Dec. 18: "Chas" Chandler, bass player for The Animals "House of the Rising Sun," was born on this date in 1938...

... he died on July 17 1996. from a heart condition in Newcastle in 1996, days after performing his final solo show.

Born in Heaton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne,in the U.K., Bryan James "Chas" Chandler, in addition to the Animals, was also a record producer and manager of several successful music acts.

Chaz began his career playing bass guitar in a trio with Alan Price named the Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo. After vocalist Eric Burdon joined them the group was renamed The Animals and became one of the most successful R&B bands ever.

The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London. Known for their gritty, bluesy sound and deep-voiced front man Eric Burdon – as exemplified by their signature song "The House of the Rising Sun" as well as by hits such as "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" and "It's My Life" – the band balanced tough, rock-edged pop singles against rhythm and blues-oriented album material. They were known in the U.S. as part of the British Invasion.

In addition to Chandler, Price and Burdon, the original line-up included Hilton Valentine on guitar and John Steel on drums.

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Under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals, they moved to California and achieved commercial success as a psychedelic rock band, before disbanding at the end of the decade. Altogether, the group had ten Top Twenty hits in both the UK and U.S.

The original lineup had a brief comeback in 1977 and 1983. There have been several partial reunions of the original era members since then under various names. The Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Chandler's most famous bass lines are the opening foundation riffs of their 1965 hits "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" and "It's My Life." Chandler was also the most prominent of the group's backing vocalists and did occasional songwriting with Burdon.

Other hits by the Animals included  intense, gritty pop music covers such as Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me" and the Nina Simone's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." R&B album tracks included John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" and Ray Charles' "I Believe to My Soul."

After the group split up in late 1966, Chandler became manager of Jimi Hendrix and recruited other musicians to form The Jimi Hendrix Experience. He also produced their first two albums. Chandler was also instrumental in introducing Hendrix to Eric Clapton. It was through this introduction that Hendrix got a chance to play with Clapton and Cream on stage.

Chandler then went on to manage and produce the English rock band Slade for twelve years. During this time, Chandler bought IBC Studios which he renamed Portland Recording Studios. He also ran a series of record labels from the studios including Barn Records and Six of the Best.

He later helped develop Newcastle Arena, a ten-thousand seat sports and entertainment venue that opened in 1995.

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