Danny McCulloch

Daniel Joseph "Danny" McCulloch (18 July 1945 – 29 January 2015) was an English musician best known as the bassist of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Eric Burdon and The Animals.

Early life Danny McCulloch was born in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. Despite a common surname, he was not a relation of either Henry McCullough (who did work under original Animal Chas Chandler's management) or Jimmy McCulloch, both members of the 1970s band Wings.

Career

Early career

McCulloch commenced performing publicly at the age of eleven, playing skiffle music. During mid-1966, McCulloch worked briefly with The Carl Douglas Set, until he was approached by Eric Burdon to join Burdon's new band.

The Animals In late 1966, after the breakup of the original incarnation of The Animals, McCulloch joined the "New Animals", being the first "new" Animal hired by Eric Burdon. McCulloch in turn introduced Burdon to guitarist and violinist John Weider, who in turn introduced Burdon to guitarist Vic Briggs. At the time, Briggs asserted that he had a right to call the band "The Animals", having trademarked the name in the United States. With Phil Ryan on lead vocals, instead of Eric Burdon, the band played the first rock concert held in Red Square, Moscow, as part of a benefit concert for the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

In 1993, following the Red Square performance, McCulloch put together a new Animals group, which rerecorded the old hits of the band, plus others, including originals by McCulloch. The material received mixed reviews, including some involving confusion and inaccurate assumptions that Eric Burdon was singing on the album. Some purchasers, upon discovery that Burdon was not involved, felt that they had been misled.

In 1995, as "Danny McCulloch's Friends", he released a second album, Beowulf. The songs on the album were generally co-written with Steve Rowland, who also produced the album, and also included one co-written with former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Danny Kirwan. The "Friends" included Gary Wright, Chris Spedding, Herbie Flowers, Ray Cooper, Steve Gregory, Chas Hodges and Chris Mercer.

Legal issues Between 1996 and 1998, McCulloch was involved in controversy concerning re-recordings alleged to have been made by certain artists, in particular Mott the Hoople, involving an alleged reformation of the band by Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson in 1993. With musician and music promoter Gerry Chapman, McCulloch had formed McCulloch Chapman Music, which marketed to K-Tel International what were represented to be new recordings by original artists, such as Mott The Hoople, "The New Animals", Paper Lace and The Byrds. The recordings represented by McCulloch to be new recordings by Hunter and Ronson were in fact by a sound-alike, asserted to be McCulloch and Chapman, operating under the band name The Trybe. Dudes (UK Going for a Song, 1997)) and The Magic Collection (Holland ARC MEC, 1997) Some of the false Mott The Hoople releases included historic cover pictures of the band or band members. Similar releases by The Trybe covered Steppenwolf songs, while again including songs by McCulloch and Chapman.

Later works In the 2000s, McCulloch was touring with a new Animals formation, called Animals and Friends, led by original drummer John Steel and organist Dave Rowberry, In 2013, McCulloch released the album Back Again, Just for a Bit.

Death McCulloch died from heart failure on 29 January 2015, aged 69.

Discography Solo Albums 2013 Back Again, Just For A Bit (Anim) 1995 Beowolf (Edsel) 1969 Wings of A Man (Capitol)

Singles 1969 Wings of A Man/Orange and Red Beams (Capitol) 1969 Hope/Hold On (Capitol) 1969 Blackbird/Time of Man (Capitol) 1970 Colour of the Sunset/Smokeless Zone (Pye)

As The Trybe 2011 The Trybe Perform Mott The Hoople (Excalibur)

Eric Burdon and The Animals Albums 1968 Every One of Us 1967 The Twain Shall Meet 1967 Winds of Change

Singles 1968 White Houses 1968 Sky Pilot 1967 Monterey 1967 Anything 1967 Good Times 1967 San Franciscan Nights 1967 When I Was Young