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Published on: 10/15/2008
Last Visited: 7/18/2008
Artist Biography: Hilton Valentine
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One of the more prominent, yet enigmatic, guitarists of the British Invasion, Hilton Stewart Paterson Valentine was born in North Shields during World War II.
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He took up the guitar in his teens amid the rock & roll boom in England and formed his own group, the Wild Cats, in 1962.Before they'd gotten too far, however, he was offered a spot early the following year in an outfit who were then called the Alan Price R&B Combo, consisting of Alan Price, Chas Chandler, John Steel, and Eric Burdon.
As the guitarist for the Animals, as they later became known, Hilton Valentine became one of the most visible musicians of the British Invasion, propelled to a level of stardom by the band's international number one hit, House of the Rising Sun."Valentine tended to be more of an ensemble player than a soloist, although he proved he could be distinctive with his playing on the group's first two singles, Baby Let Me Take You Home" and House of the Rising Sun."