The Animals

One of the leading bands of the British Invasion during the ’60s, The Animals fused blues and rock into a sound that produced more than a dozen enduring hits. ∙ The original lineup formed in 1962, and by 1964 The Animals performed for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show. ∙ “House of the Rising Sun,” originally released as a single in 1964, hit No. 1 on the charts in the UK and the US and went on to win the NME Award for British Disc of the Year. ∙ The band’s electric sound on their self-titled debut album inspired Bob Dylan to begin using electric instruments in 1965. ∙ On July 5, 1965, The Animals had their first show at London’s Marquee Club, where they broke all attendance records at that time. ∙ When they toured Poland in 1965, they became the first R&B group to play behind the Iron Curtain. ∙ Animalism, the final album from the band’s original lineup, featured a collaboration with Frank Zappa and was Top 40 hit on Billboard’s Pop chart. ∙ The Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.