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Their sound captured the heart and soul of America’s streets. From the late
‘60s all the way to the present day, Los Angeles-based WAR played the music
that made people dance and think. Fusing rock, Latin rhythms, funk, blues, jazz
and soul into a distinctive sound all their own, WAR, the self-described Afro-Cuban-rock-jazz-blues
band, was a righteous force coming straight out of “the neighborhood.”
WAR will open the L.A. County Fair’s End of Summer Concert Series Friday,
Sept. 10. The band will be on the Los Angeles Newspaper Group Grandstand Stage
beginning at 8 p.m. A long-time Fair favorite, the band’s sound is just
as sharp as ever and can be heard weekly as their hit “Low Rider”
is the theme song to ABC’s television hit “The George Lopez Show.”
The group was created in the late ‘60s by producer-songwriter Jerry Goldstein
and British singer Eric Burdon, who was then living in Los Angeles and eager to
seek out new collaborators after several years with The Animals. After Burdon
moved away from the group, WAR’s career skyrocketed in the early ‘70s
as their sound spoke to millions of Americans about troubled times of Vietnam,
Watergate, racial strife and the tensions of the inner cities.
“The diversity of influences on us was not only musical but was social as
well. As a result we tried to be entertaining while also spreading the word of
peace and brotherhood,” says singer-keyboardist Lonnie Jordan on the group’s
Web site.
The World is a Ghetto, released in 1972, proved that WAR was a major musical
contender by selling more than 3.5 million copies. In 1975, the album Why Can’t
We Be Friends? went gold, selling more than two million copies. The song was
even heard recently in interstellar space during the historic link-up of United
States astronauts and Russian cosmonauts. Also in the recent past, the 1992
album Rap Declares WAR featured a variety of rap musicians sampling the sounds
of WAR.
In 1998 WAR was honored by the Los Angeles City Council in front of a sold-out
crowd at the Greek Theater for the group’s outstanding contributions and
achievements. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers presented
the band and producer Goldstein with the society’s award for the theme
song for the George Lopez show as one of the top TV series of 2002. Last year,
the band released The Very Best of WAR, a triumphant collection of songs that
resonate with the youth of today as well as those who can say they were there
at the dawn.
General admission to see WAR at the 2004 Fair is free with regular Fair admission.
Reserved seats can be purchased for $15. Stageside seating is $50. Tickets may
be purchased at the Fairplex credentials office, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. or at
any Ticketmaster location or online at www.lacountyfair.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
For additional information about the Fair’s End of Summer Concert Series,
visit the Web site or call (909) 623-3111.
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