John Steel (drummer) Jones and Art Blakey. They switched from jazz to embrace the new rock 'n' roll explosion. In March 1959, Steel met Alan Price at a church hop in Byker, Newcastle, and with Hilton Valentine (guitar) and Chas Chandler (bass) formed a band; by 1960 the Alan Price Combo had acquired a reputation in Newcastle. Burdon joined in 1962 from a band called the Pagans, and the Animals were born. Steel went on to play and record with them until February 1966. His last charted single with the group was "Inside Looking Out". Subsequently, Steel returned to Newcastle and became a
Colin Bass started playing professionally in 1968 as guitarist with a band called The Krisis, playing the UK club and ballroom circuit, after which he switched to bass guitar and joined Velvet Opera in 1970 with whom he made his first recordings for Spark Records. In 1971 he joined an incarnation of the 60s chart-topping group The Foundations and spent a year playing the cabaret clubs mostly in northern England. In 1971 he met Ernie Graham, formerly of Eire Apparent and, together with guitarist Jonathan Glemser, they formed the band Clancy. The band became part of London's growing Pub-Rock scene and briefly