| HERMAN'S
HERMITS (ARTIST BIOGRAPHY)
Herman’s
Hermits was an internationally successful 60s British rock band,
from Manchester, England, formed in 1963. Part of the British
Invasion, their trademark simple, non-threatening, clean-cut “boys
next door” image made them easier to listen to and more accessible
than other British Invasion bands.
Their first hit, “I’m Into Something Good”, was produced by Mickie
Most, reaching #1 in the UK (1963) and #13 in the US (1964). Other
hits followed such as “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”. The band played on these
singles but many of their subsequent singles employed session
musicians, including Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, with
contributions from the band. The band’s singles were written by top
songwriters of the day. Regardless of how the records were made, the
guitar player, Leckenby, was a gifted guitarist. Indeed, all the
other members were capable players and Noone was a charismatic front
man. The band was nominated for two Grammy awards in 1965, both for
“Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter”. Noone and the band
deliberately emphasized their Manchester accents on the record,
which was never intended to be a single.
Born in Manchester, England, Noone was a child TV star in Coronation
Street and in other TV work. He was still only 15 when he achieved
international fame as teenage heart-throb as leader of the Hermits.
Herman’s Hermits, whilst hugely successful in the mid-1960s, never
topped the British charts again after their first hit, “I’m Into
Something Good”. However, they 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. They appeared in several movies, including When The Boys
Meet The Girls (1965) and Hold On! (1966). They also appeared on The
Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show and The Jackie Gleason Show.
They enjoyed consistent success in Britain throughout the rest of
the decade but they were even more popular in America for a while.
Their hits continued until 1967’s “No Milk Today”. Soon, however,
the Monkees had replaced Herman’s Hermits as the simple pop rock
act, and the Hermits’ career declined. “There’s a Kind of Hush (All
Over the World)” engendered a revival, but the Hermits never again
cracked the top 10 in the U.S. This song was, however, successfully
covered by The Carpenters in their album “A Kind of Hush”, released
in 1976. The band continued releasing records throughout the 1970s
with little success. In the end, Herman’s Hermits were a band which
were both blessed and cursed by the ‘niche’ in which originally they
found success.
(Adapted from Wikipedia) |
