RARE Peter Noone signed Hermans Hermits SInger autograph 3x5 card with sketch For Sale

This rare 3x5 card features the signature of Peter Noone, the lead singer of Hermans Hermits. The autograph is accompanied by a sketch, making it a unique addition to any music memorabilia collection. The card is an original, and was manufactured in the United States. This item is perfect for fans of music autographs and collectibles. It falls under the categories of Music and Autographs, and is a must-have for any collector. Don\'t miss out on the opportunity to own this rare and authentic piece of music history.
Peter Blair Denis Bernard Noone is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor. He was the lead singer \"Herman\" in the 1960s pop group Herman\'s Hermits. In 2019, Noone won the “Entertainer of the Year” award at the Casino Entertainment Awards in Las Vegas.Peter Blair Denis Bernard Noone (born 5 November 1947)[1] is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor. He was the lead singer \"Herman\" in the 1960s pop group Herman\'s Hermits.
In 2019, Noone won the “Entertainer of the Year” award at the Casino Entertainment Awards in Las Vegas.[2]
Early lifeNoone was born in Davyhulme, Lancashire, England,[1] the second of five children, the son of two accountants,[3] and attended English Martyrs (Urmston), Wellacre Primary School (Flixton), Stretford Grammar School, and St Bede\'s College, Manchester. In an interview, Noone made this comment about his early years: \"My parents had zero input in my career other than to teach me to be independent and to always be honest, steadfast and true and I was steadfast often. I was able to have a perfectly normal teen life ...\"[3]
Noone studied voice and drama at St. Bede\'s College and at the Manchester School of Music,[4] where he won the Outstanding Young Musician Award.
CareerHerman\'s HermitsEarly in his career, he used the stage name Peter Novac. At 15, he became the lead singer, spokesman and frontman of Herman\'s Hermits, who were discovered by Harvey Lisberg.[5] As \"Herman\", the photogenic Noone appeared on the cover of many international publications, including Time Magazine\'s 1965 collage showing new faces in popular music.[6] The Hermits consisted of Noone, Derek “Lek” Leckenby and Keith Hopwood (guitars), Karl Green (bass) and Barry Whitwam (drums).
The band\'s hits included: \"I\'m into Something Good\", \"Can\'t You Hear My Heartbeat\", \"Mrs. Brown, You\'ve Got a Lovely Daughter\", \"Silhouettes\", \"Wonderful World\", \"I\'m Henry the Eighth, I Am\" (in the U.S.), \"There\'s a Kind of Hush\", \"Just a Little Bit Better\", \"A Must to Avoid\", \"Listen People\", \"The End of the World\", \"Dandy\", and \"No Milk Today\". Herman\'s Hermits sold more than 60 million records and had 14 gold singles and seven gold albums. The Hermits were twice named in the U.S. trade paper Cashbox as \"Entertainer of the Year\".
As Herman, Noone performed on hundreds of television programmes and appeared with the Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason, Dean Martin and Danny Kaye television programs. He starred in ABC\'s musical version of The Canterville Ghost, Hallmark Hall of Fame\'s presentation of the classic Pinocchio (in which he played the title role), and three feature films for MGM: Mrs. Brown, You\'ve Got A Lovely Daughter, Hold On! and When The Boys Meet The Girls.Noone at a dairy in the Netherlands, after his gold record for \"No Milk Today\" in 1966They were the opening act of the 1970 Royal Variety Performance from the London Palladium performing a medley of their hits to date followed by their rendition of If I Were a Rich Man, Where is Love? and Old Henry\'s Fish and Chips. They ended with their recent hit There\'s a Kind of Hush.[7]
Solo workAfter Herman\'s Hermits disbanded in 1971, Noone recorded four singles for UK RAK Records, one single for UK and US Philips, and several singles for the small UK record label, Bus Stop Records. His first RAK single, \"Oh You Pretty Thing\", peaked at No.12 in the UK Singles Chart[8] and No. 100 in Australia.[9] It was written by David Bowie, who also played piano on the track. In 1973, Noone made a guest appearance on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour television show.[citation needed]
In 1974, Noone scored a No. 15 US AC and No. 33 Canadian AC([10]) success with \"Meet Me on the Corner Down at Joe\'s Cafe\" on the Casablanca Records label. Earlier in the year, his \"(I Think I\'m Over) Getting Over You\" had reached No. 63 in the Canadian AC charts.[11] In 1989 he had a No. 19 US AC hit with his solo recording of Goffin and King\'s \"I\'m into Something Good\" from the film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. In the 1980s, Noone released a solo album, One of the Glory Boys.
In the 1990s, Noone hosted a television programme, \"My Generation\", on VH1 (British and Irish TV channel), featuring retro music; the programme lasted four years.[12]
As an actor, Noone played a number of roles on television, including that of Stanley Fairclough in the soap opera Coronation Street, leaving that role in 1961.[3][13] Noone also starred as Frederick in The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway in the 1980s, and later, at the Drury Lane Theatre in London’s West End.[14][12] He reprised that role again during a US tour and international touring productions.[15] He also appeared in Romance/Romance as Alfred Von Wilmers in the U.S. National Tour of the Broadway hit.[12]
The TremblersNoone led a short-lived group called the Tremblers that toured in 1980 and released one album, Twice Nightly. Along with Noone, the members of the band were Greg Inhofer (keyboards), Robert Williams (drums, formerly with the Pop), George Conner (lead guitar), and Mark Browne (bass). According to the liner notes of the album, several musicians provided \"licks & tricks,\" including members of Tom Petty\'s Heartbreakers, Elton John\'s backing band, Daryl Dragon, Phil Seymour and Dave Clark. Modern Recording magazine reviewed the album negatively, saying the music bogged down in \"power pop careening into bubblegum\" songs that were not different enough from each other: adolescent lyrics delivered at the same fast tempo, recorded with an uninteresting, barely stereo sound field.[16]Noone sings \"Henry the VIII\" on The Danny Kaye Show, as Kaye appears in the king\'s portrait.SiriusXMAs of January 2023, Noone hosted a weekly, three hour programme of 1960s music and reminiscences on SiriusXM\'s 60s Gold station titled \"Something Good\", titled after the hit song, \"I\'m into Something Good\".[17]
Herman\'s Hermits revivedSince the 1980s, Noone has performed under the name Herman\'s Hermits starring Peter Noone.[18] In 2023, the group was scheduled to perform 108 concerts \"mostly in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Some UK, some France.\"[17]
Personal lifeNoone married Mireille Strasser on 5 November 1968, his twenty-first birthday,[19][20] and has one daughter, Natalie.
Peter Noone was into something good Wednesday evening in Las Vegas, when the Herman’s Hermits frontman was presented with the Entertainer of the Year Award at the 2019 Casino Entertainment Awards.
The British Invasion legend beat out fellow nominees Barry Manilow and country artist Dwight Yoakam for the honor. The ceremony, which took place at the Vinyl club located in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, is held in conjunction with the Global Gaming Expo.
You can check out a photo of Peter receiving the award at his official Instagram page.
Among the many hits Herman’s Hermits released during their 1960s heyday were “I’m Into Something Good,” “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter,” “I’m Henry VIII, I Am” and “There’s a Kind of Hush.” Noone also has acted on Broadway, on London’s West End, in films and on TV.
Peter and the current incarnation of Herman’s Hermits have more than 50 North American concerts on their schedule, which is mapped out through a June 27, 2020, show in Enoch, Alberta, Canada. Not surprisingly, many of the gigs will be held at casinos.
Here are all of the group’s forthcoming North American dates:
10/18 — Branson, MO, Welk Resort Theatre10/26 — Gilbert, AZ, Higley Center for the Performing Arts11/1 — Honolulu, HI, Blue Note Hawaii11/2 — Honolulu, HI, Blue Note Hawaii11/8 — Schenectady, NY, Rivers Casino11/9 — Lynn, MA, Lynn Auditorium11/15 — Jim Thorpe, PA, Penn’s Peak11/17 — Annapolis, MD, Rams Head Tavern11/22 — Manchester, NH, The Palace Theatre11/23 — Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun11/24 — Alexandria, VA, The Birchmere11/29 — Lincoln, CA, Thunder Valley Casino12/7 — St. George, UT, M.K. Cox Performing Arts Center12/13 — Rehoboth Beach, DE, Rehoboth Beach Convention Center12/14 — Clearwater, FL, Ruth Eckerd Hall12/19 — Fort Wayne, IN, The Clyde Theatre12/20 — Mount Pleasant, MI, Soaring Eagle Casino12/21 — Cincinnati, OH, Ludlow Garage
20201/3 — Biloxi, MS, IP Casino And Resort Spa1/5 — Sellersville, PA, Sellersville Theater1/9 — The Woodlands, TX, Dosey Doe1/10 — New Braunfels, TX, Brauntex Theatre1/11 — Waukegan, WI, Genesee Theatre1/17 — Woonsocket, RI, Stadium Theatre1/19 — Miramar Beach, FL, Grand Park Town Center1/25 — Hagerstown, MD, Maryland Theatre1/26 — Venice, FL, Venice Theatre1/27 — Venice, FL, Venice Theatre1/29 — Vero Beach, FL, Emerson Centre1/30 — Fort Myers, FL, Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall1/31 — Clermont, FL, Clermont Performing Arts Center — Mainstage2/1 — Boca Raton, FL, Florida Atlantic U. — Kaye Auditorium2/7 — Orange Park, FL, Thrasher-Horne Center2/8 — Daytona Beach, FL, Peabody Auditorium2/9 — Lecanto, FL, Curtis Peterson Auditorium2/21 — Las Vegas, NV, South Point Casino2/22 — Las Vegas, NV, South Point Casino2/23 — Las Vegas, NV, South Point Casino2/25 — Niagara Falls, ON, Canada, Fallsview Resort Casino2/26 — Niagara Falls, ON, Canada, Fallsview Resort Casino2/27 — Niagara Falls, ON, Canada, Fallsview Resort Casino3/20 — Morristown, NJ, Mayo Performing Arts Center3/21 — Tiffin, OH, The Ritz Theatre3/22 — Akron, OH, Akron Civic Centre Theatre5/3 — Lancaster, PA, American Music Theatre5/15 — Lake Buena Vista, FL, Epcot — America Gardens Theatre5/16 — Lake Buena Vista, FL, Epcot — America Gardens Theatre5/17 — Lake Buena Vista, FL, Epcot — America Gardens Theatre5/18 — Lake Buena Vista, FL, Epcot –America Gardens Theatre5/24 — St. Charles, IL, The Arcada Theatre6/13 — New Hope, PA, New Hope Winery6/27 — Enoch, AB, Canada, River Cree Resort and Casino
KENT KOTAL / FORGOTTEN HITS: As I recall, prior to HERMAN\'S HERMITS, you were fairly well-known as a child actor from a British Television Series.
PETER NOONE: I was in a British TV series called CORONATION STREET and I played the son of one of the leads so I got lots of attention. The show was Number One in the UK and incredibly still is, without me in it since 1961.
FH: Tell me a little bit more about your role on CORONATION STREET ... How were you first signed on to this series? Had you done other acting or commercials prior to this? Was making it as an actor a goal for you at such an early age?PN: I was at Manchester School of Music trying to become a musician. One day someone (?) came to visit the school looking for some kids to be on the telly in Knight Errand (????) I was chosen and then again for another show ... Family Solicitor (I think) and so on and so on and then Coronation Street. I played Stanley Fairclough and remember little other than the incredible professionalism of the assembled cast and when I forgot my lines (often) one of the old crew would say them in their speech and off I would go looking like an actor. This has stood me well.
FH: You mentioned attending Manchester School Of Music … was music an early aspiration?How did your joining HERMAN\'S HERMITS come about ... were you approached by them or did you actually audition for the band? Was the band built around your wanting to expand your career into music or did the \"core\" band already exist? Had you ever sung on the television series prior to joining the band?
PN: I was looking for a band. I was in a band called The Cyclones and we were crap. I saw The Heartbeats. They were a whole level above crap so I ingratiated myself into the band then took it over and fired all the crappy players using skills I still haven\'t learned. I have never successfully auditioned for anything in my career and do not recommend it for anyone who has a spirit, a soul or two balls. They get lost.
FH: Being at such an early age when all this success started, you must have been obligated to succumb to things like Parental Consent and / or advice from Advisors and Managers ... How much input did you personally have early on regarding your own career? Were there ever directions or opportunities that you personally wanted to pursue but felt that, in some way, your parents and/or advisors held you back?PN: My parents had zero input in my career other than to teach me to be independent and to always be honest, steadfast and true and I was steadfast often. I was able to have a perfectly normal teen life and to never overestimate my worth and to compare my every day to that of a forefather and to get on my knees every day and say thank you to someone who they called G-d and I called Arnold. Until recently when I changed his name to Anita.
FH: You had a distinct advantage over some of the other British Pop Stars that were invading America at the time, being as young as you were at the time. Even today, while your biggest hits are now 40 years old, you\'re a mere babe of what, 35???
PN: My advantage was that everybody underestimated me. Being 15, everyone thought I was just a schoolboy hottie and that I would have 2 hits and then go away like the Ryan Twins, but I kept at it and now I am good. My body is 57 but my brain is 17 and I am about 31 ... in the dark.
FH: You were right there at the beginning of the British Invasion, which influenced the next several generations musically ... what were some of YOUR early musical influences?
PN: The Everly Brothers, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Adam Faith.
FH: You personally also had a MAJOR cross-section of fans ... the kids loved the music, the Moms thought you were cute and adorable ... even the GRANDMOTHERS loved you!!! How did you react to that at the time ... and, in hindsight, what do you feel was the reason for such a universal, cross-section appeal? (The mental image of PETER NOONE groupies, aged 12-83 is NOT a pretty picture!!!)
PN: The music was honest and made for 13 to 14 year old girls. Some of them still get to feel happier at my concerts as they recall their youth and the young girls understand because we are selling songs, not thigh wobbling.
FH: I remember my OWN mother loving your music ... and feeling betrayed when cute little PETER NOONE went and had his teeth fixed!!!
PN: Peter Noone never had his teeth fixed! This was a story invented by Rolling Stone because they couldn\'t figure out what we were. I still have ALL my original teeth thanks!
FH: Your music holds up EXTREMELY well today ... these are finely crafted pop songs and they\'ve stood the test of time. How much input did you have into selecting your material for recording? I know that MICKIE MOST gets a LOT of credit (and deservedly so, I might add) for the British acts he was producing at the time ... but what was the \"screening process\" for new material that was being presented to the band?
PN: WE selected the music. WE is Peter Noone and Mick Most. He was a genius and I had good taste.
FH: You\'ve mentioned several times that magazines like 16 and ROLLING STONE fabricated (or embellished) stories at the time to make good press ... but obviously you cooperated with these publications at the time. Can one chalk this up to the old adage that ALL press is GOOD press ... anything to fuel the publicity machine?
PN: Rolling Stone never interviewed me. Being a very independent and far more intelligent member of the British Music Scene, I avoided it and treated it with the contempt it deserved and now deserves, although my Mum gets it now and seems to enjoy it. I never bought it and had the occasion to see the Publisher\'s Office (Jann something) and there was a smashed Who guitar and, of course, that was the closest he ever got to the music business. I liked the writer who wrote the Michael Douglas / Sharon Stone movie because he knew it was about nothing to do with real life, and I bet he has a guitar at his home and not a broken one.
FH: I know that 16 MAGAZINE ran contests offering things like \"Win A Date With Peter Noone,\" etc, etc. What were your thoughts on all this at the time? Did you feel that you had to cooperate with these teen magazines in order to succeed? (I also just read that you were once on the cover of TIME MAGAZINE ... and didn\'t even know it until YEARS later when a fan showed you a copy ... is this a true story???)
PN: I think 16 was more important than anyone realized. Gloria Stavers was probably responsible for the success of The Beatles, The Stones, The Dave Clark Five and, of course, Herman\'s Hermits. She loved the players and she loved the fans, too. And I do mean loved! She thought of her readers as lovely young girls and was protective to the point that she often changed answers so as not to spoil someone\'s side of who the band member was. She was my friend because I appreciate people who like people and she liked and loved her audience. She had a reputation for being a bit of a battle axe but the truth is she was a very nice and lovely person, and I will box anyone who says otherwise. Being a part of an important press tool for anyone with a new act, she had lots of friends and I even remember some of their names ... Danny Fields was one. When she was sick and almost over in this world, I made it my job to have her treated with the respect she deserved and had limos take her to the hospital so she would feel special and my wife and I went often to make her laugh as showbiz turned their backs on her brilliant but now useless (to them) career. I am proud to have been there when she worked her genius.
FH: Back then, your face had to be one of the most INSTANTLY recognizable faces on the planet. Today, in 2005, PETER NOONE can be as \"recognizable\" as he chooses to be ... do you feel sometimes like you \"step into the character of HERMAN\"? I know that when we shared a flight to California you seemed to be able to \"control\" your situation ... you could be somewhat \"anonymous\" if you wanted to be ... or, \"go into character,\" depending on your mood. Are you enjoying a more \"normal\" lifestyle now that you\'re able to step back from the spotlight as the mood strikes you?
PN: Peter Noone is Herman is Peter Noone. I have mood swings and sometimes I am nice and then again I can say \"Fuk off\" if I want. Fuk off!
(Jolly What?!?!? Did PETER NOONE just tell me to \"Fuk Off\"?!?!?!? Now THIS is a new interview experience for me!!! lol)
FH: As a bit of a chart-aholic, I find it somewhat offensive that HERMAN\'S HERMITS are often discounted when recounting the big British Invasion bands of the day ... you ALWAYS hear about THE BEATLES, THE ROLLING STONES, THE KINKS, THE WHO, THE HOLLIES, THE DAVE CLARK FIVE ... yet the TRUTH is that HERMAN\'S HERMITS had (in MANY cases) MORE hits than many of these other bands ... and, in fact, some early HERMITS material was later covered by artists later considered to be more significant like THE YARDBIRDS and THE HOLLIES!
PN: This is because Allen Klein THINKS he owns the product and, as he hates music, he has trodden and traded down the works of not only my band but also the genius of Sam Cooke and anyone else he and his family have decided to steal from to pay for their lifestyle. My revenge is to have a happy life and denounce this fraudulent family at every occasion to the point that people think it is a personal vendetta, but I love my life and I bet his family will pay for their fraud one day. Every time someone asks to use a Herman\'s Hermits song in a movie (eg Naked Gun), I have to go and recreate the music and nothing can beat the original vibe and Allen owns it and hides it. Ever hear a Sam Cooke song in a movie? One of the greatest songs of all time, \"A CHANGE IS GONNA COME\" is never heard. How about all the other stuff he owns, like the CAMEO / PARKWAY tracks. His son and daughter now operate the catalogue in the same vein as their crooked father and one day bad things will surely befall them! (Scumbags!) You would think they would at least ask for permission to re-release all our stolen work, and one day the lawyers we throw money at to get these scum will expose them for who and what they are. I use them as an example to my daughter (who is also intent on being in the music business) of what she should avoid, and to try to always act honestly, unlike them.
FH: HERMAN\'S HERMITS seemed to have been more popular here in The States than they were back at home in England, scoring 18 STRAIGHT TOP 40 HITS!!! (And 13 of those made The National Top Ten!!!) Any thoughts on why that may have been?
PN: Not true ... We had far more hits in the UK. Check your facts. This is a theme developed by 16 Magazine and other irrelevant newspapers like Rolling Stone. The idea that we were more popular in the US than in the UK is totally preposterous and was probably something somebody who warleked at Rolling Stone Magazine said so it became gospel along with all the other nonsense they wrote, incidentally excluding Herman\'s Hermits totally as if we never existed. I went to Jan Wenner\'s office once and was thrilled to see he had a broken Pete Townsend guitar on his wall which is the closest he will ever get to being a musician, no matter how much money his mum gave him.
(EDITOR\'S NOTE: Check out the HERMAN\'S HERMITS HIT LIST at the end of this segment ... you\'ll see just how popular these guys really were!!! And, you can see for yourself just how many hits they had ... and just how BIG those hits were ... here in The States!!! After compiling the list ... and sending it to PETER ... we covered some of the specifics.)
FH: I said earlier that HERMAN\'S HERMITS had more hits in America than Great Britain ... in truth, it appears to be a bit of a wash. HERMAN\'S HERMITS\' original popularity lasted a couple more years in Great Britain than it did here in The States ... but, song for song, our countries were pretty evenly matched. But THREE of your songs that went all the way to #1 here in The States were never even released as singles back home!!! Yet they\'re now amongst your most popular and best-known material. What were your thoughts at the time regarding DIFFERENT singles being released in America vs. what was being released back home?
PN: We made records. Some of them were decidedly more likely to hit the US charts than others. We had hits everywhere in the world and we lived for hit records. I never really worried much about the UK and always wanted to live in the US as an Englishman and become Terry Thomas.
FH: HERMAN\'S HERMITS came along at a time when so many of the British bands were writing their own material yet most of the music you released was written by professional songwriters ... and some VERY big names at that. CAROLE KING and GERRY GOFFIN wrote I\'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD ... P.F. SLOAN wrote A MUST TO AVOID ... even some of the early cover tunes (like SILHOUETTES and SAM COOKE\'s WONDERFUL WORLD) were decidedly American. In fact, HERMAN\'S HERMITS had a number of hit records covering songs by American artists. I\'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD, your first U.S. chart hit (#7 in Cash Box, #13 in Billboard ... and #1 here in Chicago!!!) had just been on the charts four months earlier for EARL-JEAN (ETHEL McCREA of THE COOKIES, who had a couple of Top 20 Hits with some other songs written by CAROLE KING and GERRY GOFFIN, namely CHAINS ... #17, 1962 ... and later covered by THE BEATLES ... and DON\'T SAY NOTHIN\' BAD ABOUT MY BABY ... #7, 1963). THE HERMITS\' version eclipsed EARL-JEAN\'s original chart showing (which only peaked at #38) and soon they were on the way, riding the wave of THE BRITISH INVASION to become one of the most popular British bands to hit here in The States. The following year, they hit The Top 5 (and #1 again here in Chicago) with their remake of THE RAYS\' hit SILHOUETTES. WONDERFUL WORLD, a Top Ten Hit for SAM COOKE in 1960, went all the way to #4 when HERMAN\'S HERMITS recorded it ... and I\'M HENRY THE VIII, I AM, a National #1 Hit Single, dated all the way back to 1911!!! Then you hooked up with some of Britain\'s most prolific songwriters. (GRAHAM GOULDMAN wrote LISTEN PEOPLE, EAST WEST and NO MILK TODAY along with several hits for other British Invasion bands like BUS STOP for THE HOLLIES ... which, if I\'m not mistaken, HERMAN\'S HERMITS actually recorded first. He then went on to record some of his own material as part of 10cc.) GEOFF STEPHENS (who later wrote WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL) wrote THERE\'S A KIND OF HUSH and SUNSHINE GIRL. Was this a conscious transition ... once you were established ... to record the works of British songwriters? You then also worked with RAY DAVIES of THE KINKS (DANDY) and DONOVAN LEITCH (MUSEUM, another one of my favorites.) What was that like? Again, how was this material presented to you? And what was the selection process? Did you have any input as to which tracks would be released as singles?
PN: We recorded every song we could play. There may be 500 horrid recordings sitting in a vault somewhere. We recorded hundreds of songs. We were studio rats. We did them, we threw them away, we polished them, we tried different things with all of them. Some were better than others. At first it was me and The Hermits but after it was discovered that Barry the drummer had a studio problem (time) rather than replace him, (he was a friend and a nice bloke) we used The Hermits less and less, and unfortunately, Mickie Most and I discovered the process was faster if not as much fun and we stupidly left The Hermits out of all the decisions causing them to hate us and I think rightfully so, but in my callousness of youth I thought little of other people\'s feelings and destroyed my friendships in the name of super success, none of which I regret sadly enough, because the recordings are of the moment and I was in the moment and The Hermits weren\'t. At the time I mean. And, at the time, Donovan was in top form ... Ray Davies always was. We loved them and they tolerated us, because we were kids!
FH: It\'s no secret that THE HERMITS did not play on most of your studio recordings but rather \"reproduced\" those sounds on the road. Your \"studio band\" consisted of the EARLIEST stages of half of future headbanger rock and rollers LED ZEPPELIN. What do you remember about working with JIMMY PAGE? (This guy was playing on virtually EVERYTHING as a studio musician at the time!) When I tell people that the classic guitar riff that runs throughout SILHOUETTES was probably played by the legendary JIMMY PAGE, they cannot believe it!!! Also, what was the connection between FOR YOUR LOVE, HERMAN\'S HERMITS and THE YARDBIRDS? (If I\'m not mistaken, ERIC CLAPTON was THE YARDBIRDS\' guitarist at the time of FOR YOUR LOVE ... and, reportedly, even quit the band over their trying \"too pop\" a tune at the time!)
PN: The Hermits played on the songs that they played well on. Sometimes (sometimes) other musicians played on tracks, mostly because the band\'s weakness was our drummer (the nicest guy in the band and therefore irreplaceable) because he had pretty unusual time and was therefore un-overdubbable (my word) so we started using Clem Cattini (Tornadoes) and Jim Page (Yardbirds), John Paul Jones, Herbie Flowers and whoever was around at the time. Lek is the guitarist on For Your Love so you can see he was very good. Eric, I think, quit the Yardbirds because they had no work. You guys really need to understand the financial side of being a rock star in the \'60s. I think the Yardbirds got 30 quid a night.
FH: So, can you confirm then, once and for all, if JIMMY PAGE is the one who played the guitar riff on your original version of SILHOUETTES?
PN: Jim played on Silhouettes and Wonderful World and, once Karl Green faded, he was replaced on ALL the recordings by John Paul Jones, who also arranged almost everything and was our genius.
(And there you have it ... right from the horse\'s mouth, as it were ... that IS JIMMY PAGE doing the cool little guitar licks on SILHOUETTES!!!)
EDITOR\'S NOTE: After this piece originally ran, it was brought to our attention that the on-going guitar riff that runs throughout HERMAN\'S HERMITS\' version of SILHOUETTES was actually performed by British Studio Guitar Whiz VIC FLICK. VIC and PETER BOTH confirmed this new piece of information in later editions of our FORGOTTEN HITS Newsletter. (At ONE point, there was even some speculation that VIC FLICK had SHOWN JIMMY PAGE the repetitive riff that runs throughout the song ... and then later it was debated as to whether or not PAGE was present at the recording session at all!!!) Certainly memories fade after 40+ years ... but the general consensus when all sides were presented is that it was VIC FLICK ... and NOT JIMMY PAGE ... who handled the guitar duties on the HERMAN\'S HERMITS version of SILHOUETTES.
FH: All of the musical history books always seem to play up the fact that the JIMMY PAGE version of THE YARDBIRDS eventually evolved into LED ZEPPELIN … but, infact PAGE and JOHN PAUL JONES had been working with HERMAN\'S HERMITS for years PRIOR to this new venture. I asked PETER NOONE if HE was surprised by the new direction his fellow recording mates took:
PN: Jimmy Page only played on a couple of sessions ... Silhouettes and Wonderful World. John Paul Jones was the arranger and bass player on a load of stuff and even joined the band for one short German tour (The Hermits were afraid of him!) I can list all his arranged and played on songs when I am at home and can look at my memory. Peter Grant (ex-Herman\'s Hermits Tour Manager) was chatting about Led Zeppelin for ages before they broke and nobody who knew Peter or any of the Led Zeppelin guys doubted they would become huge. I remember hearing other singers being touted around who were signed to Mick Most and my only surprise was how long they stayed alive!
FH: In concert you most often cite THE END OF THE WORLD as your favorite HERMAN’S HERMITS recording. What are some of your other favorites?
PN: I\'m Into Something Good, for its pure pop honesty ... and No Milk Today, which is the PERFECT Herman record.
(We will discuss a number of PETER\'s recording studio memories at the end of this piece! Stay tuned!!!)
FH: Are there any songs that you felt SHOULD have been bigger hits than they were ... or maybe a couple of songs that you feel weren\'t given the chance that you\'re especially proud of?
PN: I think the end of Herman\'s Hermits was Allen Klein. It became a constant thorn in the side of the band that we made records that were number one in the USA AND WE GOT A GOLD RECORD BUT NO CHECK TO GO WITH IT. We decided to stop giving the US records thinking that this would make them pay up, but actually that was their plan all along. Remember, Allen Klein was a bag carrier auditor. My mum and dad did the same thing so I know how it works. He weaseled his way into every band\'s office and lied and cheated us all and now his children are spending the royalties from I\'m Henry the VIII I Am. Why don\'t you ask them how they can justify never having paid Herman\'s Hermits? That is a real story for you! I am fortunate because I actually made a lot of money, but think of Derek Leckenby\'s family when they hear a record of their late father\'s on the radio and imagine Klein\'s children getting paid for the sale??????????? I hope Lennon was right about karma.
FH: ALLEN KLEIN is probably BEST known for his associations with THE BEATLES and THE ROLLING STONES (good, bad or otherwise.) How did HERMAN\'S HERMITSfirst come to be involved with him? Wasn\'t it pretty much the contracts of HERMAN\'S HERMITS and THE ANIMALS that he first picked up?
PN: No idea who was first but look at all the music he has touched (even Cameo / Parkway and Sam Cooke) and you will see unhappiness everywhere with the exception being The Stones, who have overcome his deft and dastardly skills. He should be remembered as the destroyer of bands. Can you name a band he has been involved with who haven\'t had shit happen?
FH: This HAD to have been perceived as a GOOD thing at the time, no??? A big step forward for the band? Big, successful, rich American businessman with a proven track record takes on British artists like HERMAN\'S HERMITSand THE ANIMALS ... when and where did things start to go sour?
PN: His trick was to tell everyone he could save us taxes. That\'s all. No musical knowledge other than he was a cash register expert and can play it better than anyone and maybe his son can play it, too, so it will continue.
FH: I\'ve got absolutely NO problem covering the ALLEN KLEIN thing in greater detail either ... it\'s something I\'ve never understood since (greedy bastard that he is) HE would make more money, too, by licensing out this material!!! (Makes absolutely NO sense to me!)(EDITOR\'S NOTE: I asked this particular question four or five times before I got ANY kind of answer ... with no further explanation than this, here is what PETER NOONEhad to say):
PN: He is an accountant. Both my parents were accountants and I heard them discuss taxes but they always said it was a good idea to pay them rather than have them disappear.
FH: While many other artists were dabbling in that whole psychedelic genre, HERMAN\'S HERMITS remained true to their roots and continued to release great \"pop\" songs. Did you ever want to \"experiment\" more in the studio, as was certainly the way at that time … or was this more of a conscious decision to \"not mess around with what was working\"? Were there ever any angry outbursts in the late \'60\'s about taking more control of your music? (Unfortunately, such control has often spelled the END of many of these artists who thought that they now knew better than the professionals who had guided their careers to the heights they achieved ... that\'s gotta be a double-edged sword of sorts!)
PN: I made a conscious decision in 1963 to be a pop singer and to sing the music of the 14 and 15 and 16 year old girls. I was proud of my choice. I played psychedelic music for my own pleasure and even had a go at a couple of tracks but Sunshine Girl is still considered a pop song.(FOR THE RECORD: SUNSHINE GIRL was a #8 British Hit but stiffed here in The States where it peaked at #82.)
FH: FORGOTTEN HITS has existed for the past seven years by reminding music fans out there about some of the GREAT music that just doesn\'t get played on the radio anymore due to the tight playlists dictated by those who control the Oldies Radio stations ... instead, we get the same 50-60 songs over and over and over again. As I mentioned to you earlier in my first email, a good part of HERMAN\'S HERMITS\' appeal to ME is some of the lesser-known, lesser-played material like EAST, WEST, LISTEN PEOPLE, JUST A LITTLE BIT BETTER and LEANING ON THE LAMP POST ... the stuff that you cleverly refer to as \"the rubbish\" on stage.
PN: Only I am allowed to call anything of mine RUBBISH. As long as I continue to tour, the songs will stay alive despite the fact that ABKCO does not promote them. EMI released a great CD this year and I sell it on the road and on my website and promote it as a great Herman\'s Hermits CD. I have never knowingly promoted an ABKCO CD by anyone who they have on their roster because I know they steal all the money and live in Scarsdale waiting for what g-d has ready for them or their offspring.FH: Speaking of HERMAN\'S HERMITS in concert, you seem to draw a wide range of audience members again ... now you\'ve got kids who\'ve grown up listening to your music and know every word because this is the music that their parents ... who were THERE at the time ... play at home. I\'ve seen you several times now these past few years and it is ALWAYS a fantastic show. You genuinely seem to be having fun up there ... (and your guitarist is TOTALLY crazy by the way!!!) I can\'t do a proper interview and NOT address the fact that there WAS a period of time where you deliberately tried to DISTANCE yourself from the HERMAN\'S HERMITS material ... even starting a NEW band called THE TREMBLERS and refusing to play HERMAN\'S HERMITS material. Have you embraced your roots again? I\'m sure touring as much as you do, performing all the hits, earns you a good living, but are there times when you still long to be accepted as a \"contemporary artist\"? Aspirations to record some NEW material? Are there some HERMAN\'S HERMITS songs that you\'re just sick and tired of performing?!?!? (LOL)
PN: The Tremblers was a way for me to go out and have fun and it led me back to Herman which was a surprise and I needed a break to understand how good I had been as Herman and that Peter Noone is Herman is Peter Noone!
FH: If I\'m not mistaken, during some of the time that you had \"retired\" HERMAN there for a while, a group performing as HERMAN\'S HERMITS (WITHOUT PETER NOONE?!?!?!?) was doing a lot of British Invasion Revival Shows. How did THAT come about? Why would ANYBODY go see HERMAN\'S HERMITS without PETER NOONE ... PETER NOONE WAS HERMAN\'S HERMITS ... that\'s the WHOLE sound!!! Was there legal action taken to stop this? Were any of the original HERMITS involved in this? How has this affected your relationship with the old members of your band? Do you still keep in contact with any of them today? Are any of them still involved in the music business?
PN: The world is now full of disgraceful shots at passing off people as the band. We have The Animals drummer calling his band The Animals. Many people would argue (rightly) that The Animals was Eric Burdon and Alan Price and perhaps Hilton Valentine. Nobody would call John Steel the focus so therefore I am saddened that people see what they THINK is The Animals and it isn\'t. There is a band called Herman\'s Hermits which also features a drummer named Barry Whitwam. Barry was a nice guy but was never a focal point of anything musically at Herman\'s Hermits and is not even on 89% of the recordings and wasn\'t even at the sessions! This is disgraceful behaviour but is protected by a legal system that consistently prove they do not like music and it is only a way for them to buy a car and a pool, and not to present music as art.
FH: Do you still associate with any of your \"contemporaries\" from back in the day? I know you\'re sometimes packaged in oldies shows with other British artists ... who were you closest to back in the \'60\'s ... and who have you remained close with (or are closest with) today?PN: I associate with everyone who is alive. I run into everyone at funerals or Albert Hall concerts. I saw Charlie Watts at a concert and asked him how his little girl was, and he said, \"Peter? My little girl is 45!\" I saw everyone at Mickie\'s funeral. Page, Beck, John Paul Jones, The Pretenders, Donovan, Lulu and I was happy to say that Mickie chose Hi Ho Silver Lining by Jeff and two Herman\'s Hermits songs to play after Lucille by Richard Penniman.FH: I, for one, absolutely LOVED the remake you did of I\'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD and the video (with LESLIE NIELSEN) for THE NAKED GUN ... that seemed to be the point where you sort of \"became\" HERMAN again. How did all of that come about? (I know that you mentioned earlier the reason for having to re-record this track ... and I personally happen to think it\'s a GREAT remake ... I\'ve been looking for a copy for YEARS!!!) How were you first approached about working on this project? I especially love the video. That had to be good fun.PN: Back to Klein ... They wanted to use the song in the movie. Klein declined because he knew he would have to ACCOUNT TO SOMEBODY (eg Paramount). As he hates to account to anyone, because he can\'t cheat and lie, he had to say no. The producers and writers contacted me with their story and I said, \"I can make a copy exactly like the original and nobody will be able to tell the difference.\" When it was done, we decided you couldn\'t tell the difference so we took off the guitar and replaced it with a whahhoo machine so Klein wouldn\'t say it was the original. It\'s a tragedy that Klein and his witless children stop all the product they control from being in movies so they can steal ALL the money. A question: Have any songs under the Klein families\' control ever been used in movies, commercials, tv shows? Doesn\'t anyone ever wonder why? Surely there would be one Herman\'s Hermits song, one Animals song. One song from a Cameo / Parkway artist, one Sam Cooke song, just one, that would work in a motion picture????(EDITOR\'S NOTE: Again, I\'m unclear here ... wouldn\'t ALLEN KLEIN have even MORE \"money to steal\" if he licensed these songs for theatrical use??? I\'m confused!)
FH: Speaking of movies, some people don\'t realize that HERMAN\'S HERMITS appeared in a couple of movies back in the \'60\'s ... what was it like making the transition to \"movie star\"? (Having started out as an actor, was this an easy transition for you?) Obviously, the HERMAN\'S HERMITS movies were more \"romps\" than serious acting ... but have you pursued acting over the past 25 years? Is that something you would be interested in?PN: Read the bio. Rock movies were romps where 1) The Beatles ran away from girls; 2) The Dave Clark Five ran away from girls; and 3) Herman ran away from girls. Do you think we didn\'t slow down for the healthy ones? That was acting.FH: Back in 1965, HERMAN\'S HERMITS went out on tour with THE WHO. back in 1965. At the time, HERMAN\'S HERMITS were one of the biggest, most well-known, best-selling International acts on the planet ... and THE WHO were pretty much complete unknowns outside the London Club Scene. In fact, touring with HERMAN\'S HERMITS was one of their first big breaks!!! (With all their on-stage theatrics and hi-jinks, this almost sounds like JIMI HENDRIX opening for THE MONKEES in hindsight ... but back in \'65 we didn\'t care about ANY of that ... as long as it was British!!!) A couple of our readers previously mentioned that they attended some of these early HERMITS / WHO concert dates ... but I couldn\'t help but wonder what this experience was that like for a young and impressionable PETER NOONE?!?! I mean, this had to be a HUGE step forward from THE WHO\'s perspective ... a MAJOR tour in the U.S., opening up for one of the premier British Invasion bands! Who could have known at the time that they would develop into such a long-standing rock institution ... branching out from the \"pop\" scene with things like rock operas and Woodstock? What kind of memories do you recall regarding these early days of The British Invasion?PN: So you will better understand the period of The Who when they toured with Herman\'s Hermits, they opened with Barbara Ann, which was sung by Keith Moon! Remember that before Tommy, The Who were what was called a pop group who relied on hit singles to make money from tours. Up until about \'68 almost all touring groups needed a hit single to even get dates. Same with The Blues Magoos, who were on the same USA tour simply because they had a fabulous pop hit that summer. The Who were well known to Herman\'s Hermits because we saw them often on the same British TV shows that ALL British bands did if they had a hit single. I was impressed with The Who and when it was suggested that they would be the perfect act to tour with us, I agreed, as I was already a fan of the whole \"mod thing\" they were doing at the time. The single they released for the tour was either Happy Jack or Pictures of Lily, both of which could easily have been singles for Herman\'s Hermits. We had always had an unusual act on our bills. We had the Animals and Wayne Fontana and The Hollies basically because we knew them and liked them. The Who were obviously one of the most amusing and talented British bands but were trapped in a small arena (Europe), and their US label needed some pushing and I think Kit and Chris (their managers) knew that the label would get interested if their boys did a tour playing to a million American people. That was how it was done in those days before American Idol remember! One played to as many people as one could in the shortest time possible. The Who were the perfect compliment to us, because we were so different. The Animals were different, too. In those days of yore, it was necessary to be DIFFERENT!!! We were different. Many of the audiences came to see Herman\'s Hermits and discovered The Who, so I think it worked. Pete Townshend was writing Tommy on the tour and I think he gained a huge amount of experience from seeing how I was able to function on a daily basis, despite the madness, and I am proud to say that I asked my agent (Premier Talent) to represent them and they did. At the time I was offered a percentage from some agent but I declined and I am proud of that, too. My agent eventually got my three fave acts of the period -- Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and The Who. I had good taste. He was a great agent.
After our article ran in The British Publication, THE BEAT, original HERMAN\'S HERMITS Drummer BARRY WHITWAM wrote a scathing Letter to the Editor, coming down on PETER for \"falsely\" representing the TRUE history of the band. In his letter, he put a number of words in PETER\'s mouth ... words that PETER NEVER said during the course of our interview. Naturally, I then became outraged ... and decided to call BARRY on the carpet for these accusations. In fact, I offered to take each and every contention point by point and address them one by one ... but BARRY never responded to a single one of my emails. Meanwhile, PETER NOONE tried to explain (as best as HE could) the legal and personal issues surrounding BARRY\'s HERMITS ... in fact, at one point, original HERMITS Guitarist KEITH HOPWOOD even became involved!!! Along the way, we stirred up a bunch of old, bitter memories ... but we ALSO came closer to the truth ... and the LEGAL decisions that now both divide and identify these bands.
MORE TO COME REGARDING THIS ON-GOING CONTROVERSY AND BATTLE ...
Meanwhile, you can listen to MASON RAMSEY\'s Interview with Original HERMAN\'S HERMITS Drummer BARRY WHITWAM on ROCKANDROLLHEAVEN.net ...
Click here: RockandRollHeaven.net - JST KLSXAir Dates = Saturday, September 20th and Sunday, September 21st
(4 PM West Coast Time, 5 PM Mountain Time, 6 PM Central Time and 7 PM Eastern Time)
The HERMAN\'S HERMITS HIT LIST1964I\'m Into Something Good (USA-7/Cash Box; CHI-1, UK-1)Show Me Girl (USA-xx; CHI-xx; UK-19)
1965Can\'t You Hear My Heartbeat (USA-1/Cash Box; CHI-3; UK-xx)Silhouettes (USA-5/Billboard & Cash Box; CHI-1; UK-3)Mrs. Brown, You\'ve Got A Lovely Daughter (USA-1/Billboard & Cash Box; CHI-1; UK-xx)Wonderful World (USA-4/Billboard; CHI-3; UK-7)I\'m Henry The VIII, I Am (USA-1/Billboard & Cash Box; CHI-2; UK-xx)Just A Little Bit Better (USA-7/Billboard; CHI-2; UK-15)
1966A Must To Avoid (USA-6/Cash Box; CHI-5; UK-6)Listen People (USA-3/Billboard & Cash Box; CHI-3; UK-xx)You Won\'t Be Leaving (USA-xx; CHI-xx; UK-20)Leaning On The Lamp Post (USA-8/Cash Box; CHI-9; UK-xx)This Door Swings Both Ways (USA-10/Cash Box; CHI-9; UK-18)Dandy (USA-5/Billboard; CHI-6; UK-xx)East, West (USA-15/Cash Box; CHI-7; UK-37)
1967There\'s A Kind Of Hush (USA-3/Cash Box; CHI-2; UK-7)No Milk Today (USA-33/Cash Box; CHI-xx; UK-7 in 1966)Don\'t Go Out Into The Rain (USA-13/Cash Box; CHI-22; UK-xx)Museum (USA-21/Cash Box; CHI-28; UK-xx)
1968I Can Take Or Leave Your Loving (USA-21/Cash Box; CHI-16; UK-11)Sleepy Joe (USA-54/Cash Box; CHI-xx; UK-12)Sunshine Girl (USA-82 / Cash Box; CHI-xx; UK-8)The Most Beautiful Thing In My Life (USA-131 / Billboard; CHI-xx; UK-xx)Something\'s Happening (USA-130 / Billboard; CHI-xx; UK-6)
1969My Sentimental Friend (USA-xx; CHI-xx; UK-2)Here Comes The Star (USA-xx; CHI-xx; UK-33)
1970Years May Come, Years May Go (USA-xx; CHI-xx; UK-7)Bet Yer Life I Do (USA-xx; CHI-xx; UK-23)Lady Barbara (USA-xx; CHI-xx; UK-13)Can you believe that THREE of HERMAN\'S HERMITS\' Biggest #1 Hits here in America were NEVER released as singles back home in the U.K.?!?!? Incredibly, it\'s true ... British teens NEVER had a chance to buy CAN\'T YOU HEAR MY HEARTBEAT, MRS. BROWN, YOU\'VE GOT A LOVELY DAUGHTER or I\'M HENRY THE VIII, I AM on a 45!!!After our interview piece first ran, I had the opportunity to talk with PETER about some of the other best known HERMAN\'S HERMITS singles ... as well as some of HIS personal favorites. Some of THOSE comments and memories are shared below:
NO MILK TODAY was released as a single in its own right back home in Jolly Ol\' England back in October of 1966 ... four months before THERE\'S A KIND OF HUSH hit the British Chart. It rose to #7 in the U.K. and, in PETER NOONE\'s own words, is one of his favorite HERMITS recordings: (He told me \"No Milk Today is the PERFECT HERMITS record.\" Ironically, in concert, NOONE most-often cites their version of THE END OF THE WORLD as his favorite ... and he really DOES like their recording of this tune ... but he confided to me that, next to I\'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD for its pure pop genius, NO MILK TODAY is his absolute FAVORITE HERMAN\'S HERMITS recording.) We also uncovered this little bit of HERMAN\'S HERMITS / NO MILK TODAY trivia during our talks:
FORGOTTEN HITS: The only \"charted\" HERMAN\'S HERMITS\' B-SIDE here in America was NO MILK TODAY, which was a BIG hit in its own right in Great Britain ... it\'s also one of my favorites (and I love the bit about your Mum in the tub from your stage show!) Would you have preferred that this was released as a single on its own here in the States?
PETER NOONE: No Milk Today was Herman\'s Hermits\' best single and was put together by John Paul Jones, Mickie Most and me with Keith and Karl doing the back grounds. It was our biggest selling record worldwide and was a B-side in the US because some boy band covered \"There\'s A Kind Of Hush\" and put it out in Ohio so we were afraid the radio wouldn\'t play \"There\'s A Kind Of Hush\" by us and we threw away No Milk in the US.
(We later learned that the Ohio band PETER was referring to was a pre-teen trio of brothers called GARY AND THE HORNETS. Ironically, THEIR version of THERE\'S A KIND OF HUSH never even CHARTED!!! As such, NO MILK TODAY was wasted here in The States as a B-Side, ultimately peaking at #33 while THERE\'S A KIND OF HUSH went all the way to #3.)
PETER NOONE: No Milk Today became a B-Side because Mick most didn\'t actually like the song that much. It had been turned down by The Hollies so he thought it had something missing. Personally I think it is Herman\'s Hermits best recording, and perfectly captures the moment and the feel of Manchester terraced houses and what was the end of a British era. I recall it was made at Lansdown studios and that we recorded a few other songs that day . Probably There\'s A Kind Of Hush, Dandy and No Milk Today. This was in the period where we (Mick and I) had just stopped using The Hermits on the recordings and were using the best musicians available to us to try to keep up with what had suddenly become The British Invasion. We were supposed to deliver 48 tracks a year to MGM so we were always scrambling to catch up. I recall that John Paul Jones played bass guitars (an upright and a fender bass) on the tracks and was also responsible for the arrangements which I dare say are brilliant on all three tracks but I know he liked No Milk Today and I would suggest that his arrangement turned this perfect Graham Gouldman song into a hit. I think that after we had the tracks down then I did the lead vocal and then Karl Green, Keith Hopwood and I did the backgrounds, the songs were mixed and that was it. I hope I am not rambling on too much , but i am happy to have this opportunity to state the facts as to who played what and when on our records.(EDITOR’S NOTE: Several years later, PETER NOONE would produce a version of NO MILK TODAY for its songwriter, GRAHAM GOULDMAN! We were able to feature THIS rarity in our FORGOTTEN HITS Newsletter as well!)
Another one of PETER NOONE\'s personal favorites is the HERMAN\'S HERMITS recording of THE END OF THE WORLD, the old SKEETER DAVIS song. It was released here in The States as the B-SIDE to their chart-topping hit, I\'M HENRY THE VIII, I AM back in 1965 ... and it seems to remain both a fan favorite as well as a PETER NOONE favorite. (DIDJAKNOW?: Despite being one of their biggest U.S. hits ever, I\'M HENRY THE VIII, I AM was NEVER released as a single back in England!!!)
PETER NOONE: Let me give you a little background on Herman\'s Hermits’ recording of The End of the World -- Early days in The Heartbeats, Keith Hopwood and I (he was a telephone engineer and I was still at school) listened to the Skeeter Davis version and learned the chords and some of the words and added it to our repertoire. We also learned I\'ll Never Dance Again (a Bobby Rydell B-Side, I think) and many other songs that no other local bands played. I believe that I\'ll Never Dance Again and The End of the World were actually discovered by the original singer of The Heartbeats (Malcolm something) and I would like to commend him for his excellent taste in music and also for not showing up that fateful night when I replaced him forever. I doubt if much of Herman’s Hermits’ version resembles the Skeeter Davis version because after a song gets played live a lot it usually becomes a hybrid, which is why some oldies acts completely miss the plot and forget to listen to the original recordings. I wonder why it ended up as a B-Side anyway. We usually used one of The Hermits’ written songs for the B-Sides. The B-Sides were always left to The Hermits and we did what we could and I am proud of all of them except Truck Stop Mamma and I walked out of that session because Herman cannot sing about a Truck Stop Mama.
FORGOTTEN HITS: Are there any other interesting stories behind some of your hit songs that you’d like to share with our readers?
PETER NOONE: The Herman\'s Hermits version of WONDERFUL WORLD was recorded as a tribute, the day after Sam was murdered in the
USA. At the same recording session THE ANIMALS recorded BRING IT ON HOME TO ME. A tribute !!! We were fans of his music so we did tributes. We didn\'t want to make the best recording as we all knew that SAM\'S recording WAS and ALWAYS will be the BEST recording. I should state here for the record, that I do not believe the music business is a competition. American Idol is a competition. I was never on it, and neither were any of my colleagues or fellow members of the so called British Invasion. Musicians do not compete.(EDITOR\'S NOTE: I MUST point out that a year after this portion of our interview was conducted, PETER NOONE DID, in fact, appear on the hit television series AMERICAN IDOL as one of the \"mentors\", counseling the young singing wannabes on their selections from The British Invasion. While it was GREAT to see our hero back up center stage on such a contemporary program (along with \'60\'s Female Singing Sensation LULU) ... and the song selection that week was VERY entertaining ... the general consensus AFTERWARDS was that the show DIDN\'T work well in that format. Sadly, it\'s hard to get kids to \"feel\" very much for music that was recorded, in SOME cases, as much as 30 YEARS before they were even born!!!)
PETER NOONE: Please try to remember that we all loved Sam Cooke, and others and never wanted to compete. Every one of the bands who made up the British Invasion were influenced by the same singers (mostly American). We stole, used,borrowed and adored them. As a 13 year old I took a 5 hour bus ride to see Sam, who wore a turquoise suit and sang almost everyone I had heard until that day to shame. Having all of his recordings (ALL means ALL) from his earlier career I was a bit disappointed that he hadn\'t even referred to them in his concert, only to find out later, that he had no idea that anyone in England knew anything about his gospel music or had ever heard of that period of his career. A true gentleman was Sam, and when Rod Stewart borrowed his voice and loaned it to Steve from Journey, I was happy that at last he was known by everyone. Anyone who knows Sam\'s history becomes a fan. He was the MAN!
FH: Several folks on our music list have written in asking about the “special effects” used to achieve that sound on the guitar for your big hit MRS. BROWN, YOU’VE GOT A LOVELY DAUGHTER. What can you tell us about that?
PN: There is an unlikely story that the fake Hermits tell about Derek Leckenby. He DID NOT put a duster under the bridge of his guitar to get the Mrs. Brown sound! That was KEITH HOPWOOD and he used a Gretsch Country Gentleman which had a damper as standard equipment and that’s how he got the sound. For some unknown reason the unHerman\'s Hermits tell a strange and untrue story during their live shows about a duster, and this DID NOT happen. If any of you saw a fake Herman and he told this story, you got CONNED!!! And I hope he was good.
Peter Blair Denis Bernard Noone is a multi-talented entertainer, who has been delighting audiences nearly all his life. He was born in Manchester, England, where he studied voice and acting at St. Bede’s College and the Manchester School of Music and Drama. As a child, he played “Stanley Fairclough” in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. He was also featured in the television series Knight Errant, Family Solicitor and Monro’s Saki Stories.
At the age of fifteen, Peter achieved international fame as “Herman”, lead singer of the legendary Sixties pop band Herman’s Hermits. His classic hits included: “I’m Into Something Good” “Mrs. Brown, you’ve Got A Lovely Daughter”, “I’m Henry VIII, I Am”, “Silhouettes”, “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat”, “Just A Little Bit Better”, “Wonderful World”, “There’s A Kind of Hush”, “A Must To Avoid”, “Listen People”, “The End of the World” and “Dandy”. Ultimately, Herman’s Hermits sold over sixty million recordings. In all, fourteen singles and seven albums went gold. The Hermits were twice named Cashbox’s “Entertainer of the Year”.
Herman\'s Hermits are an English rock and pop group formed in 1963 in Manchester and fronted by singer Peter Noone. Known for their jaunty beat sound and Noone\'s often tongue-in-cheek vocal style, the Hermits charted with numerous transatlantic hits in the UK and in America, where they ranked as one of the most successful acts in the Beatles-led British Invasion. Between March and August 1965 in the United States, the group logged twenty-four consecutive weeks in the Top Ten of Billboard\'s Hot 100 with five singles, including the two number ones \"Mrs. Brown You\'ve Got a Lovely Daughter\" and \"I\'m Henry VIII, I Am\".
Their other international hits in the 1960s include \"I\'m into Something Good\" (their sole UK number one), \"Can\'t You Hear My Heartbeat\", the two covers \"Silhouettes\" and \"Wonderful World\", \"A Must to Avoid\", \"Listen People\", \"No Milk Today\", \"There\'s a Kind of Hush\", \"I Can Take or Leave Your Loving\", \"Something\'s Happening\" and \"My Sentimental Friend\", all of which were produced by Mickie Most. Herman\'s Hermits also appeared in four films, two of which were vehicles for the band.
HistoryEarly daysHerman\'s Hermits was formed from two different local bands. Keith Hopwood (Rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Karl Green (lead guitar, backing vocals), Alan Wrigley (bass), Steve Titterington (drums) and Peter Noone (lead vocals) came from the Heartbeats where Hopwood had replaced rhythm guitarist Alan Chadwick.[2] The second-youngest member of a young group (four months older than Karl Green who was originally in the Balmains),[2] 15-year-old Noone was already an experienced actor on the popular British TV soap opera Coronation Street. Derek \"Lek\" Leckenby (lead guitar) and Barry Whitwam (drums) (born Jan Barry Whitwam) joined later from another local group, the Wailers. Whitwam replaced Titterington on drums, Green switched to bass guitar (replacing Wrigley) and Leckenby took over for Green as lead guitarist. After Leckenby joined the band, the group made a deal with producer Mickie Most and signed with EMI\'s Columbia label in Europe and MGM Records in the United States.[3]
The band\'s name came from a resemblance, noted by a publican in Manchester, England, between Noone and Sherman from the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. Sherman was shortened to Herman and then became Herman and His Hermits, which was soon shortened to Herman\'s Hermits.[4]
1960s fameHarvey Lisberg discovered them and signed on as their manager. He sent a plane ticket to London record producer Mickie Most so that he could fly to see the band play in Bolton. Most, already successful with the Animals, became the group\'s producer and controlled the band\'s output. He emphasised a simple and non-threatening clean-cut image.
Their chart debut was a cover of Gerry Goffin and Carole King\'s \"I\'m into Something Good\" (a then-recent US Top 40 hit for Earl-Jean). In September 1964, it replaced the Kinks\' \"You Really Got Me\" at number one in the UK singles chart and in December reached no. 13 in the US. The Hermits never topped the British charts again. However, in America in 1965—when Billboard magazine ranked them America\'s top singles act of the year (with the Beatles at no. 2)—they topped the Hot 100 with two non-UK releases: \"Mrs. Brown You\'ve Got a Lovely Daughter\" and \"I’m Henry VIII, I Am” (a remake of the 1910 Cockney-style music hall song \"I\'m Henery the Eighth, I Am\"). The no. 12 debut of \"Mrs. Brown\" on the Hot 100 in April 1965 was the decade\'s third highest (behind the Beatles\' \"Hey Jude\" and \"Get Back\").Cashbox advertisement, September 26, 1964The band played on most of its singles, including \"I\'m into Something Good\", \"Can\'t You Hear My Heartbeat\", \"Mrs. Brown You\'ve Got a Lovely Daughter\", \"I\'m Henry VIII, I Am\" (said at the time to be \"the fastest-selling song in history\"),[5] \"A Must to Avoid\", \"Listen People\", \"You Won\'t Be Leaving\" and \"Leaning on a Lamp Post\". Leckenby soloed on \"Henry\" and Hopwood played rhythm guitar on \"Mrs. Brown\".[6] Despite the group\'s competent musicianship, some subsequent singles employed session musicians – including Big Jim Sullivan, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Vic Flick and Bobby Graham – with contributions from the band, although the role of session players on Herman\'s Hermits records has been exaggerated in the rock media[citation needed] and in liner notes on the 2004 ABKCO Records compilation Retrospective (which does not credit the Hermits\' playing). Mickie Most used session musicians on many records he produced; this was industry practice then.[7]
Between late 1964 and early 1968, Herman\'s Hermits never failed to reach the Top 40 in the States. Six of their 11 US Top Tens were not released as A-side singles in their native UK, including the two aforementioned number ones plus \"Can\'t You Hear My Heartbeat\" (no. 2), \"Listen People\" (no. 3), a cover of Noel Gay\'s 1937 song \"Leaning on a Lamp-post\" (no. 9, under the title \"Leaning on the Lamp Post\") and their version of Ray Davies\'s \"Dandy\" (no. 5). Conversely they hit big in Britain between 1968 and 1970 with several major hits which failed to register in America, among them the four Top Tens \"Sunshine Girl\" (no. 8), \"Something\'s Happening\" (no. 6), \"My Sentimental Friend\" (no. 2) and \"Years May Come, Years May Go\" (no. 7). Their final UK hit, \"Lady Barbara\" (no. 13), released in the autumn of 1970, was credited to \'Peter Noone & Herman\'s Hermits\'.A photo of Hermans Hermits in 1965.
Herman\'s Hermits circa 1965In America the group appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show and The Jackie Gleason Show. The group\'s US records were released by MGM Records, which often showcased its musical performers in MGM films. The band appeared in several movies. [8] On screen the Hermits featured opposite Connie Francis in When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965) and starred outright in Hold On! (1966) — featuring one song performed by co-star Shelley Fabares and nine by the Hermits, including the title track — and Mrs. Brown, You\'ve Got a Lovely Daughter (1968). They also appeared in the 1965 British music revue film Pop Gear. P. F. Sloan wrote the Hermits soundtrack title track to the 1966 film Hold On!. Sloan and regular collaborator Steve Barri—whose songs include \"Let Me Be\", \"You Baby\" and \"Secret Agent Man\"—also co-wrote \"Where Were You When I Needed You\", \"All the Things I Do for You Baby\" and the Top Ten hit \"A Must to Avoid\", all recorded by Herman\'s Hermits. [citation needed]
Ray Davies of the Kinks wrote \"Dandy\" – a 1966 US no. 5 hit for the Hermits – and Graham Gouldman wrote three of their 1966 hits: \"Listen People\", \"No Milk Today\" and \"East West\", the latter of which was covered in 1989 by singer and Hermits fan Morrissey.[citation needed]
In November 1966 in the UK, after two consecutive Top 20 hits, the Hermits returned to the Top Ten with \"No Milk Today\", backed with \"My Reservation\'s Been Confirmed\".[9] For the US release of \"No Milk Today\" in 1967, MGM backed it with \"There\'s a Kind of Hush\". The latter climbed to no. 4 in March 1967. \"No Milk Today\" peaked at no. 35, though it was linked to \"Hush\" on local charts nationwide. \"No Milk Today\" also scored in its own right, including success on San Francisco Top 40 station KFRC, where in April 1967, it reached no. 1, ranking 6 for the year.[10]
In 1966 the group was nominated for three Grammy awards including Best New Artist of 1965—they lost to singer Tom Jones—and two for their chart-topper \"Mrs. Brown You\'ve Got a Lovely Daughter\": Best Performance by a Vocal Group and Best Contemporary (R&R) Performance – Group (Vocal or Instrumental). According to Noone and Hopwood, \"Mrs. Brown\" was recorded as an afterthought in two takes – using two microphones, with Hopwood on guitar, Green on bass guitar and Whitwam on drums. Noone and the band deliberately emphasised their English accents on the record, never intended to be a single. Hopwood recalls playing a Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar in the studio, with its strings muted to create the distinctive sound. When playing the song live, Hopwood often used a Rickenbacker guitar with a rag tied around the bridge to duplicate the sound, which can be seen clearly in old performance clips.
The 1967 album Blaze received critical acclaim,[citation needed] but barely made the Top 100 in the US and did not chart in the UK. The album included original songs by Leckenby, Whitwam, Hopwood, Green and Noone, including \"Ace King Queen Jack\" and the psychedelic \"Moonshine Man\".
In 1968, Hopwood and Leckenby eventually started a music company, Pluto Music, which is still in business as of 2023, working primarily on commercial and animation soundtracks.
A 1969 two-disc album Herman\'s Hermits Rock \'n\' Roll Party was never released.
1970s–presentPeter Noone left in 1971 to pursue a solo career in the United States. In 1973, a cover of the song \"(I Think I\'m Over) Getting Over You\" went to number 63 on the Adult Contemporary Chart.
When Noone left the group in 1971, the Hermits continued, first with singer Pete Cowap. They signed with RCA Records in the UK and, as \"The Hermits\", recorded two singles at Strawberry Studios and an unreleased album (under the name Sourmash) produced by Eric Stewart. The group subsequently cut one-off singles for Private Stock, Buddah, and Roulette in 1975, 1976, and 1977 without significant success. Noone did return to front Herman\'s Hermits during a 1973–1974 U.S. multi-artist tour of \"British Invasion\" acts, after which Whitwam, Leckenby, and Green (who assumed lead vocal duties until his 1980 retirement) continued to tour with newer members, including Rod Gerrard (formerly with Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders and Salford Jets).[citation needed] Hopwood left in 1972.
Karl Green left the band in 1980 to spend more time with his family. He later opened a plumbing and tiling business in London.
In 1986, the Hermits opened for the Hep Stars and the Monkees on their 1980s reunion tours of the US.
Hopwood has since become a composer of scores for film and television. Green has become a manager of sound systems for concert venues along London\'s South Bank.[11]Herman’s Hermits during their 50 year anniversary tour in April 2014. From left to right: Paul Cornwell, Barry Whitwam, Geoff Foot, Kevin LingardLeckenby died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1994, leaving Whitwam as the only original member of the band. Noone continues to play solo shows billed as \"Herman\'s Hermits starring Peter Noone\".
On 8 June 1997, Hopwood, Green, and Whitwam reunited to play a one-off reunion concert with Noone.[12]
Karl Green has noted that he preferred harder rock but was grateful for the hand he was dealt.[13] Many of the band\'s singles and album tracks were written by some of the top songwriters of the day, but Noone, Leckenby, Hopwood and Green contributed lesser-known songs such as \"My Reservation\'s Been Confirmed\", \"Take Love, Give Love\", \"Marcel\'s\", \"For Love\", \"Tell Me Baby\", \"Busy Line\", Moonshine Man\", \"I Know Why\" and \"Gaslight Street\". \"I Know Why\" enjoyed a limited A-side release.[14]Herman\'s Hermits starring Peter Noone in 2006The Sourmash album from 1972 was finally released in 2000 under the title A Whale of a Tale! And Others.[15]
Scottish-born keyboardist Robert Birrell joined in May 2002. He was diagnosed with cancer a few years into being a Hermit, and Kevan Lingard was added in on keys in 2005 to fill in for dates Birrell couldn\'t attend. Robert eventually left in September 2006 and later died on 18 October 2008.[16]
Paul Cornwell (guitarist from 2013 to 2019) was added into Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich in January 2015 on bass as \"Dozy II\" following the death of original Dozy Trevor Ward-Davies.
In 2019, Noone won the \"Entertainer of the Year\" award at the Casino Entertainment Awards.[17] In 2023, Herman\'s Hermits Starring Peter Noone were scheduled to perform in over 100 concerts in countries such as the USA, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and France.[18][needs update]
Geoff Foot, who, with the exception of Whitwam, was the longest serving member, left the Hermits after playing his last gig with them at a Butlin\'s on Saturday, 14 January 2023. Foot was replaced by John Summerton.[19] The group has played some concerts since that time, however, including one on 23 July 2023 in New Jersey.[20]
Also, in 2023, Tony Hancox left the band after six years. He was replaced by Tony Young of Gerry\'s Pacemakers. Hancox\'s last performance with the Hermits was at the Leeds Grand Theatre on 29 October 2023, when they were touring in the \"Sixties Gold\" nostalgia tour.[21] In turn, Hancox filled Young\'s place in Gerry\'s Pacemakers.[22] As of April 2024, the current lineup of Herman\'s Hermits is: Barry Whitwam (drummer since 1964), Jamie Thurston (formerly of The Tornados starring Dave Watts; bassist and lead vocalist since 2020), John Summerton (formerly of Flintlock; guitarist since January 2023), and Tony Young (formerly of Gerry and the Pacemakers; keyboardist since October 2023).
Controversies and legal disputesDisputes over recording contributionsContinuing acrimony among former members of Herman\'s Hermits has increased the amount of disinformation about the group\'s role on their records; the late Derek Leckenby, in particular, was a skilled guitarist. [citation needed] Mickie Most commented on the VH1 My Generation: Herman\'s Hermits episode that the Hermits \"played on a lot of their records, and some they didn\'t.\" The group played on all their UK and US no. 1 hits (\"I\'m Into Something Good\", \"Mrs Brown You\'ve Got a Lovely Daughter\", and \"I\'m Henry VIII, I Am\"), on most of their US Top Ten singles, on several other singles and most album cuts. According to Peter Noone, Leckenby played the muted lead on \"This Door Swings Both Ways\".[23]
The riff in \"Silhouettes\" variously has been credited to Jimmy Page, Big Jim Sullivan and Vic Flick; however, according to Keith Hopwood and Karl Green, Leckenby replaced Flick in the studio and played the signature riff under Most\'s direction.[23] According to Hopwood, Green and Noone, Jimmy Page played on the single \"Wonderful World\" (although Big Jim Sullivan lists the song as part of a session he played); both may have added to the backing track. Several writers have claimed that session players played on \"I\'m into Something Good\"; according to the surviving band members, the song was recorded on a two-track recorder, with only a piano player in addition to the Hermits.[23]
Legal disputes over \"Herman\'s Hermits\" nameLegal disputes between Whitwam and Noone have occurred since the 2000s. In 2003, members were forced to rename the band \"Herman\'s Hermits starring Barry Whitwam\" when they tour in North America, but remain billed as \"Herman\'s Hermits\" worldwide.[24]
One such case in 2009 had the band sued by Peter Noone when advertisements for their tour in the US had \"Herman\'s Hermits\" in large text, with \"starring/featuring Barry Whitwam\" in small text underneath, which would not have been noticed by people looking at the advertisement, possibly misleading them into thinking that they were seeing an ad for Noone. A lawsuit unravelled, and Whitwam ultimately decided to stop touring in the United States with his band:
In 2009, our last tour of America we did, we agreed in 2003 that if I would tour America that I was Herman\'s Hermits Starring Barry Whitwam and when Peter went out it would be Herman\'s Hermits Starring Peter Noone. In 2009, the promoters, the buyers, didn\'t read the rider properly, got it wrong and said Herman\'s Hermits. Then in small letters, Featuring or With Barry Whitwam. The promoters got it wrong. Peter got wired up and we went to battle, litigation and all that stuff. It could\'ve been settled with a phone call because my agents and promoters were in the wrong because they didn\'t read the rider properly. Anyway, we agreed to go out as Herman\'s Hermits Starring Barry Whitwam and he agreed to go out as Herman\'s Hermits Starring Peter Noone. In 2009, it went pear-shaped and I decided it\'s not worth the hassle going out in America because every time you got booked, you got booked wrong, not the way it should have been. So 2009 was the last tour of America for me.
— Barry Whitwam[25]DiscographyMain article: Herman\'s Hermits discographyStudio albums
Herman\'s Hermits (1965, US/UK)Herman\'s Hermits on Tour (1965, US)Hold On! (1966, US)Both Sides of Herman\'s Hermits (1966, US/UK)There\'s a Kind of Hush All Over the World (1967, US/UK)Blaze (1967, US)Mrs. Brown, You\'ve Got a Lovely Daughter (1968, US/UK)Filmography1965 – When the Boys Meet the Girls1966 – Hold On!1968 – Mrs. Brown, You\'ve Got a Lovely DaughterBand membersOriginal members are listed in bold.
Current membersBarry Whitwam – drums (1964–present)Jamie Thurston – bass, lead and backing vocals (2020-present)John Summerton – guitar, lead and backing vocals (2023-present)Tony Young – keyboards, lead and backing vocals (2023-present)Former membersDerek Leckenby – lead guitar (1964–1994)Karl Green – bass, vocals (1964–1980)Keith Hopwood – rhythm guitar, vocals (1964–1972)Peter Noone – lead vocals (1964–1971, 1973)Pete Cowap – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1971–1972; died 1997)John Gaughan – rhythm guitar, vocals (1972–1975)Chris Finley (born 1948 in Liverpool, died February 2016[26]) – keyboards, vocals (1973–1974)Lance Dixon – keyboards, vocals (1974)Frank Renshaw (born 22 June 1943 in Wythenshawe[27]) – rhythm guitar, vocals (1975–1982)Paul Farnell – bass, vocals[28] (1980–1988)Garth Elliott – rhythm guitar, vocals (1982–1986)Rod Gerrard – rhythm guitar, vocals (1986–1995)Geoff Foot – vocals (1988–2023), bass (1988–2020), lead guitar (2020–2023)Alec Johnson (born 3 April 1953 in Northwich) – lead guitar (1994–2002[29])Geoff Kerry (born 28 August 1949 in Salford[30]) – rhythm guitar, vocals (1995–2001)Graham Lee (born 1943 in Manchester[31]) – rhythm guitar, vocals (2001–2004), lead guitar (2002–2004)Robert Birrell (born 25 November 1948, died 18 October 2008[16][32]) – keyboards, vocals (2002–2006) (not touring 2005–2006)Eddy Carter (born 17 April 1957 in Manchester[33]) – lead guitar, vocals (2004–2013[34])Kevan Lingard (born 28 October 1958 in Accrington[35]) – keyboards, vocals (2005–2016[36])Simon Van Downham – rhythm guitar, vocals (2010–2011[37])Paul Cornwell – lead guitar, vocals (2013–2019)Justin LaBarge – rhythm guitar, vocals (2015–2019)Paul Robinson (born 1 December 1964[38]) – keyboards, vocals (2016)Duncan Keith – guitar, vocals (2019)Ray Frost (born in Essex[39]) – guitar, vocals (2019–2020)Tony Hancox (born 25 March 1972[40][41]) – keyboards, vocals (2017-2023)Timeline