FOG BLOG ENTERTAINMENT LOG: HILTON VALENTINE, FOUNDING GUITARIST OF THE 'ANIMALS' DIES AT 77!

HILTON VALENTINE WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE ANIMALS 60S ROCK GROUP RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR FAMOUS HIT......'HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN'.....Hilton Valentine, founding guitarist of the 60s group the Animals and the man responsible for one of the most famous intros in pop history, has died aged 77.

Valentine’s death was confirmed by the band’s label ABKCO Music, who wrote in a statement on Twitter on Saturdy night: “Our deepest sympathies go out to Hilton Valentine’s family and friends on his passing this morning, at the age of 77.”.....“A founding member and original guitarist of the Animals, Valentine was a pioneering guitar player influencing the sound of rock and roll for decades to come.”

Valentine, from North Shields, formed the Animals in 1963 in Newcastle alongside singer Eric Burdon, bassist Chas Chandler, organist Alan Price and drummer John Steel...The band’s most famous song, a cover version of the blues standard The House Of The Rising Sun, topped the charts in the UK and the US in 1964.

Valentine is credited with coming up with the song’s famous arpeggio introductory riff, although it was initially rejected as a single by the band’s producer, Mickie Most, because it was thought the four-and-a-half minute track was too long.

But their treatment of the song, regarded as one of the inspirations for Bob Dylan going electric in 1965, has entered the annals of rock history, with the intro familiar over the decades to millions of budding guitarists around the world.