Editing Herman's Hermits (section)

== Controversies and legal disputes ==

=== Disputes over recording contributions ===
Continuing 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|date=October 2016}} 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]]".<ref name="Listen People">Noone interview: Herman's Hermits ''Listen People'' DVD ''Reeling in the Years'' (2009)</ref>

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.<ref name="Listen People" /> 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.<ref name="Listen People" />

=== Legal disputes over "Herman's Hermits" name ===
Legal 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" elsewhere.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hermits stateside for Riverfest, other shows |url=http://mywebtimes.com/archives/ottawa/display.php?id=364249 |access-date=10 April 2012 |publisher=MyWebTimes.com}}</ref> 

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:
{{Quote|text=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.|author=Barry Whitwam<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.classicbands.com/BarryWhitwamInterview.html | title=Gary James' Interview with Barry Whitwam of Herman's Hermits | website=ClassicBands.com }}</ref>}}