Alan Price

Alan Price (born April 19, 1942, Fatfield, Sunderland, County Durham) is best known as the original keyboardist for The Animals and for the string of solo hits he had during the sixties.

A self-taught musician educated at Jarrow Grammar School, South Tyneside, Alan Price first came to the public’s attention during the early 1960s as the keyboard player with the Animals.  The group was originally named the Alan Price Combo when it was formed in 1963, but as vocalist Eric Burdon became centre of attention Price was shunted to second billing. His organplaying on songs by The Animals, such as "House of the Rising Sun", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "Bring It On Home To Me" was, nevertheless, a key element in success of the group.

Price left the group in 1965 after only a year or so of international success (he can be seen talking about his departure with Bob Dylan in the rockumentary Don't Look Back) to work on a solo career. Leading the Alan Price Set, he had a Top Ten British hit in 1966 with a reworking of "I Put a Spell on You,". His subsequent run of British hits between 1966 and 1968 -- "Hi-Lili-Hi-Lo," "Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear," "The House That Jack Built," and "Don't Stop the Carnival" -- were in a much lighter vein, drawing from British music hall influences. "Simon Smith and His Dancing Bear," from 1967, was one of the first Randy Newman songs to gain international exposure, though Price's version -- like all his British hits -- went virtually unnoticed in the U.S.

A versatile entertainer, Price collaborated with Georgie Fame, hosted TV shows, and scored plays in the years following the breakup of the Alan Price Set in 1968. He composed the score to Lindsay Anderson's O Lucky Man! (Price himself has a small role in the movie).

Price participated in three reunions of The Animals between 1968 and 1984. In July 1983 The Animals started their last world tour. Price's solo performance of "O Lucky Man" was included in their set. In 1984 they broke up for the final time and the album Rip It To Shreds - Greatest Hits Live was released, comprising recordings from their concert at Wembley Stadium in London.  

See Alan Price sing Simon Smith and his Amazing Dancing Bear