Alan Price
Born in Durham, County DurhamBorn on 18th of April 1942
Died in 000
Born 1942 – Musician, songwriter and actor.
Founding member of the Tyneside group The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo, renamed the Animals. Formed the Alan Price Set in 1965. Had success with the singles Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear and The House That Jack Built. Had a number of chart successes with Georgie Fame. Appeared in the films Don’t Look Back and Alfie Darling. Had regular slot on the BBC show The Two Ronnies. Supporter of Sunderland AFC.
The Animals started out in Jan 1957 as The Pagan Jazzmen formed in Newcastle-upon-Tyne by students at the Newcastle College of Art and Industrial Design, formed by lead vocalist, trombonist Eric Burdon (born Eric Victor Burdon, 4.5.1941, at 31 Marandale Avenue, Walker-Upon-Tyne, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England) and trumpet player John Steel (born 4.2.1941, in Gateshead, Co Durham, England) who teamed up with two like-minded students, drummer Blackie Sanderson (born Alan Sanderson, 4.2.1941, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England) and four-string banjo player Jimmy Crawford (born James Crawford, 24.4.1942, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England). The band then saw Burdon change to lead vocals, Steel change from trumpet to drums, Blackie Sandeson from drums to bass and Crawford from banjo to electric (lead) guitar. The band also added Dave Ashcroft (born David Ashcroft, in c 1941 (1942) on rhythm guitar and primitive piano. The band held jam sessions in the colleges common room which after a few months saw them change their name from The Pagan Jazzmen to The Pagans in Earl 1958. Burdon also sang at some point with The Mighty Joe Young Band, with Joe Young on guitar; Ian Carr on flugel horn, trumpet (born Michael Anthony Carr, 7.12.1937, in South Shields, Co Durham, England); Mike Carr on piano, vibes (born Ian Henry Randall Carr, 21.4.1933, in Dumfries, Dumfriesshire, Scotland died 21.2.2009, in London) and John Walters on trumpet, vocals (born 11.7.1938, in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England died Mon 30.7.2001). Then in Mar 1959 The Pagans added pianist Alan Price (born 19.4.1941, in Fairfield, County Durham, England) from The Thomas Hedly Trio, with Price on bass; Hedly on piano and A N Other on lead guitar. The Pagans met Price in Mar 1959, when The Pagans played a gig with The Hedly Trio at the Headlam Street Church Hall in Headlam Street, Byker, a rough area of Newcastle. The Hedly Trio played the interval spot, with Hedly playing in a Jerry Lee Lewis style. After the gig Price sat down at the piano and played amazing boogie. The Pagans saw this and so had to have Price in their band and asked him if he wanted to join them. He did and The Pagans carried on until Late 1959 when they split as they weren't getting anywhere. In May / Jun 1960 Burdon approached Steel at the Downbeat Club to join a band he was forming The Kansas City Seven, whose name was inspired by Kansas City blues singer Joe Turner. The core of this band was Burdon, Price, Sanderson, Crawford, Ashcroft and Steel, plus alto sax player Danny Okpoti and trumpet player Pat Odoi. The band had a regular gig at The New Orleans Club in Melbourne Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne organised by friend George Pearson. Okpoti and Odoi later moved to Manchester and in 1961 the band became The Kansas City Five, with Price on piano; Steel on drums; George Stoves on rhythm guitar, plus a bit of lead; Jeff Hedley on tenor sax (born Geoffrey Hedley, in c 1941) and Burdon on lead vocals. The Kansas City Five split on Frid May 18 1962 when Price did not turn up for their regular gig at The Downbeat Club as he had been poached by another band The Kotours (Kon-tors). The Kotours formed in c 1960 in Newcastle and included bassist Chas Chandler (born Bryan James Chandler, 18.12.1938, in Second Avenue, Heaton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England died 17.7.1996, at Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England) and Gordon ‘Cleg’ Cleghorn (born in c 1938), who had formed the band after Cleghorn had finished his National Service. Chandler had taken up bass while Cleghorn had been in the army. The band later added pianist, Hammond organist Alan Price (born 19.4.1941, in Fatfield, Co Durham, England) (ex The Pagans), who they poached from The Kansas City Five in Mid May 1962. This band became The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo in 1962. The bands drummer Johnny Bone left in 1962, as his new wife complained about him playing with the group and he was replaced by Barry Preston. The group was augmented by Nigel Stranger on brass, sax and Geoff Hedley on horns, tenor sax (a school friend of Price) (ex The Kansas City Five). They later added lead vocalist Eric Burdon (ex The Pagan Jazz Men, The Kansas City Five), who initially joined as an occasional member, but was soon a permanent member of the group. The band later added bassist Chas Chandler and then lead guitarist Hilton Valentine (born Hilton Stewart Paterson Valentine, 21.5.1943, at a hospital in North Shields, Northumbria, England) (ex The Heppers, Hilton Valentine and the Wildcats) who was asked to join the band. Chandler went to see Valentine play with his band Hilton Valentine and the Wildcats at the Rex Hotel, where they had a weekly residency. Then Preston left because Chandler did not like his bad attitude and decided he had to go. So Chandler asked John Steel (ex The Pagan Jazz Men, The Pagans, The Kansas City Five) to join in late Aug 1963, when he talked to him as he walked down the street and told him that Burdon was now singing with the band. Steel had already ‘depped’ with the band in November 1962 at Bailey’s nightclub and made his proper debut on Sat 7 Sep 1963 and Sun 8 Sep 1963 or Wed 11 Sep 1963 and Thur 12 Sep 1963, all at the Down Beat Club. This was the first time Burdon, Price, Chandler, Steel and Valentine had played together. The band later recorded and released an EP ‘I Just Wanna Make Love To You (Tracks: ‘I Just Wanna Make Love To You’, ‘Boom Boom,’ ‘Big Boss Man’, ‘Pretty Thing’) in Oct 1963. This band became The Animals in Dec 1963, and in Jan 1964 were signed to the renowned Don Arden agency and worked with independent record producer Mickie Most. The bands first recording session took place on 22 Jan 1964 where they recorded ‘Boom Boom’, ‘Talkin ‘About You’, ‘Blues Feeling’ and ‘Dimples’. It is also thought that Most first worked with group not in Jan, but in Feb 1964, when they recorded ‘House of The Rising Sun’, or 12 Feb 1964, when the band laid down ‘Baby Let Me Take You Home’ and ‘Gonna Send You Back To Walker’ the A-and B-side of their first single. In Apr 1965 Price left the band due to personal and musical differences plus his fear of flying and was replaced by 19 year old organist Mick Gallagher (born Michael William Gallagher, 29.10. 1945, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England) (ex The Wayfarers, The Unknowns, The Cresters, The Wreckendykes, The Hi Fis (The High Fives), 1962, Billy Bain and the Phantoms, 1962, The Clique, 1962, The Chosen Few, 1962 - Apr 1965, May 1965 - Spring 1966), who went with the band on a tour of Scandinavian and some UK dates. In May 1965 he rejoined Newcastle based band The Chosen Few and was replaced by organist Dave Rowberry (born David Eric Rowberry, 4.7.1940, in Mapperley, Nottinghamshire, England died 6.6.2003, in Hackney, East London, England) (ex The Mike Cotton Jazzmen, 1962 - Earl 1964, The Mike Cotton Sound, Earl 1964 - May 1965). John North West London
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1 Response to Alan Price
From Jean Youngs on 8th September 2009
Alan Price was actually born in Fatfield, County Durham on April 19 1942.
He is still writing music and still touring UK with more dates coming up for
autumn 2009 - show called "Maximum Rhythm 'n' Blues/A Night At The Flamingo"
You can read much more about him - biography, discography, A-Z song lyrics and
see tour dates and much more if you go to my forum alanpricefansforum.org.uk
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