By Jeff Maisey
Many of you know the classic hit songs from the band WAR — “Low Rider,” “The Cisco Kid,” “Summer,” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”
What you may not recall is the musical crossover group from Southern California known for weaving elements funk, jazz, Latin, rock and reggae was originally fronted by vocalist Eric Burdon after he departed The Animals, a 1960s British Invasion band best known for its hits “The House of the Rising Sun” and “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.”
Record producer Jerry Goldstein had the idea of pairing Burdon’s soulful vocals with a diverse cast of musicians.
Lonnie Jordan, who continues as an original member of WAR and now sings lead, said he learned a lot from Burdon.
“My hat goes off to Eric for teaching us tricks of the trade in terms of performing in front of an audience, especially coming out of playing nightclubs in the early days in our youth. We also met a lot of other artists through Eric.”
With Burdon, the group released two full-length albums and scored a hit with “Spill the Wine,” a song that features a spoken vocal line as its verse while showcasing the rhythmic musicality that would define their sound to this day.
“We always identified our music as universal street music,” said Jordan. “There are all genres of music and people; everything mixed into one gumbo or salad bowl.
“We weren’t aware of what we were doing back in the early days,” he continued. “We stayed true to our music and how we expressed it.”
Lonnie Jordan noted the musicians that comprised the band were unfamiliar with the studio recording experience. The lyrics and title of their first hit resulted from Jordan accidentally spilling wine on the mixing board.
Following a health issue in 1970, WAR continued without Burdon. It was the group’s second post-Burdon record, 1972’s “The World Is a Ghetto,” that WAR firmly established itself with “The Cisco Kid” going Gold and the LP claiming Billboard magazine’s Album of the Year title in 1973.
WAR based the lyrics of “The Cisco Kid” on the 1950s television show of the same name starring Duncan Renaldo as Cisco and Leon Carrillo as his sidekick, Poncho.
“There were really no ethnic heroes back during that era of television,” said Jordan. “I don’t care how many fights he would get in, he kept his hat on and stayed clean. It was totally different than any other television show, including ‘Zorro.’”
WAR’s greatest hit is instantly recognizable from the very first clunk or two of the opening cowbell — “Low Rider.”
“The song came about through Charles Miller, lyrically, and additional lyrics from Jerry Goldstein,” explained Jordan, “but the track was already written. We didn’t know what to do with it.”
Charles Miller was WAR’s saxophone player at the time. He arrived at the recording studio one day in a lowrider Chevrolet with a bottle of tequila and a lemon.
“All of a sudden off the top of his head, he just said, ‘All my friends know the low rider.’ And that was it,” shared Jordan with a big laugh.
After the song was recorded, Goldstein and the members of WAR put it on several cassette tapes.
“We did a video with the Dukes Lowrider Car Club and The Imperials Car Club,” Jordan said. “They weren’t getting along that well back then, but we got them together in East LA. Everyone was playing the cassette out of synch with one another. They pushed a button and their risers were going up and down. They let us film them and originally we used that as our backdrop on our tours in London, Japan, and even New York. No one knew what a low rider was.”
“Low Rider” was was featured on WAR’s 1975 studio album “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” The title track was also a major radio hit and embodied what the band’s mission had been since the beginning.
“The track (music) was created back stage when we were on the road in Japan,” Lonnie Jordan explained. “Howard Scott, our original guitar player, came over singing one lyric: Why can’t we be friends. I had already come up with the semi-reggae track.”
Many of the shows on the tour in Japan were delayed due to rival ethnicities within the culture not getting along.
“That really broke the straw for us to come out with ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?” said Jordan.
According to Jordan, the band headed straight into the studio once returning home to record the song with each member having a vocal track.
WAR released its great hits album in 1976. It included one newly penned track, “Summer,” a feel-good pop song oddly enough based on a jingle (“Have it your way”) used Burger King television commercials.
Lonnie Jordan said every recording session was experimental in nature, something the band members thrived upon. Because of the unusual nature of the creative process, Jerry Goldstein was keen to give official songwriting credits to all members, a rarity in the music business at that time.
“Today, I’m very thankful for that,” said Jordan. “I know a lot of singing groups that did not, and I’m sure they’re not happy about that today.”
Reflecting back on WAR’s groundbreaking album, “The World Is a Ghetto,” Lonnie Jordan shared this as to whether the world is a better place five decades later:
“Maybe on another planet, but not here. Unfortunately, so many younger people have taken over the politics, art and so on weren’t raised right. A lot of it is our fault, from our era. It’s gone backwards. It’s not any better than it was.
“Our music has never been about politics. It’s always been about making people aware of their surroundings.
“We will give you the groove, but you should be aware, when you leave this nightclub, the world is a ghetto.
“Our war is a war against violence and a war against wars everywhere in the world. Our choice of weapons are our instruments. Instead of shooting bullets, it shoots melodies, rhythms, and harmonies.”
WANT TO GO?
Virginia Beach Funk Fest
Friday, August 23: WAR, Doug E. Fresh, Crank Crusaders
Saturday, August 24: SOS Band, Al Hudson & One Way, Be’la Dona
25th Street @ The Oceanfront
