Editing The Zombies (section)

===1961–1964===
[[File:Blacksmiths Arms St. Albans and Zombies' Plaque.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Blacksmiths Arms [[Pub|public house]] in [[St Albans]], Hertfordshire, where the Zombies first met]]Three members of the band, [[Rod Argent]], [[Paul Atkinson (guitarist)|Paul Atkinson]] and [[Hugh Grundy]], first came together to jam in 1961 in [[St Albans]], Hertfordshire. Argent wanted to form a band and initially asked his elder cousin [[Jim Rodford]] to join as a bassist. At the time, Rodford was in a successful local band, the Bluetones, and so declined, but he offered to help Argent. Rodford would later join in 2004 when the band reformed. [[Colin Blunstone]] and Paul Arnold joined the other three to form the band in 1961 while all five members were at school.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-zombies-interview-colin-blunstone-rod-argent-b2317760.html |title='People would run at us with scissors trying to get locks of hair': The Zombies on their enduring legacy, passing on 'Your Song' and their new record |newspaper=The Independent |date=12 April 2023 |access-date=30 April 2023}}</ref>

Some sources state that Argent, Atkinson, and Grundy were at [[St Albans School (Hertfordshire)|St Albans School]], while Blunstone and Arnold were students at [[Verulam School|St Albans Boys' Grammar School]]. Both Blunstone and Grundy came from [[Hatfield, Hertfordshire|Hatfield]] and both sang in the choir there at [[St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield|St Etheldreda's Church]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Bateman |first=Aarom |url=http://www.hendontimes.co.uk/archive/display.var.434582.0.zombies_heyday_recalled.php |title=Zombies' heyday recalled |work=Hendon & Finchley Times |date=20 November 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503053115/http://www.hendontimes.co.uk/archive/display.var.434582.0.zombies_heyday_recalled.php |archive-date=3 May 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicbands.com/zombies.html |title=The Zombies |website=Classicbands.com |access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref> Argent was a boy chorister in [[St Albans Cathedral Choir]]. They held their original rehearsals at the Pioneer Club, then situated on Hatfield Road, using equipment lent to them by the Bluetones. They met outside the Blacksmiths Arms pub in St Albans before their first rehearsal and gained their initial reputation playing the Old Verulamians Rugby Club there.

Argent said, "We met outside a pub. We were too young to walk in the pub”. Blunstone added "I was literally in a corner singing to myself, doing a Ricky Nelson song, and Rod came over and said, 'That’s really good. I’ll tell you what. If you’ll be the lead singer, I’ll play keyboards'".<ref name=UnusualPath>{{cite web |last=Brodsky |first=Greg |title=The Zombies' Unusual Path of Their 'Odessey & Oracle' LP |date=19 April 2023 |url=https://bestclassicbands.com/zombies-odessey-oracle-interview-3-18-177/}}</ref>