Editing Herman's Hermits (section)

== History ==

=== Early days ===
Herman'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.<ref name="60sew">{{cite web |last1=Wells |first1=Emily |title=Interview with Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits |url=http://loving60s.loveisonlysleeping.com/60s-musician-interviews/peter-noone/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211023/http://loving60s.loveisonlysleeping.com/60s-musician-interviews/peter-noone/ |archive-date=23 October 2021 |access-date=22 December 2020 |website=Loving 60s |date=7 January 2017 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> The second-youngest member of a young group (four months older than Karl Green who was originally in the Balmains),<ref name="60sew" /> 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 Graphophone|Columbia]] label in Europe and MGM Records in the United States.<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/hermans-hermits-p4476/biography Allmusic.com biography.] Retrieved 7 March 2011.</ref>

The band's name came from a resemblance, noted by a publican in Manchester, England, between Noone and [[Mister Peabody#Background|Sherman]] from the ''[[The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends|Rocky and Bullwinkle]]'' cartoons. Sherman was shortened to Herman and then became Herman and His Hermits, which was soon shortened to Herman's Hermits.<ref>{{cite web |title=Herman's Hermits – Magazine Articles |url=http://www.hermanshermits.com/articles/misc/flashback10_p2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514091742/http://www.hermanshermits.com/articles/misc/flashback10_p2.html |archive-date=14 May 2006 |access-date=31 October 2011 |publisher=Hermanshermits.com}}</ref>

=== 1960s fame ===
[[Harvey 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 McCrea|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)|Billboard]]'' magazine ranked them America's top singles act of the year (with the Beatles at no. 2)—they topped the [[US Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] with two non-UK releases: "[[Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter]]" and "[[I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am|I’m Henry VIII, I Am]]” (a remake of the 1910 [[Cockney]]-style music hall song  "I'm Henry 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]]").[[File:I'm into Something Good - Cash Box ad 1964.jpg|thumb|''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]]'' advertisement, September 26, 1964|left]]The 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"),<ref>MacInnes, Colin (1965) "The Old English Music Hall Songs Are New." ''The New York Times,'' 28 November 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."</ref> "[[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".<ref>Noone interview, Hopwood personal correspondence</ref>  Despite the group's competent musicianship, some subsequent singles employed session musicians&nbsp;– including [[Big Jim Sullivan]], [[Jimmy Page]], [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]], [[Vic Flick]] and [[Bobby Graham (musician)|Bobby Graham]]&nbsp;– 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|date=October 2016}} 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.<ref>Davis, Stephen, ''Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga''</ref>

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 (song)|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 (Herman's Hermits song)|Sunshine Girl]]" (no. 8), "[[Something's Happening (song)|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'.
[[File:Hermans Hermits 1965.jpg|thumb|A photo of Hermans Hermits in 1965.]]
[[File:HermansHermits1965.jpg|thumb|Herman's Hermits circa 1965]]In 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 [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] films. The band appeared in several movies.<ref>{{cite web |date=29 May 2011 |title=Peter Noone interview |url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2011/05/peter_noone_interview.html |access-date=1 October 2023 |work=NJ.com True Jersey |quote=}}</ref> On screen the Hermits featured opposite [[Connie Francis]] in ''[[When the Boys Meet the Girls (film)|When the Boys Meet the Girls]]'' (1965) and starred outright in ''[[Hold On! (film)|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 (film)|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 (song)|You Baby]]" and "[[Secret Agent Man (Johnny Rivers song)|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|date=November 2023}}

[[Ray Davies]] of the Kinks wrote "Dandy"&nbsp; – 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|date=November 2023}}

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".<ref>[http://www.classicbands.com/hermits.html Classicbands.com] Retrieved 7 March 2011.</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |author=Joel Whitburn |url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur |title=Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 |publisher=Record Research, Inc |year=2003 |isbn=0-89820-155-1 |location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin |page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/312 312] |url-access=registration}}</ref>

In 1966 the group was nominated for three [[Grammy Awards]] including [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]] of 1965—they lost to singer [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]]—and two for their chart-topper "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter": [[Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group|Best Performance by a Vocal Group]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal|Best Contemporary (R&R) Performance – Group (Vocal or Instrumental)]]. According to Noone and Hopwood, "Mrs. Brown" was recorded as an afterthought in two takes&nbsp;– 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|date=October 2016}} 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 rock|psychedelic]] "Moonshine Man".
[[File:Herman's Hermits 1966 Hullabaloo.jpg|thumb|Green, Leckenby, and Noone on the set of [[Hullabaloo (TV series)|''Hullabaloo'']], {{circa|early 1966}}]]
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–present ===
Peter 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|date=August 2017}} 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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiolondon.co.uk/rl2001/photogallery.html| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211023/http://www.radiolondon.co.uk/rl2001/photogallery.html| archive-date=23 October 2021 |title=Big L RSL 2001 in Clacton – Photogallery of the Stars |publisher=Radiolondon.co.uk |date=6 January 1965 |access-date=31 October 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
[[File:Herman’s_Hermits_–_Appen_musiziert_2014_04.jpg|thumb|Herman’s Hermits during their 50 year anniversary tour in April 2014. From left to right: Paul Cornwell, Barry Whitwam, Geoff Foot, Kevin Lingard]]
Leckenby 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.<ref>{{Citation |title=Herman's Hermits 1997 reunion concert -- Peter Noone, Karl Green, Barry Whitwam, Keith Hopwood | date=26 June 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv057mYxvVM |access-date=2024-03-22 |language=en}}</ref>

Karl Green has noted that he preferred harder rock but was grateful for the hand he was dealt.<ref>VH1 ''My Generation: Herman's Hermits''</ref> 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.<ref>EMI and MGM catalogues </ref>
[[File:Herman's Hermits.jpg|left|thumb|Herman's Hermits starring [[Peter Noone]] in 2006]]
The ''Sourmash'' album from 1972 was finally released in 2000 under the title ''A Whale of a Tale! And Others''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Sourmash-A-Whale-Of-A-Tale-And-Others/release/11357648| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211023/https://www.discogs.com/Sourmash-A-Whale-Of-A-Tale-And-Others/release/11357648| archive-date=23 October 2021|title=Sourmash – A Whale of a Tale! And Others | date=December 2000|publisher=discogs.com |access-date=3 December 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Hermits pay tribute to Rob |url=https://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/15510/hermits-pay-tribute-to-rob |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ktlo.com/2019/10/17/hermans-hermits-singer-peter-noone-named-entertainer-of-the-year-at-2019-casino-entertainment-awards/|title=Herman's Hermits singer Peter Noone named Entertainer of the Year at 2019 Casino Entertainment Awards|date=17 October 2019|work=KTLO|access-date=1 October 2023|quote=}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Interview-Peter-Noone-Talks-Touring-with-Hermans-Hermits-20230125|title=Interview: Peter Noone Talks Touring with Herman's Hermits|date=25 January 2023 |work=Broadway World|access-date=1 October 2023|quote=}}</ref>{{needs update|date=November 2023}}

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Band Members – Herman's Hermits |url=https://hermanshermits.co.uk/band-members/ |access-date=2023-09-12 |language=en-GB}}</ref> The group has played some concerts since that time, however, including one on 23 July 2023 in New Jersey.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mayoarts.org/shows/hermans-hermits-starring-peter-noone-and-the-grass-roots|title=man's Hermits Starring Peter Noone and The Grass Roots|date=27 July 2023|work=Mayo Arts|access-date=1 October 2023|quote=}}</ref>

Also, in 2023, Tony Hancox left the band after six years. He was replaced by [[Tony Young (musician)|Tony Young]] of [[Gerry and the Pacemakers|Gerry's Pacemakers]]. Hancox's last performance with the Hermits was at the [[Leeds Grand|Leeds Grand Theatre]] on 29 October 2023, when they were touring in the "[[Sixties Gold]]" nostalgia tour.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Herman's Hermits – 60s Rock & Pop Group |url=https://hermanshermits.co.uk/ |access-date=2024-03-13 |language=en-GB}}</ref> In turn, Hancox filled Young's place in Gerry's Pacemakers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Band – Gerry's Pacemakers |url=https://gerryspacemakers.com/the-band |access-date=2024-03-13 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
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 (musical group)|Flintlock]]; guitarist since January 2023), and Tony Young (formerly of [[Gerry and the Pacemakers]]; keyboardist since October 2023).