London-born bassist Danny McCulloch got his first big break while still in his teens, as a member of Screaming Lord Sutch's backup band. In late 1965, after Eric Burdon had disbanded what was left of the original group the Animals, McCulloch was taken aboard as the first new member of what became Eric Burdon & the Animals. He was also responsible for bringing lead guitarist John Weider into the group, having crossed paths with him before Burdon had begun auditioning people for the spot, and Weider, in turn, was responsible for the recruitment of fellow guitarist Vic Briggs. McCulloch was a singer as well as a bassist, and extended the group's range with his ability to backup Burdon's lead vocals. In the summer of 1968, McCulloch and Briggs were both fired from the group;McCulloch turned right around and embarked on a solo career, cutting an album, Wings of a Man, produced by Briggs, for Capitol Records. In the decades since, McCulloch has only turned up intermittently, playing bass on Reg King's 1971 solo LP and releasing a second album of his own, entitled Beowulf and featuring an all-star array of talent (including guitarist Chris Spedding), in 1995. ~ Bruce Eder