British guitarist (1943?2021)
Musical artist
Hilton Stewart Paterson Valentine
(21 May 1943 ? 29 January 2021) was an English
skiffle
and
rock and roll
musician who was the original guitarist in
The Animals
. He was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1994 and into Hollywood’s Rock Walk of Fame in 2001 with the other members of The Animals.
Following The Animals' breakup in 1966, Valentine produced several solo albums including
All in Your Head
(1969) and
It’s Folk ‘N’ Skiffle, Mate!
(2004). He also toured New England and participated in several The Animals reunions.
[1]
[2]
Early life
[
edit
]
Valentine was born in
North Shields
,
North Tyneside
, England, and was influenced by the 1950s
skiffle
craze. His mother bought him his first guitar in 1956 when he was 13, he taught himself some chords from a book called
Teach Yourself a Thousand Chords
.
Early career
[
edit
]
He continued to develop his musical talent at Tynemouth High School and formed his own skiffle group called the Heppers.
[3]
They played local gigs and a newspaper described them at the time as, "A young but promising skiffle group". The Heppers eventually evolved into a rock and roll band, the Wildcats in c. 1959. During this period Valentine played a Futurama III solid guitar,
[4]
this was the UK brandname of importer
Selmer
, his next guitar was a
Burns
Vibra-Artiste which he bought in 1960?61.
[4]
The Wildcats were a popular band in the Tyneside area, getting a lot of bookings for dance halls,
working men's clubs
, church halls etc., and it was during this period that they decided to record a 10" acetate
LP
titled
Sounds of the Wild Cats
(sic).
Professional career
[
edit
]
The Animals
[
edit
]
In 1963, the Animals were starting to form and
Chas Chandler
heard about Hilton Valentine's wild guitar playing and asked him to join what was then the
Alan Price Combo
.
Eric Burdon
was already a member and
John Steel
joined immediately following Valentine's arrival. Within a few months, this group changed their name to the Animals.
While the Animals are often remembered most for Burdon's vocals and Price's
organ
, Valentine is credited with the electric guitar
arpeggio
introduction to the Animals' 1964
signature song
"
The House of the Rising Sun
", which inspired countless beginner guitarists.
[5]
[6]
It was played
[7]
on his
Gretsch
Tennessean
[4]
guitar which he bought in Newcastle in early 1962 while he was still with the Wildcats, and a Selmer amplifier. Later, in 1964,
Rickenbacker
gave him a 1964 Rose Morris guitar to use along with a 12-string model.
[4]
Valentine continued to play and
record
with the Animals, until the first incarnation of the band dissolved in September 1966.
[8]
Reunions
[
edit
]
In 1977, Valentine rejoined the group and recorded a reunion album called
Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted
.
[3]
[9]
Along with Eric Burdon, Chas Chandler, Alan Price and John Steel, Valentine was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1994. Along with the other Animals, Hilton was inducted into Hollywood's Rock Walk of Fame in May 2001.
Later career
[
edit
]
After he left The Animals, Valentine moved to California and in 1969 recorded a solo album entitled
All In Your Head
, which was not successful.
[3]
The album was produced and arranged by later Animals member
Vic Briggs
. Not long after the album was fully complete and released, Valentine then returned to the UK. He released a new album,
It's Folk 'n' Skiffle, Mate!
in 2004.
[10]
From that release until October 2009 he played throughout
New England
, New York and
South Carolina
, with his Skiffledog solo project. As well, from February 2007 to November 2008 Valentine toured with Eric Burdon. In 2011, Valentine released a new album titled
Skiffledog on Coburg Street
and a Christmas album with
Big Boy Pete Miller
(ex-
Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers
) titled
Merry Skifflemas!
.
[11]
Valentine's last recording was "River Tyne", a 2019 video that celebrated the river close to his boyhood home.
[3]
Personal life and death
[
edit
]
In his later years, Valentine and his wife Germaine lived in
Connecticut
, where he died on 29 January 2021 at the age of 77; no cause of death was given. His body was returned to England and is interred at Preston Cemetery and Tynemouth Crematorium, North Shields.
He is survived by his wife and daughter.
[12]
Legacy
[
edit
]
The Animals' version of the "House of the Rising Sun" is generally considered to be the definitive version of the song, and was cited by
Bob Dylan
as one of the reasons why he transitioned from acoustic to electric sound. Speaking of Valentine's opening riff for the song,
Ian MacDonald
noted that "It is one of the most instantly recognizable introductions to one of the most memorable songs of the 60s. A seemingly simple, but technically perfect execution of an on-going
arpeggio
figure over a repeated chord progression in A minor, which countless budding guitarists have tried to emulate over the decades, though rarely with such accuracy and precision."
[3]
Honours
[
edit
]
On 16 November 2021, a
blue plaque
was placed by
North Tyneside Council
on Valentine's childhood home at 42 Coburg Street, North Shields, where he lived between 1944 and 1960. The plaque was unveiled by Valentine's widow.
[13]
Discography
[
edit
]
The Animals
Solo
- All in Your Head
(1969)
- It’s Folk 'N' Skiffle, Mate!
(2004)
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Hilton Valentine, Founding Guitarist For The Animals, Dies At 77"
.
NPR.org
.
National Public Radio
. 30 January 2021
. Retrieved
1 February
2021
.
- ^
Hughes, William (30 January 2021).
"R.I.P. Hilton Valentine, original guitarist for The Animals"
.
The A.V. Club
. Retrieved
1 February
2021
– via
Yahoo!
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Davison, Phil.
"The Animals guitarist Hilton Valentine dies at 77"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
1 March
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Hilton Valentine Equipment"
.
Hiltonvalentine.com
. Retrieved
12 May
2020
.
- ^
T.J. McGrath,
"Hilton Valentine: The Sun Also Rises"
Archived
27 September 2007 at the
Wayback Machine
,
Dirty Linen
, June/July 2006. Accessed 4 May 2007.
- ^
Barry York,
"House of Worship"
,
The Age
, 9 July 2004. Accessed 4 May 2007.
- ^
Animals ? House of the Rising Sun
on
YouTube
- ^
"Gary James' Interview With Hilton Valentine Of The Animals"
.
Classicbands.com
. Retrieved
12 May
2020
.
- ^
Biography
,
AllMusic
- ^
Lewry, Fraser (30 January 2021).
"The Animals guitarist and founding member Hilton Valentine dead at 77"
.
Classic Rock Magazine
.
- ^
"Big Boy Pete and Hilton Valentine - Merry Skifflemas! (2011)"
.
Somethingelsereviews.com
. 8 December 2011
. Retrieved
13 February
2021
.
- ^
"Hilton Valentine, guitarist with the Animals, dies aged 77"
.
BBC News
. 31 January 2021
. Retrieved
26 November
2021
.
- ^
"Blue Plaque tribute for North Shields guitar legend Hilton Valentine"
.
North Tyneside Council
. 12 November 2021
. Retrieved
11 July
2023
.
External links
[
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]
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Studio albums
| The Animals (1962?1966)
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Eric Burdon and the Animals
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The Animals (1977, 1983)
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Compilations
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Hit singles
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Related articles
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Performers
|
- The Animals
- The Band
- Duane Eddy
- Grateful Dead
- Tom Constanten
,
Jerry Garcia
,
Donna Jean Godchaux
,
Keith Godchaux
,
Mickey Hart
,
Robert Hunter
,
Bill Kreutzmann
,
Phil Lesh
,
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan
,
Brent Mydland
,
Bob Weir
,
Vince Welnick
- Elton John
- John Lennon
- Bob Marley
- Rod Stewart
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Early influences
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Non-performers
(Ahmet Ertegun Award)
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International
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National
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Artists
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Other
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