| Herman's Hermits |
The
band appearing on the Merv Griffin show on July 28, 1967
|
| Background information |
| Origin |
Manchester, England |
| Genre(s) |
Beat, British Rock |
| Years active |
1963 – 1971 |
| Label(s) |
Columbia (EMI) (UK), MGM
Records (USA) |
| Former members |
Peter
Noone
Keith Hopwood
Karl
Green
Alan Wrigley
Steve
Titterington
Derek Leckenby
Barry Bean
Whitwam |
Herman's Hermits were an English rock band in
the 1960s,
formed in Manchester
in 1963.
Part of the British Invasion, their trademark
simple, non-threatening and clean-cut "boys next door" image made them
easier to listen to and more accessible than other British Invasion
bands.
|
Contents
- 1 Early
history
- 2 Origin
of the "Herman" name
- 3 Original
band
- 3.1 Peter
Noone (Herman)
- 3.2 Keith
Hopwood
- 3.3 Derek
Leckenby
- 3.4 Barry
Whitwam
- 3.5 Karl
Green
- 4 Competing
"Herman's Hermits"
- 5 Discography
- 5.1 Herman's
Hermits 45's
- 5.2 Albums
- 6 Filmography
- 7 References
- 8 External
links
|
Early history
Original members were Keith Hopwood (guitar,
vocals), Karl Green (bass, vocals), Alan Wrigley (bass guitar, vocals), Steve
Titterington (drums), and Peter Noone (lead vocals).
Although the youngest of a remarkably young band, fifteen year old
Noone was already a veteran actor, with experience on the British soap
opera, Coronation Street.
Derek
"Lek" Leckenby (guitar, vocals), and Barry 'Bean' Whitwam (drums)
(born Jan Barry Whitwam, 21 July 1946, in Prestbury, South Manchester), joined later from another
local group The Wailers. After Leckenby joined, the band obtained a
deal with producer Mickie Most and signed to EMI records in Europe and
MGM records in the United States.
After playing live for a time, they met future producer Mickie
Most and released "I'm Into Something Good".
The band played on the singles "I'm Into Something Good", "Mrs Brown,
You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (1965) and "I'm Henry VIII, I Am".
The last was said at the time to be "the fastest-selling song in
history".
Leckenby played the excellent solo on "Henry" (Noone Interview)
Despite the band being more than competent as musicians, many
of their subsequent singles employed some session musicians, including Jimmy
Page and John Paul Jones,
with contributions from the band, although the role of session players
on Herman's Hermits records has been greatly exaggerated in the rock
media. This has been made worse by the inaccurate liner notes on the
recent ABKCO "Retrospective", which fail to credit the Hermits playing.
Leckenby in particular was a gifted guitarist.
While the band's singles were written by top songwriters of
the day, Noone, Leckenby, Hopwood and Green contributed some excellent
songs on the band's albums, some of which could have been "A" sides.
The songs "My Reservation's Been Confirmed" and "Take Love, Get Love"
are standouts.
Regardless of how the records were made, the band was able to
deliver the goods live, as can be evidenced on the 1965 NME
Awards Show and on 1966's Herman's Hermits Hilton
Show which aired on Australian television. Leckenby in
particular was able to flesh out the bands songs in concert with
numerous guitar fills not readily evident on the recordings. Copies of
both the NME Awards Show and the Australian concert are available from
internet sources.
Despite a tendency to disregard the band in critical circles,
all the members were capable players, and Noone was a charismatic front
man whose singing ability has often been underrated.
The band was nominated for two Grammy awards in 1965, both for
"Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter." According to Noone and
Hopwood , the song was recorded as an afterthought in two takes, using
two microphones with Hopwood on guitar, Green on bass and Whitwam on
drums. Noone and the band deliberately emphasized their English accents
on the record, which was never intended to be a single. Hopwood recalls
playing a Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar in the studio with its
strings muted in order to create the distinctive sound. When playing
the song live, Hopwood often used a Rickenbacker guitar with a rag
under the bridge to duplicate the sound. (Noone and Hopwood personal
correspondence.)
The album Blaze in 1967 found the group at
its best with Leckenby, Hopwood , Green and Noone contributing several
fine original songs and Noone demonstrating an excellent vocal range.
The psychedlic "Moon Shine Man" and the rocker "Ace King Queen" being
standouts. The album garnered critical acclaim but barely made the top
100 in the U,S, and wasn't released in the U.K.
Origin of the "Herman" name
Born in Manchester, England, Noone was a child TV star playing
Stanley Fairclough in Coronation Street. He was
also featured in Knight Errant, Family
Solicitor and Monro's Saki Stories. Noone
was only 15 when he achieved international fame as teenage heart-throb,
Herman. On stage, Noone initially used his existing stage name Peter
Novak. The change to Herman came after the owner of a pub that they
were rehearsing in, remarked on his resemblance to the character
Sherman in Peabody's Improbable
History, a supporting cartoon in The Rocky and
Bullwinkle Show, which they misheard as Herman.
The group, who by now were a popular dance hall and youth club
attraction, and managed by Harvey Lisberg and Charlie
Silverman, changed their name to Herman and The Hermits, and it soon
became abbreviated to Herman's Hermits.
Original band
Herman's Hermits were hugely successful in the mid-1960s. Their first
hit was "I'm Into Something Good", which reached No. 1 in the UK and
No. 13 in the US in 1964. They never topped the British charts again,
but had two US No. 1's with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter"
and "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am". The band disliked both songs, and
never released them as singles in Britain, although Mrs. Brown featured
excellent rhythm guitar by Hopwood, and Henry featured an excellent
guitar solo by Leckenby. (Peter Noone Interview) They appeared in
several movies, including When The Boys Meet The Girls
(1965) and Hold On! (1966). They appeared on the The
Ed Sullivan Show, The
Dean Martin Show and The Jackie Gleason Show.
Peter Noone (Herman)
Noone left the band in 1971. He starred in ABC's The Canterville Ghost
and played Pinocchio
in the Hallmark Hall Of Fame
version of that story. His other TV credits include Married
With Children, Quantum
Leap, My Two
Dads, Dave's
World, Too Close For
Comfort, Laverne
& Shirley, Easy
Street and has a recurring role on As
The World Turns. He also hosted VH1's My
Generation. In March 2007, he appeared on the top rated show,
American Idol.
As a singer he had a hit with David
Bowie's, "Oh, You Pretty Things". Later, Noone recorded the
album "One of the Glory Boys" for Beach Boy Bruce Johnston's label as
well as an album fronting the new wave band "The Tremblers." His song
"God Knows" was covered by Debbie Boone. Noone's daughter Natalie is an
accomplished singer songwriter.
Keith Hopwood
Hopwood left as well, starting his own music company, Pluto
Music, with Leckenby. As of 2007, Pluto Music is still in
business, and works primarily on commercial and animation soundtracks.
The studio has provided services to many top acts including The
Clash. Hopwood has released several rare solo and band
recordings (not with Peter). Hopwood's releases show a depth to the
band not generally perceived. The CDs "Vault 69" and "Waterloo Road"
contain original songs written during Herman's Hermits existence. Both
are available from Pluto Music. Considering the quality and maturity of
these recordings, it is surprising that the Hermits never recorded the
material, although perhaps it was due to the band's fan base which was
accustomed to more straight ahead pop.
Lek died in 1994
after a battle with cancer. His final performance was just five days
before his death. Lek was a kind man and one of rock's most underrated
guitarists. Lek often spoke very well of Peter in interviews as does
Hopwood on the VH1 Herman's Hermits My Generation episode. Leckenby as
part of the band "Sour Mash" recorded an album with the former Hermits
and Peter Cowap for RCA records which featured Leckenby on dobro and
guitar. The album was country flavored rock and was a far cry from
earlier Herman's Hermits material. Leckenby's daughter Kara plays lead
guitar for the band "Red Vinyl Fur."
Barry Whitwam
Whitwam has continued touring in Europe with a band under the Herman's
Hermits starring Barry Whitwam name.
As
of 2001, Green manages sound systems for the Queen
Elizabeth and Festival Halls on London's South
Bank. [1]
Competing "Herman's Hermits"
Since the mid 1970's there has been significant conflict over
the use of the name Herman's Hermits. Between 1974 and 1994, Barry and Lek
toured with versions of the band that at times included original
members Keith and Karl and newer members such as former Toggery Five
guitarist, Frank Renshaw and Peter Cowap. After a show in 1985 Lek
confided in fans that he missed working with Peter. (Leckenby pers.
correspondence). Fans should be warned that several "fake" Hermits
records exist. These recordings show up frequently as compilations of
Hermits' hits. This problem has been made worse by several small labels
hiring musicians to re-record Hermits' records. These recordings
feature neither Peter Noone nor any original band members. Additionally
both former band members and Peter have separately re-recorded old
Hermits material in part due to a failure by the band's U.S. label, MGM
Records (currently owned by ABKCO Records) to pay royalties.
(Noone Interview). Noone and Whitwam continue to tour separately. A
long standing legal issue remains between Noone and Whitwam over
Whitwam's failure to accurately inform the public that his band is
"Herman's Hermits Starring Barry Whitwam" and not simply "Herman's
Hermits", Noone on the other hand makes clear that his band is called
"Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone" at all shows and on all
merchandise. Because of this regrettable situation, there will most
likely never to be a reunion of all surviving band members,
disappointing many 1960s fans. Whitwam rarely, if at all, tours in the
United States, where Noone makes his base and where Noone is hugely
successful on tour and in television.
Noone currently tours worldwide, to great success, under the
billing Herman's Hermits, starring Peter Noone,
often appearing at concerts in American state fairs, theaters, and
major casinos. In March 2007, Noone appeared as a coach on a British
Invasion episode of the hit U.S. series "American Idol," and also
performed a live version of the Herman's Hermits hit "There's a Kind of
Hush."
Peter often fondly credits Leckenby and Hopwood for their work
in the Hermits. See Peter Noone's website.
Discography
Herman's Hermits 45's
| Song Title |
Highest US
Chart Position |
Peak Month |
Highest UK
Chart Position |
| "I'm Into Something Good" |
#13 |
August 1964 |
#1 |
| "Show Me Girl" |
- |
November 1964 |
#19 |
| "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat?" |
#2 |
January 1965 |
- |
| "Silhouettes" |
#5 |
January 1965 |
#3 |
| "Mrs. Brown,
You've Got a Lovely Daughter" |
#1 |
March 1965 |
- |
| "Wonderful World" |
#4 |
April 1965 |
#7 |
| "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" |
#1 |
June 1965 |
- |
| "Just a Little Bit Better" |
#7 |
August 1965 |
#15 |
| "A Must To Avoid" |
#8 |
December 1965 |
#6 |
| "Listen People" |
#3 |
February 1966 |
- |
| "You Won't Be Leaving" |
- |
February 1966 |
#20 |
| "Leaning on A Lamp Post" |
#7 |
April 1965 |
- |
| "This Door Swings Both Ways" |
#12 |
June 1966 |
#18 |
| "Dandy" |
#3 |
October 1966 |
- |
| "No Milk Today" |
#35 |
October 1966 |
#7 |
| "East West" |
#33 |
December 1966 |
#37 |
| "There's A Kind of Hush" |
#4 |
February 1967 |
#7 |
| "Don't Go Out Into The Rain (You're Going To Melt)" |
#20 |
May 1967 |
- |
| "Museum" |
#37 |
September 1967 |
- |
| "I Can't Take Or Leave Your Loving" |
- |
January 1968 |
#11 |
| "Sleepy Joe" |
- |
March 1968 |
#12 |
| "Sunshine Girl" |
- |
July 1968 |
#8 |
| "Something's Happening" |
- |
December 1968 |
#6 |
| "My Sentimental Friend" |
- |
April 1969 |
#2 |
| "Here Comes The Star" |
- |
November 1969 |
#33 |
| "Years May Come, Years May Go" |
- |
February 1970 |
#7 |
| "Bet Yer Life I Do" |
- |
May 1970 |
#22 |
Albums
- 1965 — Introducing Herman's Hermits
- 1965 — Herman's Hermits On Tour
- 1965 (Dec.) — The Best of Herman's
Hermits
- 1965 — Hold On!
- 1966 — Both Sides of
Herman's Hermits
- 1966 — The
Best Of Herman's Hermits, Volume 2
- 1967 — There's a
Kind of Hush All Over the World
- 1967 — Blaze
- 1967 — The
Best Of Herman's Hermits, Volume III
- 1967 — Mrs.
Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter
- 1971 — The Most of Herman's
Hermits
- 1972 — The Most of
Herman's Hermits Volume 2
Filmography
- 1965 — Pop Gear
- 1965 — When the Boys Meet the Girls
- 1966 — Hold On!
- 1968 — Mrs.
Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter
References
-
MacInnes, Colin (1965) "The Old English Music Hall Songs Are New." The
New York Times, November 28, 1965, p. SM62: "Henry—which
hit the top of the record lists and, according to one American expert,
was 'the fastest-selling song in history'—was in fact an old English
music hall song enjoying a new lease on life.
External links
