Alan Price Set

Alan Price Set

Alan Price, a self-taught keyboardist, first gained prominence as a founding member of the Tyneside group The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo, later known as The Animals. His distinctive keyboard playing was instrumental to the band's international success, particularly on their hit rendition of the traditional folk song "House of the Rising Sun," an arrangement that became more widely recognized than its predecessors.

Formation and Early Success

Price departed The Animals in May 1965 to establish The Alan Price Set. This new ensemble featured Price on keyboards and vocals, supported by Clive Burrows on baritone saxophone, Steve Gregory on tenor saxophone, John Walters on trumpet, Peter Kirtlry on guitar, Rod "Boots" Slade on bass guitar, and "Little" Roy Mills on drums. In the same year, Price was featured in the documentary film Dont Look Back, which chronicled Bob Dylan's concert tour.

Solo Career and Collaborations

Beginning in 1966, Alan Price enjoyed significant success with a series of singles. These included his rendition of "I Put a Spell on You," Randy Newman's "Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear," and the original composition "The House That Jack Built." He followed this with the jazzy track "Don't Stop the Carnival" in 1968. A notable collaboration with Georgie Fame in 1971 yielded the Top 20 single "Rosetta" and the album Fame and Price, Price and Fame Together. Price also maintained a regular presence on BBC television, appearing in a series of The Two Ronnies and hosting his own musical program, Price to Play, in the late 1960s. On this show, he explored and performed the music of notable guests such as Fleetwood Mac and Jimi Hendrix.

"A Price On His Head" and Randy Newman

His 1967 album, A Price On His Head, notably featured seven songs by Randy Newman, at a time when Newman was still relatively unknown to the wider public.