SCOTS band The Ronains have had the seal of approval from a legendary singer after their new single attracted more than 1.8 million views on YouTube.
Rockers Jim Reid and Debi Ronain and their band first recorded House of The Rising Sun in 2019 and their atmospheric video even features their guitarist and ‘brother’ Shaun Scott who sadly passed away not long after the band released the iconic video by Partickular films which can be seen on YouTube.
After notching up millions of views across their social media platforms online, and after it was picked up for Netflix by gangster documentary Faces, the band decided to release it officially for download this week.
They’ve now received a message from original lead singer of The Animals Eric Burdon who had a hit with the song in 1964.
And Eric who is now 82 years old didn’t hold back on how great he thought their version was, with fans now calling it the ‘best version ever’.
After hearing Debi’s vocals Eric wrote in an email: “She's absolutely magnificent, raw and the harsh and acidic qualities you're hearing might just be the result of her unique vocal style and the raw emotion she pours into the song.
That being said, music is subjective, and what matters most is how it connects with the listener.
I Ioved it and loved the style of how the track flowed from start to finish.
This song is nearly 60 years old and it really hits my heart strings, makes me so proud to know young bands are still singing it. Great job. Up The Ronains.”
Eric’s manager also commented: “I let Eric hear your version of the song and I have to say he absolutely loved it. There's been a variety of covers over the years but certainly none as unique as this one and the vocals of the singer are incredible.”
Jim Reid said: ”We’ve had a lot of comments from all over the world saying it’s very possibly the best version ever. We teamed up with Simple Mind’s Gordon Goudie and Rolling Stone’s producer Matt Colton on this which was amazing and we changed the song up a bit at the start and end, adding some extra lyrics. To have the seal of approval from Eric Burden takes things to a different level and we are buzzing.
Debi added: “When I heard the news Eric had listened to the song i was speechless. It’s such an iconic song, thats been covered a million times over so the very fact he heard it and took the time to even email us left me gobsmacked.
He described my vocals exactly the way I wanted them to be received. When I sing that song I do so from the pit of my stomach and feel every word, those lyrics are mighty and if even one person can be moved by them, well then my job is done.”
House of the Rising Sun is available for download on all music platforms now.
https://ditto.fm/house-of-the-rising-sun-the-ronains
https://youtu.be/gDhcUFWNSB0?si=TxEjkgSMIrxm3kzv
