38 Facts About Vic Briggs

Victor Harvey Briggs III was a British blues and rock musician, best known as the lead guitarist with Eric Burdon and The Animals from 1966 to 1968.

Vic Briggs was named after his father, an American army captain who was killed in action in France in November 1944, shortly before Briggs' birth.

Vic Briggs raised him with her parents in the town of Feltham, near London.

In 1961, at the age of 16, Vic Briggs met well-known British session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan, who became a mentor.

Vic Briggs continued playing with semi-professional bands upon his return to school, and was asked to rejoin The Echoes in 1962 for an engagement as the backing band for Jerry Lee Lewis.

Vic Briggs then played in England and Germany with a number of bands throughout 1964, until being asked to rejoin The Echoes in early 1965.

In September 1966, Vic Briggs met Jimi Hendrix, shortly after Hendrix had arrived in England.

Hendrix, at the suggestion and request of Chas Chandler to Brian Auger, had sat in with Brian Auger and The Trinity, including Vic Briggs and using Vic Briggs' equipment, at The Scotch of St James club in London.

Vic Briggs had been suggested to Eric Burdon and Mike Jeffery by John Weider, Vic Briggs' former bandmate in the Shel Carson Combo, after Weider had joined Burdon's new band.

Vic Briggs joined Eric Burdon's reconstituted Animals, known as Eric Burdon and The Animals, in November 1966.

Vic Briggs is described by one biographer as being "the most musically adept musician ever to pass through the ranks of the Animals in either of that group's major incarnations".

Between 1967 and 1968, Vic Briggs recorded three albums with Eric Burdon and The Animals, two of which involved song co-writing credit for all members of the band.

Vic Briggs had arranged the music, to the satisfaction of Bacharach and David.

Vic Briggs considered the appearance of the band at the Monterey Pop Festival, in June 1967, as one of his most significant experiences as a musician.

Vic Briggs regarded one of his most exciting performances as being when The Animals played at the Hollywood Bowl, in November 1967.

In 1992, to the consternation of Eric Burdon, Vic Briggs registered a US trademark of "The Animals" band name, and performed under that name with former band members Danny McCulloch and Barry Jenkins.

Since Vic Briggs was himself a professional musician, he was considered by other musicians to have a particular sensitivity, when arranging and producing for them.

None of the albums were successful, which Vic Briggs attributed in part to the lack of support by the record company for new artists.

Bonniwell and his music, including the album produced and arranged by Vic Briggs, later achieved a level of cult status.

Vic Briggs sold all of his guitars, a decision which he later came to regret, and did not own a guitar for nineteen years thereafter.

Vic Briggs first became interested in Indian music through Eric Clapton.

Vic Briggs had first met Clapton in 1966, when Vic Briggs was a member of Steampacket and the band shared the bill with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, where Clapton was the guitarist.

Vic Briggs later purchased the 1965 album by Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, Alla Rakha - Duets.

Vic Briggs was particularly influenced by the sarod playing of Khan, whom he describes as "one of the most emotionally expressive musicians in the world".

Vic Briggs later met Ravi Shankar at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, where Vic Briggs was performing with Eric Burdon and The Animals.

Shankar's performance at the Monterey Pop Festival was the first performance of Indian classical music that Vic Briggs had ever seen.

The second performance of Indian classical music that Vic Briggs attended was that of Ali Akbar Khan in London, later that same year.

Vic Briggs commenced studying Kundalini yoga and Nada yoga, as well as Sikh sacred music.

At the request of Yogi Bhajan, Vic Briggs returned to England in December 1970, to open a yoga studio and to teach Kundalini yoga This was the first studio of Kundalini yoga in England.

Vic Briggs was particularly attracted to the use of the harmonium in Sikh religious music, and commenced learning how to play it.

In 1971, Vic Briggs was formally baptized as a Sikh and chose the name Vikram, to which was added Singh Khalsa.

Vic Briggs was thereafter invited to perform at various Sikh temples throughout England.

Also during this period, Vic Briggs met and later married actress Kirsten Lindholm, who converted to Sikhism.

At the request of Yogi Bhajan, Vic Briggs returned to southern California from England, in the early 1970s.

Vic Briggs attended the Ali Akbar College of Music in Marin County.

In 1979, Vic Briggs performed Sikh religious music throughout northern India and was the first non-Indian to perform kirtan at Harimandir Sahib, which was a very powerful religious moment for him.

The name Antion, which Vic Briggs adopted as a stage name, came to Vic Briggs following his observation of a solar eclipse above the ocean, from a beach at Del Mar, in 1992.

In 2003, Vic Briggs provided an invited review of Sick of Being Me, a novel by Sean Egan, a novelist and journalist with a number of publications in relation to the music industry.