Vic Briggs

Victor Harvey Briggs III (14 February 1945 – 30 June 2021) was a British blues and rock musician, best known as the lead guitarist with Eric Burdon and The Animals from 1966 to 1968. Briggs, a convert to Sikhism, later played classical Indian and Hawaiian music, and adopted the name Antion Vikram Singh Meredith.

History

Family and early career Vic Briggs was born in Twickenham, Middlesex, England. He was named after his father, an American army captain who was killed in action in France in November 1944, shortly before Briggs' birth. His British mother ensured that Briggs' American citizenship was recognized, through obtaining a U.S. passport for him at an early age. Briggs attended Hampton Grammar School, where his contemporaries included Paul Samwell-Smith and Jim McCarty, later of The Yardbirds, Brian May, later of Queen and singer-actor Murray Head.

Through Sullivan, Briggs was introduced to members of The Echoes, a band that Briggs ultimately joined for three weeks in 1961, as his first engagement as a professional musician, before returning to school. During this brief period, Briggs met Rory Storm, Ringo Starr and Gerry and the Pacemakers, among other musicians, and played with The Echoes at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. While in Germany, the band had a residency at the Top Ten Club. Briggs and the rest of The Echoes also backed Springfield on her Top 10 hit single "In The Middle of Nowhere", released in June 1965, but which was not included on the album.

During this period, Briggs befriended keyboardist Brian Auger. Later in 1965 when, with the encouragement of producer and manager Giorgio Gomelsky, Auger co-founded Steampacket, with Long John Baldry, he asked Briggs to join. Other members were Rod Stewart and Julie Driscoll on vocals, Micky Waller on drums and Richard Brown on bass. The band never formally recorded a studio or live album. Demo recordings were released in multiple versions, commencing in 1972, following Rod Stewart's later success. When Rod Stewart was fired from Steampacket Briggs' participation in the recording of the album is uncredited.

In September 1966, Briggs met Jimi Hendrix, shortly after Hendrix had arrived in England. Hendrix, at the suggestion and request of Chas Chandler to Brian Auger, had sat in with Brian Auger and The Trinity, including Briggs and using Briggs' equipment, at The Scotch of St. James club in London. This was one of Hendrix' first public performances in England. Briggs had been suggested to Eric Burdon and Mike Jeffery by John Weider, Briggs' former bandmate in the Shel Carson Combo, after Weider had joined Burdon's new band.

Eric Burdon and The Animals Briggs joined Eric Burdon's reconstituted Animals, known as Eric Burdon and The Animals, in November 1966. Between 1967 and 1968, Briggs recorded three albums with Eric Burdon and The Animals, two of which involved song co-writing credit for all members of the band. As a consequence, Briggs is credited as a co-writer of most of the hit singles of the band during this period, as well as being formally credited as the arranger of most of the singles. Briggs, who could read music, was able to develop music charts and consequently arranged much of the band's music during this period, adding horn and other instrumental parts to the songs. Later in 1967, "Ain't That So", co-written by Briggs and John Scott, was included in the soundtrack to the movie Stranger in the House.

Briggs considered the appearance of the band at the Monterey Pop Festival, in June 1967, as one of his most significant experiences as a musician.

Briggs, along with bandmate Danny McCulloch, was fired from the band in the summer of 1968, Briggs would see Eric Burdon for the last time approximately 1969. He also did some session work around this time, sitting in with the Grateful Dead at Pacific Recorders in San Mateo on a band rehearsal on a rarely-played tune called Clementine, along with another session musician, one David Crosby. In May 1969, he became a staff producer and arranger at Capitol Records. During this period, he arranged and produced albums by Danny McCulloch, Zoot Money, Hilton Valentine and Sean Bonniwell, among others.

Briggs and several other producers were fired by Capitol Records at the end of 1969, with existing projects on which they were working being discontinued. Briggs attributes his firing from Capitol Records as precipitating his decision to leave the music business, as well as the commencement of his spiritual growth. Briggs also later regretted not further developing his orchestration abilities. Eric Clapton introduced Briggs to albums by the Dagar Brothers and Pannalal Ghosh. Briggs later purchased the 1965 album by Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, Alla Rakha - Duets. Briggs was particularly influenced by the sarod playing of Khan, whom he describes as "one of the most emotionally expressive musicians in the world".

Briggs commenced studying Kundalini yoga and Nāda yoga, as well as Sikh sacred music. This was the first studio of Kundalini yoga in England.

During this period, Briggs developed further interest in Sikh religious music, and in the Sikh religion, spending much time with members of the Sikh community in London. Members of the Sikh community in London began to refer to Briggs as Vikram Singh, and were impressed with Briggs' ability to sing and play Sikh sacred music. In 1971, Briggs was formally baptized as a Sikh

The name Antion, which Briggs adopted as a stage name, came to Briggs following his observation of a solar eclipse above the ocean, from a beach at Del Mar, in 1992. While in Hawaii, Briggs had a radio show for a period of time. During an earlier stopover in Hawaii, Briggs heard and developed an interest in the music of the Brothers Cazimero. following study under Blaine Kia.

In 2008, Briggs and his family relocated to New Zealand, the country of his wife's early years, where Briggs, known as Antion Meredith,

Discography

As Antion Source:

2007 One in the Goddess 2007 Live on Kauai

As Antion Vikram Singh Sources:

Sacred Songs of the Sikhs Jaap Saahib Evening Raga Cherdi Kala Asa di Var

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

Singles 1968 White Houses/Anything; River Deep, Mountain High 1968 Sky Pilot/Sky Pilot (Pt. 2) 1967 Monterey/Anything (UK), 1967 San Franciscan Nights /Good Times (U.S.); Gratefully Dead (U.K.)

With Johnny Hallyday Album 1966 La Génération Perdue

Single 1966 Black is Black ("Noir, C'est Noir")

Steampacket Source:

1977 The Steampacket - The First Supergroup (Charly) 1972 Rock Generation Volume 6 - The Steampacket (BYG)

With Dusty Springfield Source:

Album 1965 Ev'rything's Coming Up Dusty

Single 1965 In The Middle of Nowhere/Baby Don't You Know

As Producer, Arranger Sean Bonniwell Sources:

Mark Eric Sources:

Album 1969 A Midsummer's Day Dream (Revue)

Singles 1969 Night of The Lions/Don't Cry Over Me 1969 Where Do The Girls of Summer Go/California Home

Future Sources:

Album 1969 Down That Country Road (Shamley)

Singles Source:

1969 Raggedy Jack/Love Is All You've Got 1969 Thank You Father, Thank You Mother/Love Is All You've Got

Danny McCulloch Album 1969 Wings of A Man (Capitol)

Singles 1969 Wings of A Man/Orange and Red Beams 1969 Hope/Hold On

Tina and David Meltzer 1998 Green Morning (RD Records; originally arranged and produced by Vic Briggs in 1969.)

Zoot Money 1969 Welcome To My Head (Capitol) >

Surf Symphony Source:

Album 1969 Song of Summer (Capitol)

Single 1969 Night of The Lions/That Bluebird of Summer

Hilton Valentine 1970 All In Your Head (Capitol)