Courtesty Allmusic.com
They were really hot in the ’80s, and now, they’re back to show you what you missed. The self-proclaimed kings of the Southeastern Conference music scene, The White Animals, are returning to Oxford for the first time since 1987 for a show at Proud Larry’s Saturday night.
“When we left (the music scene), there were no CDs or digital downloads,” said Kevin Gray, the lead singer and founder of the White Animals. “People kept telling us how much they wished to hear our sound again and didn’t have any way to get to it. We had to come back and make our music accessible.”
What started as a duo of Gray, who was a resident physician at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, and his guitar teacher Rob Jackson soon became a full time project when guitarist Rich Parks, bassist and booking agent Steve Boyd and drummer Ray Cabtree joined. The White Animals played in cities all across the SEC perimeter and built a passionate fan base along the way.
“We were a band that wanted to have the spirit of punk, in which you are standing on stage, and your fans are right there in front of you,” Gray said.
With influences like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, this band strived to make an imprint on the South.
“In the ’80s, we ruled the SEC towns,” Boyd said. “We were the band your grandparents warned your parents about, only they didn’t listen. By the end of our run, we were headlining campus-wide concerts in every SEC town including (Oxford).”
When asked how they came up with the name The White Animals, Steve Boyd said, “Literally, there was a white cat and a white dog who belonged to a couple of band members. Alternatively, we were paying tribute, as white kids, to the rock/blues style of music the generation before us played that was sometimes derisively referred to as ‘animal music’ in their time, by the Sinatra/Perry Como-listening older set.”
The band started their own label, Dead Beat, and used it to release their own songs. They released their first album “Lost Weekend” in 1982, and after gaining some experience on the road, they released their most selling album, “Ecstasy,” in 1984 and their self-titled last album in 1985.
The band is now returning to one of their many hotspots with the hopes of picking back up. This should be no issue, considering their fans have never left their side, Gray said.
“We used to play tons of shows in Oxford, almost 30 or 40 years ago, and the kids used to run up to meet us,” Gray said. “We enjoyed playing in Oxford.”
Fans replied to this sentiment with comments that not only express their excitement for the band’s return, but also for the good times come to mind when they think of the White Animals.
“I first heard the White Animals in The Gin in Oxford 1981 and have been a fan ever since,” said Mark Caraway from Jackson.
Boyd said he wanted to appeal to the current generation, too, so, with an Ole Miss ID, student tickets are $8 instead of $12.
“We want them to experience the band their parents loved,” Boyd said.
While the band is not opening for the likes of the Talking Heads at the moment, they can still book venues such as Proud Larry’s and the Young Avenue Deli in Memphis where their loyal fan base follows.
Scott Caradine, owner of Proud Larry’s, said the show already sold a large number of tickets and is expected to have a huge crowd.
“We’re excited to see old friends, and you never know who will show up,” Gray said. “That’s the fun part.”
