The original War was the brainchild of record producer Jerry
Goldstein ("My Boyfriend's Back," "Hang on Sloopy," "I Want Candy")
and rocker Eric Burdon (ex-lead singer of the top British band the
Animals). Goldstein saw musicians who would eventually become War
playing at the Rag Doll in North Hollywood, backing Deacon Jones,
and he was attracted to the band's fresh authentic sound. The year
was 1969, and the band had the nerve to carry the name War at a
time when peace was the slogan in an anti-Vietnam War America.
Founder and singer/keyboardist Lonnie Jordan claimed that the
band's goal was to spread a message of brotherhood and harmony,
using instruments and voices to speak out against racism, hunger,
gangs, crimes, and turf wars, and promote hope and the spirit of
brotherhood. Eric Burdon & War began playing live shows to
audiences throughout Southern California before entering into the
studio to record their debut album Eric Burdon Declares "War". The
album's key track, the erotic, spaced-out, Latin-flavored "Spill
the Wine", was a hit and launched the band's career. 1970s Burdon
and War toured extensively across Europe and the United States,
garnering rave reviews from mainstream and music press alike.
England's New Musical Express called War "the best live band I ever
saw" after their first UK gig in London's Hyde Park. Musicians on
both sides of the ocean were buzzing about this new band. A second
Burdon and War album, a two-disc set, The Black-Man's Burdon, was
released in 1970, before an exhausted and volatile Burdon left the
band in the middle of its European tour.
