ORIGINAL Animal, psychedelic pioneer and WAR frontman Eric Burdon, who plays South Wales next month, was originally known as the grimiest voice in blues.

In 1962 he was recruited by smooth blues band The Alan Price Combo to fill out the sound and beef up the band's image.

His aggressive stage presence and the band's raw edge won them a dedicated following as they supported the black R'n'B acts of the day, such as Sonny Boy Williamson, Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent.

But the band had problems from day one. Alan and Eric clashed, the former eventually splitting to pursue a more commercial career after just two albums, The Animals and Animal Tracks, although, singles House of the Rising Sun, (Please) Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood and We Gotta Get Out of This Place, are still well known today.

Post Alan, Eric psychedelized The Animals, renaming them Eric Burdon and the Animals, which he shipped to San Francisco and played the Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967. But after line-up changes, including the joining of Andy Summers (The Police), and two albums, the second Animals disbanded again.

Eric bounced back with one of the biggest funk bands of the 1970s, WAR, which he fronted for the percussion- based outfit's debut album, Eric Burdon Declares WAR.

In 1976 The Animals re-formed (including Alan Price, briefly) for an album called Before We Were Rudely Interrupted, and again in 1983 for Ark.

Subsequent soundtrack followed from Eric, plus a deluge of awards and retrospective albums. A semi-autobiographical film was made, Comeback, in which he starred and composed the soundtrack. Other acting roles include a guest appearance in Oliver Stone's The Doors.

He has recently finished the second volume of his autobiography. l Eric Burdon plays The Coal Exchange, Cardiff, on Wednesday, May 15, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £18.