Their record sales have totalled over 50 million to date, including the hit album Why Can’t We Be Friends which has now reached the 50th anniversary of its release date. In line with those stats, WAR will be putting on 50 shows throughout the summer, including an appearance at NN North Sea Jazz. In 1970, the seven-piece band originally came together around Animals lead singer Eric Burdon. Their first American number 1 hits followed immediately, and the clever fusion of R&B, Latin, jazz, blues and funk also caught on in Europe. Their appeal continued into the 1980s and ‘90s, when hip-hop producers discovered WAR, and their heavy funk was so massively sampled that it led to the release of the album Rap Declares War in 1992. Over five decades after their initial successes, and with a few new faces in the lineup, WAR are still out there proving their killer live reputation and bringing that irresistible groove.
