WAR
Today, WAR is a permanent part of America’s pop cultural landscape. A touring act that performs 150 shows a year and whose catalogue of timeless hits permeates our everyday lives. WAR classics have been featured in countless movies, television shows and commercials. Films such as The Mexican, How High, Remember The Titans, A Knight’s Tale, Boogie Nights and Lethal Weapon 4; T.V. shows such as ER, That Seventies Show, Bernie Mac, The Job, The Simpsons and the theme to the George Lopez Show; TV ads for products like Nissan, Mitsubishi, Miller Brewing, Burger King and Sprint PCS have kept WAR music in the fore.
The music has also been re-spun by many contemporary artists from Janet Jackson to Korn, Smashmouth to Shaggy and from Macy Gray to TLC with covers or samples of WAR hits.
WAR, the original street band, was the brainchild of veteran record producer Jerry Goldstein (“My Boyfriend’s Back”, “Hang On Sloopy”, “I Want Candy”) and rock legend Eric Burdon (ex-lead singer of the top British band The Animals). “I first saw some of the guys who would eventually become WAR playing at a topless beer bar in the San Fernando Valley, backing Deacon Jones, the pro football player, and knew immediately how potent these kids were,” states Goldstein. “I was friends with Eric and he was ready to throw in the towel on the music scene and return to Newcastle. He was tired of the ‘rock’ thing and desperate for a fresh authentic sound. I called him the morning after I first saw the band and made him return to the club the next night with me. Eric was so blown away by what he had heard that he jumped on stage to jam with them. The guys were so sheltered, that they hadn’t even heard of Eric or The Animals. I had them in the studio within a week, and the rest is history!”
The year was 1969, and these ‘kids’ had the nerve to carry the name WAR at a time when peace was the slogan in an anti-Vietnam America. “Our mission was to spread a message of brotherhood and harmony,” states WAR founder, singer/keyboardist Lonnie Jordan. “Our instruments and voices became our weapons of choice and the songs our ammunition. We spoke out against racism, hunger, gangs, crimes, and turf wars, as we embraced all people with hope and the spirit of brotherhood. It’s just as apropos today”
