Alan Price (born 19 April 1942) is an English musician. He was the original keyboardist for the British band
the Animals
The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...
before he left to form his own band the Alan Price Set. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a member of the Animals. He is also known for his solo work.
His best known songs include "Jarrow Song" and "The House That Jack Built".
Early life and career
Price was born in
Fatfield
Fatfield is an area of Washington, Tyne and Wear, England.
The southern part of the village by the River Wear is popular for country walks and the three public houses and working men's club on the banks of the river. The site of the original vil ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
,
County Durham. He was educated at
Jarrow Grammar School
Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyne ...
, County Durham. He is a self-taught musician and was a founding member of the Tyneside group the Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo, which was later renamed the Animals. His
organ-playing on songs by The Animals, such as "
The House of the Rising Sun
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a traditional folk music, folk song, sometimes called "Rising Sun Blues". It tells of a person's life gone wrong in the city of New Orleans. Many versions also urge a sibling or parents and children to avoid th ...
", "
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Horace Ott and Sol Marcus for the American singer-songwriter and pianist Nina Simone, who recorded the first version in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been co ...
", and "
Bring It On Home to Me" was a key element in the group's success.
After leaving the Animals, Price went on to have success with his own band the Alan Price Set and later with
Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the on ...
. He introduced the songs of
Randy Newman to a wider audience. Later, he appeared on his own television show and achieved success with film scores, including winning critical acclaim for his musical contribution to the film ''
O Lucky Man!
''O Lucky Man!'' is a 1973 British comedy-drama fantasy film directed by Lindsay Anderson, and starring Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, whom McDowell had first played as a disaffected public schoolboy in his first film performance in Ander ...
'' (1973), as well as writing the score to the stage musical ''Andy Capp''. Price has also acted in films and television productions.
Music
Price formed the Animals in 1962 and left the band in 1965 to form the Alan Price Set, with the line-up of Price, Clive Burrows (
baritone saxophone),
Steve Gregory (
tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...
),
John Walters (trumpet), Peter Kirtley (guitar), Rod "Boots" Slade (bass) and "Little" Roy Mills (drums). In the same year, he appeared in the film ''
Don't Look Back'' which featured
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
on tour in the UK.
During 1966, he enjoyed
singles success with "
I Put a Spell on You
"I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written and composed by Jalacy "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins, whose own recording of it was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also included in Robert ...
", which reached number 9 in the UK singles chart, and "
Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo
"Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo" is a popular song with music by Bronislau Kaper, and lyrics by Helen Deutsch. The song was published in 1952. The song was featured in the film, '' Lili'', starring Leslie Caron.
Recorded versions
*Dinah Shore with Frank De Vo ...
" which reached number 11 in the same chart. In 1967, the Randy Newman song "
Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear
"Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear" is a song written by Randy Newman, about a sincere young man of modest means named Simon Smith who entertains affluent ("well-fed") diners with his dancing bear. A recording by the Alan Price Set reached ...
" reached number four in the chart, as did his self-penned song, "The House That Jack Built".
[Not the same song as " The House That Jack Built" (Lance-Robbins) recorded by Aretha Franklin (1968)]
Alan Price - "The House That Jack Built"
at 45cat.com. Retrieved 14 January 2019 "Don't Stop the Carnival" followed in 1968, and rose to number 13 in the UK singles charts.
Price went on to host shows such as the musical ''Price To Play'' in the late 1960s, which featured him performing and introducing the music of guests such as
Fleetwood Mac and
Jimi Hendrix. His second album, ''A Price on His Head'' (1967), featured seven songs by Randy Newman, who was virtually unknown at that time. In August 1967, he appeared with The Animals at the
hippie love-in that was held in the grounds of
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey (), occupying the east of the village of Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the family seat of the Duke of Bedford. Although it is still a family home to the current duke, it is open on specified days to visitors, ...
.
A later association with Georgie Fame resulted in "Rosetta", which became a
top-20 hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
(1971), reaching number 11 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
An album followed, ''Fame and Price, Price and Fame Together''. During this period, Price and Fame secured a regular slot on ''
The Two Ronnies
''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, seria ...
'' show produced by
BBC Television, and also appeared on the ''
Morecambe and Wise Show''. He recorded the autobiographical album ''
Between Today and Yesterday
''Between Today and Yesterday'' is an autobiographical album released in 1974 by singer songwriter Alan Price.
In its original LP format, Side One was titled "Yesterday" and Side Two was titled "Today." The "Yesterday" side featured six songs ...
'' (1974) from which the single "Jarrow Song" was taken, returning Price to the UK singles chart at number six.
The minor single hits by Price "Just For You" and "Baby of Mine" from 1978 and 1979, respectively, as well as being issued on the usual black vinyl, were also released as red, heart-shaped vinyl discs, which reflected the craze for coloured and oddly shaped vinyl records at the time.
Price participated in three reunions of The Animals between 1968 and 1984. In July 1983, they started their last world tour. Price's solo performance of "Oh Lucky Man" was included in their set. In 1984, they broke up for the final time, and the album ''
Greatest Hits Live (Rip It to Shreds)'' was released, comprising recordings from their concert at
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-s ...
in London supporting
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Polic ...
.
Price recorded two albums with the Electric Blues Company featuring guitarist and vocalist
Bobby Tench
Robert Tench (born 21 September 1944) is a British vocalist, guitarist, sideman, songwriter and arranger.
Tench is best known for his work with Freddie King and Van Morrison, as well as being a member of The Jeff Beck Group, Humble Pie, Street ...
and keyboardist
Zoot Money
George Bruno Money (born 17 July 1942) is an English vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader. He is best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band. Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, he was draw ...
, the first, ''Covers'', was recorded in 1994. ''
A Gigster's Life for Me'' followed in 1996 and was recorded as part of
Sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...
's ''Blues Masters Series'', at
Olympic Studios in south-west London.
Since 1996, Price has continued to perform regularly, arrange, write songs, and create other works. During the 2000s, he has continued to tour the UK with his own band and others, including
the Manfreds
The Manfreds is a British pop group, formed in 1991 as a reunion of former members of the 1960s pop group Manfred Mann, however without their eponymous founder Manfred Mann.
History
The original members of Manfred Mann, minus keyboard player Ma ...
,
Maggie Bell
Margaret Bell (born 12 January 1945 in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish rock vocalist. She came to fame as co-lead vocalist of the blues-rock group Stone the Crows, and was described as the UK's closest counterpart to American sing ...
and Bobby Tench.
''
Savaloy Dip'' was officially released in 2016. Due to an issuing error after the recording of this album in 1974 the album was re-called by the record company and not re-released at that time.
The title track for his album ''
Between Today and Yesterday
''Between Today and Yesterday'' is an autobiographical album released in 1974 by singer songwriter Alan Price.
In its original LP format, Side One was titled "Yesterday" and Side Two was titled "Today." The "Yesterday" side featured six songs ...
'' was taken from the original Savaloy Dip recording.
Film, stage and TV
Price appears in the D. A. Pennebaker documentary ''
Don't Look Back'' (1965) and is in several scenes with Bob Dylan and his entourage, including one where his departure from the Animals is mentioned.
Price has been closely involved with the work of film director
Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Gordon Anderson (17 April 1923 – 30 August 1994) was a British feature-film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading-light of the Free Cinema movement and of the British New Wave. He is most widely remembered for ...
. He wrote the music for Anderson's film ''O Lucky Man!'' (1973), which he performs on screen in the film and appears as himself in one part of the storyline. The score won the 1974
BAFTA Award for Best Film Music
This is a list of winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Original Music, formerly known as the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, which is presented to film composers, given out by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts si ...
.
Later, he wrote the score to Anderson's final film, ''
The Whales of August
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1987).
He acted as the lead in ''
Alfie Darling
''Alfie Darling'' is a 1975 British comedy drama film directed by Ken Hughes. The film premiered at the Universal Cinema in London on 6 March 1975. It is the sequel to the film '' Alfie'' (1966), with Alan Price taking over Michael Caine's rol ...
'' (1975), a sequel to the film ''
Alfie
Alfie may refer to:
Theatre and film
* ''Alfie'' (play), a 1963 play by Bill Naughton
* ''Alfie'' (1966 film), a film based on the play starring Michael Caine
* ''Alfie'' (2004 film), a remake of the 1966 film
* ''Alfie'' (2013 film), an Indi ...
'' (1966), during the course of which he became romantically involved with his co-star,
Jill Townsend. He also composed and sang the theme tune to the film adaptation of ''
The Plague Dogs
''The Plague Dogs'' is the third novel by Richard Adams, author of ''Watership Down'', about the friendship of two dogs that escape an animal testing facility and are subsequently pursued by both the government and the media. It was first pub ...
'' (1982), "Time and Tide".
In 1979, Price composed and sang the theme song to the ATV series ''
Turtle's Progress''. In 1981 he composed the score for the musical ''Andy Capp'' based on the
eponymous comic strip. He also wrote the lyrics, together with the actor
Trevor Peacock
Trevor Edward Peacock (19 May 1931 – 8 March 2021) was an English actor, screenwriter and songwriter. He made his name as a theatre actor, later becoming known for his Shakespearean roles. Later in his career, he became best known for playing ...
. The play transferred from the
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...
, to London's
Aldwych Theatre
The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels.
History
Origins
The theatre was constructed in th ...
in September 1982. Price later provided the theme to
Thames Television
Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992.
Thames Television broa ...
's 1988 sitcom adaptation of ''
Andy Capp
''Andy Capp'' is a British comic strip created by cartoonist Reg Smythe, seen in the ''Daily Mirror'' and the ''Sunday Mirror'' newspapers since 5 August 1957. Originally a single-panel cartoon, it was later expanded to four panels.
The s ...
'' in the form of a rewritten "Jarrow Song". Other TV theme work includes a re-recorded version of his 1974 single "Papers", which was used as the theme tune to the
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...
situation comedy ''
Hot Metal
''Hot Metal'' (1986–88) is a British sitcom produced by London Weekend Television about the newspaper industry.
Written by David Renwick and Andrew Marshall, it is very much a continuation in style from their previous sitcom '' Whoops Apoc ...
'' and the song "Changes", soundtrack to a popular TV commercial for the
VW Golf
The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates ...
.
In 1992, Anderson included an episode in his autobiographical
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' as Frankie Rio, the leader of a dubious band of musicians, the Franke Rio Trio, who are booked to appear in the
Village Concert. The episode was entitled "In the Bleak Midwinter".
*"Get Yourself A College Girl" (1964). Himself
* ''
'' – 7 April 1966, performing "I Put a Spell on You" with the Alan Price Set
* ''
'' – 15 February 1968, performing "Don't Stop The Carnival" with the Alan Price Set
* ''
'' – Episode No. 1.5 as Price and Fame (1971)
* ''
Price is believed to have two children and has been married twice. He married Maureen Elizabeth Donneky at
towards the end of 1971. The couple divorced. Price and Donneky had one daughter, Elizabeth.
In 1992, he was living in London with his wife and two daughters.
Price is a
" at matches. In 2011, he took part in the Sunderland A.F.C. charity
event.
* Burdon, Eric. ''I Used to Be an Animal, but I'm All Right Now''. Faber and Faber, 1986.
* Burdon, Eric (with J. Marshall Craig). ''Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: A Memoir''. Thunder's Mouth Press, 2001.