Biography
Born in North Shields amid the Second World War, Hilton Stewart Paterson Valentine emerged as one of the British Invasion’s more conspicuous yet elusive guitarists. During his teenage years, amid England’s surging rock & roll scene, he picked up the instrument and launched the Wild Cats in 1962. Early the next year he accepted an invitation to join the Alan Price R&B Combo—whose members were Alan Price, Chas Chandler, John Steel, and Eric Burdon—before that ensemble had advanced very far.
Once installed as lead guitarist for what soon became the Animals, Valentine found himself among the British Invasion’s most conspicuous performers, lifted by the band’s worldwide chart-topping single “House of the Rising Sun.” More comfortable supporting the group than taking extended solos, he nonetheless displayed a singular touch on the Animals’ opening two releases, “Baby Let Me Take You Home” and “House of the Rising Sun.” The latter, which reached number one across numerous territories including Britain and the United States, ranked among the era’s standout guitar showcases and has proved lastingly influential. Although Alan Price alone received copyright credit for the arrangement—an adaptation of a traditional folk song drawn from Josh White’s version—Chas Chandler and John Steel long asserted that Valentine’s contribution to shaping the chart was at least equal, just as his guitar work stood out as prominently as Price’s organ on the recorded track. From the outset he belonged to a select circle of serious players that also included Georgie Fame and other skilled blues-rooted performers of the period.
Valentine could deliver classic blues phrases, sustain a Bo Diddley-style chug, or deliver brisk Chuck Berry-style leads, yet he also excelled at crafting melodic support in the manner of Curtis Mayfield. Operating with understated flexibility, he usually remained a step behind Eric Burdon’s vocals and the organ work of Price (later Dave Rowberry), remaining with the lineup through its final 1966 single, “Don’t Bring Me Down.” Although Burdon had reportedly planned to retain Valentine in the band that emerged from the split, the guitarist never joined Eric Burdon and the Animals, sometimes referred to as the New Animals.
Discussions briefly surfaced about Valentine collaborating with former Yardbirds bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, and he participated in efforts to assemble a new outfit with ex-members of Graham Gouldman’s earlier group the Mockingbirds. He likewise assisted his former Wild Cats colleague Keith Shields in securing a solo single on the British Decca label. Toward the close of the decade Valentine relocated to California, where he renewed his EMI contract and issued the single album All in Your Head, an atmospheric, acoustic-driven psychedelic work.
After remaining largely out of view through the early 1970s, Valentine rejoined his former bandmates for the 1976 reunion album Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted. He participated once more in the more sustained early-1980s regrouping centered on the Ark album and the accompanying world tour of 1983.
A decade later he assembled Animals II, enlisting original drummer John Steel and Dave Rowberry, who had succeeded Alan Price at the organ in 1965. The ensemble performed globally and released a CD of signature material. Valentine, then residing in Connecticut, died on January 29, 2021, at the age of 77.
Once installed as lead guitarist for what soon became the Animals, Valentine found himself among the British Invasion’s most conspicuous performers, lifted by the band’s worldwide chart-topping single “House of the Rising Sun.” More comfortable supporting the group than taking extended solos, he nonetheless displayed a singular touch on the Animals’ opening two releases, “Baby Let Me Take You Home” and “House of the Rising Sun.” The latter, which reached number one across numerous territories including Britain and the United States, ranked among the era’s standout guitar showcases and has proved lastingly influential. Although Alan Price alone received copyright credit for the arrangement—an adaptation of a traditional folk song drawn from Josh White’s version—Chas Chandler and John Steel long asserted that Valentine’s contribution to shaping the chart was at least equal, just as his guitar work stood out as prominently as Price’s organ on the recorded track. From the outset he belonged to a select circle of serious players that also included Georgie Fame and other skilled blues-rooted performers of the period.
Valentine could deliver classic blues phrases, sustain a Bo Diddley-style chug, or deliver brisk Chuck Berry-style leads, yet he also excelled at crafting melodic support in the manner of Curtis Mayfield. Operating with understated flexibility, he usually remained a step behind Eric Burdon’s vocals and the organ work of Price (later Dave Rowberry), remaining with the lineup through its final 1966 single, “Don’t Bring Me Down.” Although Burdon had reportedly planned to retain Valentine in the band that emerged from the split, the guitarist never joined Eric Burdon and the Animals, sometimes referred to as the New Animals.
Discussions briefly surfaced about Valentine collaborating with former Yardbirds bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, and he participated in efforts to assemble a new outfit with ex-members of Graham Gouldman’s earlier group the Mockingbirds. He likewise assisted his former Wild Cats colleague Keith Shields in securing a solo single on the British Decca label. Toward the close of the decade Valentine relocated to California, where he renewed his EMI contract and issued the single album All in Your Head, an atmospheric, acoustic-driven psychedelic work.
After remaining largely out of view through the early 1970s, Valentine rejoined his former bandmates for the 1976 reunion album Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted. He participated once more in the more sustained early-1980s regrouping centered on the Ark album and the accompanying world tour of 1983.
A decade later he assembled Animals II, enlisting original drummer John Steel and Dave Rowberry, who had succeeded Alan Price at the organ in 1965. The ensemble performed globally and released a CD of signature material. Valentine, then residing in Connecticut, died on January 29, 2021, at the age of 77.
Albums
