Welcome to Rock & Roll Flashback! I'm Jumpin' John, and today I will focus on one of the more successful British Invasion bands that began to hit America's musical shores in 1964. This podcast is called Herman’s Hermits, Part 1, where I will briefly review the history and successful recordings behind the band called Herman's Hermits! Be sure check out our companion podcast, Herman's Hermits, Part 2, where I interview an authentic Herman's Hermits fan in studio.
In 1964 Herman's Hermits was formed in Manchester, England. Harvey Lisberg discovered them and signed on as their manager. Then the band’s deal with producer Mickie Most had them signing with EMI's Columbia label in Europe and MGM Records in the United States. Their five piece lineup essentially came together from two different local bands. Keith Hopwood (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Karl Green (bass), and Peter Noone (lead vocals) came from the Heartbeats, and Derek "Lek" Leckenby (lead guitar) and Barry Whitwam (drums) joined later from the Wailers.
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All podcasts on the Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast are produced by brothers-in-law Bill Price and "Jumpin' John" McDermott. The Podcast Theme Song, "You Essay", was written by John, and the basic track was recorded by Bill and John on April 1, 2004.
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Rock On!
Welcome to Rock & Roll Flashback! I'm Jumpin' John, and we'll be looking back at some of Rock and Roll's greatest artists, songs, and stories. Today I will focus on one of the more successful British Invasion bands that began to hit America's musical shores in 1964. This podcast is called Herman’s Hermits, Part 1, where I will briefly review the history and successful recordings behind the band called Herman's Hermits! Be sure check out our companion podcast, Herman's Hermits, Part 2, where I interview an authentic Herman's Hermits fan in studio.
In 1964 Herman's Hermits was formed in Manchester, England. Harvey Lisberg discovered them and signed on as their manager. Then the band’s deal with producer Mickie Most had them signing with EMI's Columbia label in Europe and MGM Records in the United States. Their five piece lineup essentially came together from two different local bands. Keith Hopwood (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Karl Green (bass), and Peter Noone (lead vocals) came from the Heartbeats, and Derek "Lek" Leckenby (lead guitar) and Barry Whitwam (drums) joined later from the Wailers.
Before joining the band, lead singer Peter Noone had prior acting experience, sometimes using the stage name "Peter Novak". Peter was only 15 when he joined, and his youthful good looks made him a natural heartthrob for thousands of teenage girls. As the band's handsome front man, effectively Peter became "Herman". Producer Most molded the band into a non-threatening "boys next door", clean-cut image, at times even emphasizing their English accents in recordings.
The band members were all competent musicians. Despite the group's musical chops, producer Most often also used professional session musicians, including future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, to replace or supplement the band.
The Hermits’ first single was a Goffin-King composition, "I’m Into Something Good". The song quickly rose to #1 in the UK and introduced the band to the US market by reaching #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the end of 1964. Herman’s Hermits began touring the US in 1965 as a headliner, and the touring paid off with Peter Noone (aka "Herman") becoming a pin-up in teen magazines.
Their next single, "Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat", went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. The follow-up, "Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter", did even better in the US and went to #1, staying there for three weeks. Then came a cover of the Sam Cooke song "Wonderful World", which reached #4 in the US. It was followed by "I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am", their second #1 hit in the US. They closed out a very successful 1965 with "Just A Little Bit Better", which climbed to #7 in the US.
1966 was another successful year for The Hermits, starting with "A Must To Avoid", which reached #8 in January 1966. Other hits that year included "Listen People", #3 in the US, and "Leaning On A Lamp Post", #9 in the US.
Then in 1967 Herman's Hermits had their final US Top Ten hit, "There’s A Kind Of Hush". "Hush" reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, with Gold certification for US sales of one million units awarded that April.
Between late 1964 and early 1968 Herman's Hermits never failed to reach the Top 40 in the US. Herman's Hermits actually seemed to be more popular in the US than in the UK. Strangely, 6 of their 11 US Top Tens were not released as A-side singles in their native UK. Despite this, the band managed to have some success in Britain between 1968 and 1970 with several major hits, which ironically failed to chart in the US. Among them were the four UK Top Tens "Sunshine Girl", "Something's Happening", "My Sentimental Friend", and "Years May Come, Years May Go". Their final UK hit, "Lady Barbara", was released in the 1970 and was credited to 'Peter Noone & Herman's Hermits'.
During their American tours the group appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show, and The Jackie Gleason Show. The band also appeared in several movies. In 1968, The Hermits got their own feature film in the form of Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter. Peter Noone also played the title role in a television production of Pinocchio. The gradual decline of Herman’s Hermits in America was due in part to the arrival of The Monkees, who featured lead singer Davy Jones with his Manchester accent.
Herman’s Hermits continued to record until their split-up in 1970. In 1971 Peter Noone went on to a solo career in England and divided his time between recording and acting. He had a brief return to the music scene with his new wave band The Tremblers in the early 1980's. The Hermits gradually disappeared from the music scene after Peter Noone's departure.
During their career, Herman's Hermits successfully sold more than 60 million records. They had 14 gold singles, 7 gold albums, and recorded 18 consecutive Billboard Top 40 hits. The Hermits were twice named in the U.S. trade paper Cashbox as "Entertainer of the Year".
This has been Rock and Roll Flashback…a brief look at the British Invasion band called Herman's Hermits! For more info on the Hermits, please check out our companion podcast, Herman's Hermits, Part 2, where I interview an authentic Herman's Hermits fan in studio. I'm Jumpin' John McDermott and until next time….Rock On!