Valentine – guitar John Steel – drums Tony Liddle – vocals Jim Rodford – bass Dave Rowberry – keyboards
2001	Hilton Valentine – guitar John Steel – drums Jim Rodford – bass Dave Rowberry – keyboards Eamon Cronin – vocals
2001–2002	Steve Dawson – guitar John Steel – drums Jim Rodford – bass Dave Rowberry – keyboards Tony Liddle – vocals
2001–2003 Animals and Friends	John Steel – drums Jim Rodford – bass Dave Rowberry – keyboards Pete Barton – vocals, guitar John E. Williams – guitar, vocals
2003–2009 Animals and Friends	John Steel – drums Pete Barton – bass, vocals John E. Williams – guitar, vocals Mick Gallagher – keyboards
2009–2011 Animals and Friends	John Steel – drums Pete Barton – bass, vocals Mick Gallagher – keyboards Danny Handley – guitar, vocals
2011–2012 Animals and Friends	John Steel – drums Mick Gallagher – keyboards Danny Handley – guitar, vocals Scott Whitley – bass, vocals
2012–2022 Animals and Friends	John Steel – drums Mick Gallagher – keyboards Danny Handley – guitar, vocals Roberto Ruiz – bass, vocals
2022–2023 Animals and Friends	John Steel – drums Danny Handley – guitar, vocals Roberto Ruiz – bass, vocals Barney Williams – keyboards
2023–present Animals and Friends	John Steel – drums Danny Handley – guitar, vocals Barney Williams – keyboards Norman Helm – bass, vocals

Period	Members	Releases
2016–present Eric Burdon and the Animals^[17]	Eric Burdon – vocals Davey Allen – keyboards, vocals Dustin Koester – drums, vocals Justin Andres – bass, vocals Johnzo West – guitar, vocals Ruben Salinas – saxophone, flute Evan Mackey – trombone

References[edit]

^ The Animals Rock andll Hall of Fame, 1994. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
^ The Animals: Biography AllMusic Retrieved 28 February 2011.
^ Transatlantic Roots Music: Folk, Blues, and NationalIdentities. University Press of Mississippi. 2 July 2012. p. 117. ISBN 978-1496834935.
^ "Eric Burdon". Ericburdon.com. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
^ The Animals Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1994. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
^ The Animals: Biography AllMusic Retrieved 28 February 2011.
^ Making Time The Animals. Retrieved 2 November 2007.
^ "INTERVIEW: Mick Gallagher - the Animals". 25 November 2019.
^ "Dave Rowberry". Independent.co.uk. 8 June 2003.
^ Lime, Harry. The Animals. ISBN 9780244792275.
^ Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Rolling Stone Touchstone. 2001. p. 22.
^ "The Animals Biography | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum". Rockhall.com. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
^ "In Memoriam: Danny McCulloch – No Treble". No Treble. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
^ "Antion".
^ Scott, David (14 March 2022). "The Animals: 60 Years On The Road and Still Counting". American Blues Scene. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
^ "Eric Burdon". Ericburdon.com. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
^ "BAND". ericburdon.

[RHOF-1] The Animals Rock andll Hall of Fame, 1994. Retrieved 28 February 2011.

[2] The Animals: Biography AllMusic Retrieved 28 February 2011.

[3] Transatlantic Roots Music: Folk, Blues, and NationalIdentities. University Press of Mississippi. 2 July 2012. p. 117. ISBN 978-1496834935.

[4] "Eric Burdon". Ericburdon.com. Retrieved 19 October 2019.

[RHOF2-5] The Animals Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1994. Retrieved 28 February 2011.

[6] The Animals: Biography AllMusic Retrieved 28 February 2011.

[Making_Time-7] Making Time The Animals. Retrieved 2 November 2007.

[8] "INTERVIEW: Mick Gallagher - the Animals". 25 November 2019.

[9] "Dave Rowberry". Independent.co.uk. 8 June 2003.

[10] Lime, Harry. The Animals. ISBN 9780244792275.

[11] Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Rolling Stone Touchstone. 2001. p. 22.

[12] "The Animals Biography | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum". Rockhall.com. Retrieved 18 August 2015.

[13] "In Memoriam: Danny McCulloch – No Treble". No Treble. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2018.

[14] "Antion".

[15] Scott, David (14 March 2022). "The Animals: 60 Years On The Road and Still Counting". American Blues Scene. Retrieved 28 September 2023.

[16] "Eric Burdon". Ericburdon.com. Retrieved 19 October 2019.

[17] "BAND". ericburdon.

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