Formed
in 1964 in Manchester, England
Disbanded
in 1970
Styles
- British Invasion, Merseybeat, Pop/Rock
Herman's
Hermits began life in 1963 in
Manchester, England, as the Heartbeats, the
group consisting of Keith Hopwood (b. Oct 26,
1946, Manchester, England) (guitar), Karl
Green (b. Jul 31, 1947, Salford, England) (guitar,
harmonica), Derek Leckenby (b. May 14,
1945, Leeds, England) (guitar), and Barry Whitwam
(b. Jul 21, 1946, Manchester, England)
(drums). They got the name Herman's
Hermits when they were joined by 16-year-old TV actor Peter Noone (b.
Nov
5, 1947, Manchester) (vocals, piano, guitar), who was thought to resemble
the Sherman
character on the Rocky & Bullwinkle TV cartoon. Pop producer Mickie
Most,
induced to see the group by their managers, thought Noone looked like a
young
John Kennedy and agreed to sign them. Most chose the group's material,
from
revamped oldies and pub songs
to
tunes submitted by professional songwriters
like Gerry Goffin and Carole King, and produced the recordings,
generally
using Noone as singer and a group of studio musicians.
The
result was two years of solid hits, starting with "I'm into Something Good,"
which
topped the U.K. charts and broke the group in America. There were 11 Top
Ten
hits in the U.S. through 1967, among them the number one gold singles "Mrs.
Brown
You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Henry VIII, I Am." Herman's Hermits
had
ten Top Ten hits in Britain through 1970. Inevitably, the group's teenage
heartthrob
appeal waned, and they never became the kind of self-sustaining
musical
unit that could outlive that initial infatuation. The group split in 1970,
though
it has re-formed,
with
and without Noone, for oldies performances.