Hilton Valentine dead: The Animals guitarist dies aged 77

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Hilton Valentine’s wife Germaine Valentine confirmed the news of his death via The Animals’ record label Abcko. The Animals’ star was an internationally known musician and guitarist during the 1960s.

Hilton was born in North Shields, Northumberland, England. He was a founding member of The Animals, one of the bands that led the British Invasion of rock music in the swinging sixties.

He created one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock music history with his intro on “The House of the Rising Sun,” which hit No. 1 in 1964 in the U.K., U.S. and Canada, and is recognized among Rolling Stone’s Greatest Songs of All Time.

Valentine’s other hits with The Animals include “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “It’s My Life” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” which struck a chord with American soldiers during the Vietnam War.

Upon their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum described The Animals essential standing as a “key link in the evolving transition from black R&B to punk rock.”

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