Hilton Valentine, founding member and guitarist of the organization “For the Animals”, dies at the age of 77

Hilton Valentine, the Animals' original guitarist who played the opening riff on their hit “House of the Rising Sun,” died on January 29. He was 77 years old.

The Animals' label, ABKCO Music, announced Valentine's death on its Twitter account. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of @HiltonValentine on his passing this morning at the age of 77,” the statement said. “As a founding member and original guitarist of the Animals, Valentine was a groundbreaking guitarist who influenced the sound of rock 'n' roll for decades to come.”

Valentine was born on May 21, 1943 in Northumberland, England. He got his first guitar at age 13 and formed his first band, the Heppers. They later became the Wildcats, focusing more on the rock and roll sound than the skiffle craze of the 1950s. The Wildcats grew in popularity playing dance halls and clubs around town, leading to the Animals' original bassist Chas Chandler recruiting Valentine for his new band in 1963. Valentine joined Chandler, singer Eric Burdon and drummer John Steel, and the Animals were born.

Valentine can be heard on hits such as “Baby Let Me Take You Home,” “Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” “It's My Life,” and “Don't Bring Me Down.” But Valentine is best known for the opening riff on their 1964 No. 1 hit, “House of the Rising Sun.” The original lineup of the Animals disbanded in 1966.

Valentine released a solo album called “All In Your Head” in 1969 and reunited with the Animals several times over the years. Valentine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame in 2001.

Most recently, Valentine returned to his first love, skiffle music, forming the band Skiffledog and releasing two albums. As well as touring with Skiffledog, Valentine has played with the Woggles and the Headless Horsemen, and toured with former bandmate Burdon in 2007 and 2008.

Burdon paid tribute to Valentine on Instagram, writing: “Rising Sun's first album will never sound the same again! … You didn't just play it, you lived it! Heartbroken by the sudden news of Hilton's death. We had great times together Geordie lad. From North Shields to the world… Rock In Peace.”

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