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War music biography continued...

the band was laid when Howard E. Scott and Harold Brown formed a group called the Creators in Long Beach, California. Within a couple of years, they were joined by Charles Miller, B.B. Dickerson and Lonnie Jordan. Lee Oskar and Papa Dee Allen were later added to the line-up as well. Sharing a love of diverse styles of music they had been exposed to while living in the racially-mixed Los Angeles ghettos, they began playing the local clubs. Here they were discovered by rock legend Eric Burdon and a powerful record producer and set up for their debut album, 1969's Eric Burdon Declares "War." The album's key track, the sensual, spacey, Latin-flavored "Spill the Wine", was an immediate international hit and launched the band's career. Although Burdon left the group, subsequent albums like The World is a Ghetto (1972) and Why Can't We Be Friends? (1975) had singles that charted well and demonstrated the band's ability to fuse different musical styles and become top crossover artists.



Although War would never be as popular as they were in the mid 70s, in the 80s War continued to perform and release more albums including The Music Band (1979), The Music Band 2 (1980), and Outlaw (1982). The singles "Outlaw," "You Got The Power," and "Cinco De Mayo" were warmly embraced by War fans. In succeeding years, the band became even more renown as they made guest appearances at concerts and their music began to be featured on television and in movies. Today, their work is available through samples and versions by other recording artists. (Sampling of War by hip hop artists was prevalent enough to merit the compilation album Rap Declares War in 1992, which was sanctioned by the band and intended in part to demonstrate their continued influence as well as introduce them to a younger audience.) The group's diverse musical influences have made it an enduring influence, one that has sold over 50 million records to date and continues to inspire new generations of musicians and fans.