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War was a multiracial, multicultural American funk band of the 1970s that had its roots in California. They had no specific genre, playing Rock , Latin , Jazz , Funk , Soul , Reggae and R'n'B . Although War's lyrics were sometimes political in nature (in keeping with their racially integrated lineup), their music always had a laid-back Southern Californian vibe. In 1962 the initial roots of the band were laid down when Howard Scott and Harold Brown formed a group called '''"the Creators"''' in Compton , California . Within a few years, they had added Charles Miller , B.B. Dickerson and Lonnie Jordan to the lineup. They all shared a love of diverse styles of music, which they had absorbed living in the racially mixed Los Angeles ghettos. The Creators recorded several singles on Dore Records while working with Jay Contreli, a saxophonist from the band Love . In 1968 , '''"the Creators"''' became '''"Nightshift"''' and started performing with Deacon Jones , a Football player and singer. At a performance, producer Jerry Goldstein suggested they would start to work with Eric Burdon (of the disbanded Animals ) and Lee Oskar (a Danish Harmonica player). The original WAR include: (Main instruments listed, they all sang and played various percussion instruments)
Non-original WAR members:
Burdon changed the name to War and the new line-up, with Oskar, began recording in 1969 and released ''Eric Burdon Declares War'' in 1970 . The spaced-out, funky single "Spill the Wine" became smash hit, and the follow-up, ''The Black Man's Burdon''," was nearly as successful as the first. In 1971 , Burdon left the group in the middle of a European tour, claiming he was too exhausted to go on (see 1971 In Music ). After a highly unsuccessful self-titled album, '' War ''," War's released two Burdon-less hits, "All Day Music" and "Slippin' into Darkness." However, their next album, The World Is A Ghetto , reestablished them as the forefront of funk and Brown-eyed Soul . The World Is a Ghetto included the 1972 hits "The Cisco Kid" and "The World Is a Ghetto." The band followed in 1973 with the slightly more disco influenced and less gritty album "Deliver The Word," which featured the hit "Gypsy Man." '' Why Can't We Be Friends '' ( 1975 In Music ) was a considerably more successful album. It included " Low Rider ", the universal Low Rider anthem, and the sunny title track, a half-joking and irresistably soulful tune that both applauded and laughed at positive utopian funk songs. A compilation of jams called '' Platinum Jazz '' was a surprise success in 1977 . However, the emerging Disco craze began to threaten the popularity of War's gritty and socially aware funk rock. They released the space-aged album "Galaxy" the same year, which proved to be the last War album to reach Top 40. The line-up began to fall apart in 1978 when Dickerson quit and Charles Miller was murdered. After a few unsuccessful attempts at recouping, War's '' Outlaw '' was a moderate success, but the group was unable to keep any momentum as members came and went. By 1984 , War was a touring band only. A comeback was attempted in 1994 with '' Peace Sign ," but the album flopped (see 1994 In Music ). DISCOGRAPHY (NOT INCLUDING COMPILATIONS AND EPS)
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