Herman's Hermits 📖 Wikipedia

Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits in 1967. Left to right: Barry Whitwam, Peter Noone, Derek Leckenby, Keith Hopwood, Karl Green
Background information
Origin	Manchester, England
Genres	Pop rock music hall bubblegum[1]
Years active	1963–present
Labels	Columbia (EMI) MGM Rak RCA CBS Private Stock Buddah Roulette
Members	Barry Whitwam Jamie Thurston John Summerton Tony Young
Past members	Peter Noone Derek Leckenby Keith Hopwood Karl Green See all former members at Band members
Website	hermanshermits.co.uk

Herman's Hermits are an English pop rock group formed in 1963 in Manchester and fronted by singer Peter Noone. Known for their jaunty beat sound and Noone's often tongue-in-cheek vocal style, the Hermits charted with numerous transatlantic hits in the UK and in America, where they ranked as one of the most successful acts in the Beatles-led British Invasion. Between March and August 1965 in the United States, the group logged twenty-four consecutive weeks in the Top Ten of Billboard's Hot 100 with five singles, including the two number ones "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Henry VIII, I Am".

Their other international hits in the 1960s include "I'm into Something Good" (their sole UK number one), "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", the two covers "Silhouettes" and "Wonderful World", "A Must to Avoid", "Listen People", "No Milk Today", "There's a Kind of Hush", "I Can Take or Leave Your Loving", "Something's Happening" and "My Sentimental Friend", all of which were produced by Mickie Most. The band had at least ten Top-10 singles both in Britain and the US. Herman's Hermits also appeared in four films, two of which were vehicles for the band.

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.^[2] The second-youngest member of a young group (four months older than Karl Green who was originally in the Balmains),^[2] 15-year-old Noone was already an experienced actor on the TV soap opera Coronation Street.

The band's name came from a resemblance, noted by a publican in Manchester, England, between Noone and Sherman from the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. Sherman was shortened to Herman and the group became Herman and His Hermits, which was soon shortened to Herman's Hermits.^[3]

In the summer of 1963, Harvey Lisberg discovered the group, then called Herman and the Hermits, playing at The Collingwood Club in Urmston.^[4] Lisberg and his friend Charlie Silverman became the group's managers on 5 November, and began booking concert dates.^[5] After several failed attempts to book the group at Liverpool's Cavern Club, Lisberg invited the club's DJ Bob Wooler to watch one of the group's performances in Manchester. Wooler was able to persuade the club's owner Ray McFall to book the band at the Cavern.^[6] In his 2024 autobiography A Hermit's Tale, Hopwood claimed that Wooler promised the group a couple of tracks in a proposed album called "The Cavern Presents". Although it never came to fruition, Hopwood wrote "it was good to have interest".^[7]

The Plaza Ballroom, a popular venue where the band performed every Saturday night, was within close proximity to Granada Television, where music executive Johnnie Hamp and Michael Parkinson produced a nightly magazine show called Scene at 6.30. Lisberg convinced Hamp and Parkinson to come to the Plaza. Arriving at the end of the show, Hamp saw the band perform their version of Nat Kendrick and the Swans' "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes". In the Herman's Hermits iteration, there was an abundance of kicking and leaping. Hamp made it a condition that this song be performed, and the show was piped to the A&R team at EMI.^[7]

Hamp invited the band back for a second TV outing. Two songs, "Sweet & Lovely" and "Rip It Up" were recorded at the Urmston Recording Club. Following this, Hamp sent a crew to The Cavern to film the band performing their entire act, including unloading and setting up equipment and the sound check. The Kinks were also at the Cavern for a lunchtime session.^[7]

Soon after, the Plaza's manager, Terry Devine, gave Lisberg a contact for Derek Everett at EMI. Lisberg met Everett, who worked in the sales division, in London. Everett offered to connect Lisberg to Mickie Most, an independent producer who worked with EMI. After briefly conversing with Most over the phone, Lisberg returned to Manchester and sent a postcard of the group to Most to encourage his response, followed by "two first class plane tickets, plus a night in a top Manchester hotel, inviting him to come and see the band perform. And this time he took the bait."^[8] In 1982, when Most was interviewed for the BBC Radio 1 programme and accompanying book The Record Producers, he recalled that upon receiving the postcard, he was intrigued by Noone's resemblance to "a young John F. Kennedy" and told the group's management he wanted to see them in concert.^[9] Most recalled "they didn't play so well, but [Noone] had a nice personality and that Kennedy look, which was what I liked."^[10] Lisberg recalled Most arriving to see the group at the Beachcomber club in Bolton. After the concert, Most informed Lisberg to sack the current bassist and drummer before Most would produce the group. Lisberg then informed Wrigley and Titterington of their dismissal from the band at Peter Noone's house.^[11] In a 1972 interview, Noone remembered the group auditioning for Most at a studio shortly after the performance, and stated, "We were having success so we didn't notice it, but we were unrecordable. [...] [Most] wanted me to kick two guys out of the band, which occurred, typically enough, in a Chinese restaurant. They took it great and I took it bad."^[12][a] Hopwood recalled that the group's audition for Most took place at Kingsway Studios on 19 April 1964.^[7] Lisberg and Silverman then held auditions for replacement members. Bassist Derek Leckenby and drummer Barry Whitwam had previously been members of another local group, The Wailers. They impressed Lisberg and Silverman with their performance of "Hava Nagila" and subsequently joined the newly renamed Herman's Hermits.^[13][b] Green later switched to bass guitar and Leckenby took over from Green as lead guitarist.

Keith Hopwood wrote: "...a couple of weeks later...Harvey asked Al about the name Herman and the Hermits. Al had registered it by posting a letter to himself which contained the name. This was a simple way of proving title in those days. For 200 pounds, the envelope was now Harvey's. Note-the manager now owned the name, not the band. This was a big mistake."^[7]

On 22 April 1964, the new lineup of the band assembled in the basement of Charlie Silverman's house, where "the band immediately sounded better by a long way" and "with the change in personnel, we also changed the name, shortening it to "Herman's Hermits".^[7]

Herman's Hermits' debut single 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. The song and its B-side, "Your Hand in Mine", composed by Lisberg and Silverman, were recorded in a three-hour session at Kingsway Studios on 26 July 1964.^[15] Most disliked the recording, but his wife convinced him to release the single.^[16] "I'm Into Something Good" was released by EMI's Columbia label on 7 August.^[15] On 24 September, the single replaced The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" at number one in the UK singles chart, where it stayed for two weeks and became Herman's Hermits' only number one in Britain.^[17] MGM Records, a division of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio, released the single in America, where it reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December.^[15] The group remained with the label in the US until the end of 1969, and would appear in several films for its parent company.^[18] Lisberg partnered with Danny Betesh of Kennedy Street Enterprises to help manage Herman's Hermits.^[19]

In his autobiography I'm Into Something Good: My Life Managing 10cc, Herman's Hermits & Many More!, Harvey Lisberg stated that Mickie Most "was an absolutely key part of [Herman's Hermits'] success. His ability to pick a hit was uncanny, and once he had chosen a song, he'd book the best arrangers and session musicians and get everything ready. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, still a few years away from global mega-stardom with Led Zeppelin, were often involved [...] [T]he fact that he used session musicians didn't endear him to the band, but you don't argue with that kind of track record."^[20] Most used session musicians on many records he produced, as was industry practice at the time.^[21] Hopwood wrote in his autobiography, A Hermit's Tale, "Once we had achieved a level of success that we did, particularly in the US, we hardly spent any time in the UK…This, coupled with the fact that in those days singles were released much more regularly than now (seven singles and two albums in 1965) meant that Mickie sometimes prepared the tracks in our absence. We'd fly in for a couple of days, record the vocals, then back on the road we went…In 1965, we played at least 300 days out of 365..I'm also sure there would not have been anything like the coverage there has been of this if Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones had not become half of Led Zeppelin."^[7]

Herman's Hermits' next single was another Goffin-King composition, "Show Me Girl", which reached number 19 on the UK charts in December 1964.^[17] That month, EMI released the group's first EP, Hermania, which featured three covers and one original song, "Thinkin' of You". MGM did not issue "Show Me Girl" as a single in North America, instead opting to release "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" in January 1965 as the group's follow-up single. The song went to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.^[22] In the UK, EMI issued "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" as the B-side of the group's third single, a cover of The Rays' "Silhouettes". Herman's Hermits' version of the song charted at number 6 in the UK^[17] and number 5 in the US.^[22] Their next single release in the UK was a cover of Sam Cooke's song "Wonderful World", which proved to be another transatlantic hit, charting at number 4 in the US^[22] and number 7 in the UK.^[17]

In February 1965, MGM issued the band's self-titled first US album, also known as Introducing Herman's Hermits. The album included both sides of the group's first two UK singles, and what would become their next US hit, "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter". The song originated from the 1963 television play The Lads, which aired on the ITV Television Playhouse series. MGM rushed "Mrs. Brown" into release as a single after it began receiving heavy radio play in the US.^[23][24] The album reached number two on the Billboard Top LPs chart.^[25] The number 12 debut of "Mrs. Brown" on the Billboard Hot 100 in April was the decade's third highest (behind the Beatles' "Hey Jude" and "Get Back"). The song reached the top of the charts on 1 May, where it remained for three weeks, and became Herman's Hermits' first number one in the US.^[26] It was not released as a single in Britain, though it did appear as the sole new track on the Columbia EP Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter in June.

In April 1965, Herman's Hermits appeared as one of the musical acts in the Associated British-Pathé film Pop Gear, a showcase of pop music performances hosted by disc jockey Jimmy Savile. The group became the first British band to join the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars, a package tour which toured across the United States and ran until June.^[27] Peter Noone appeared on the cover of the 21 May 1965 issue of Time Magazine, and was featured in an article titled "Rock N' Roll: Everybody's Turned On".^[28] The article described Noone as an "engaging high school dropout who looks like a toy sheepdog," adding that during the previous week was "the man of the moment" with "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" at #1, "rendered in a heavy Midlands English accent."^[29] In June, MGM released the group's second US LP, Herman's Hermits On Tour, which again reached number two on the Billboard Top LPs chart.^[25] The album featured what would become the group's second US number one, "I'm Henry VIII, I Am",^[22] a remake of the 1910 Cockney-style music hall song made famous by Harry Champion.^[24] The single was said at the time to be "the fastest-selling song in history",^[30] but was not issued in the UK. "Mrs. Brown" and "Henry" were both included on the group's self-titled first UK album for EMI, released in August, which mostly featured tracks from Herman's Hermits on Tour.^[31] It was the only studio album by the group to chart in the UK, where it reached number 16.^[17]

In July, the band headed to MGM Studios in Hollywood for two days to film their scenes for When the Boys Meet the Girls, an adaptation of the 1930 musical Girl Crazy starring Connie Francis.^[32] In the film, the group performed the Graham Gouldman composition "Listen People", and Peter Noone, who played a character named Herman, sang George and Ira Gershwin's "Bidin' My Time". Afterwards, the group continued to tour America. In August, Noone, Hopwood, and Lisberg visited Elvis Presley on the set of his film Paradise, Hawaiian Style.^[33] In September, the group began filming their first starring feature for MGM, Hold On!, which was released the following year.^[34] The film featured nine songs performed by the group, and one song performed by co-star Shelley Fabares. American songwriters P. F. Sloan and regular collaborator Steve Barri contributed several songs to the film, including the title song (written by Sloan), "Where Were You When I Needed You", and "A Must to Avoid". Sloan recounted, "I had been to see Donovan at the Trip and was introduced to Mickie Most who was producing The Animals and Herman's Hermits. He said Herman's Hermits were doing a movie and did I want to write some songs for it. I borrowed Donovan's dressing room and spare guitar and wrote most of "A Must to Avoid" that night. We recorded it a couple of weeks later [and] I played with them on the session. I remember Keith Hopwood had a beautiful Gibson J200 acoustic put my Harmony Sovereign to shame."^[7] "A Must to Avoid" was issued as a single in December 1965, charting at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100^[22] and number 6 in the UK singles charts.^[17] Billboard magazine ranked the group America's top singles act of the year, with The Beatles ranking at No. 2.

Following the release of When the Boys Meet the Girls in late 1965, MGM Records released Herman's Hermits' "Listen People" as a single in February 1966. Lisberg noted, "Within weeks it had gone to number three in the US, and the top of the charts in Canada."^[35] In the UK, the track was issued as the B-side of "You Won't Be Leaving", which charted at number 20, but was not released as a single in the US.^[17]

In March, MGM issued the Hold On! soundtrack album as the group's third US LP. They were nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist of 1965—they lost to singer Tom Jones—and two for their chart-topper "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter": Best Performance by a Vocal Group and Best Contemporary (R&R) Performance – Group (Vocal or Instrumental). "Leaning on a Lamp Post" from the Hold On! soundtrack was the group's next US single. Harvey Lisberg "suggested a song that neither Mickie nor the label would have come up with in a million years, but I had a hunch it might be perfect for them. I had always loved George Formby, the singer and actor who'd had loads of hits in the Thirties and Forties [...] Mickie, of course, didn't like the idea at all, but the band did and so did MGM".^[36] In the UK, Columbia issued a six-track EP featuring select songs from the Hold On! film.

In August 1966, MGM released the group's fourth US LP, Both Sides of Herman's Hermits, which featured the hit single "This Door Swings Both Ways" and the "heavy-style rocker" "My Reservation's Been Confirmed".^[37] EMI released a heavily modified version as the group's second UK album in October, retaining five songs from the US tracklist, while adding "Leaning on a Lamp Post" and "Listen People" among other songs. The group's cover of The Kinks' "Dandy", released in September, charted at number 5 in the US.^[22]

In the UK, after two consecutive Top 20 hits, Herman's Hermits returned to the Top Ten in November 1966 with "No Milk Today",^[17] also written by Gouldman. Harvey Lisberg stated, "No Milk Today" was seen as a leap for the group, and for Peter in particular, but they jumped at the chance to try something with a bit more substance. Peter loved the track and believed it to be the best thing they ever did."^[38] MGM issued the song as the B-side of their next single, "There's a Kind of Hush", where it peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[22] "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. "There's a Kind of Hush" charted at number 7 in the UK,^[17] and number 4 in the US,^[22] becoming Herman's Hermits' last top ten hit in America. Both songs were featured on the group's fifth US and third UK album, There's a Kind of Hush All Over The World.^[39] During the summer of 1967, The Who opened concerts for Herman's Hermits in North America.^[40][41]

The group's sixth US album Blaze continued in a more mature direction,^[42] but only reached number 75 on the Billboard Top LPs chart.^[25] The album included the group's cover of Donovan's "Museum" and "Don't Go Out Into the Rain (You're Going to Melt)", which reached number 18 in the US.^[22]

Herman's Hermits' popularity in the US continued to decline throughout 1968. "I Can Take or Leave Your Loving" charted at number 11 in the UK,^[17] and number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100^[22] becoming the group's last major hit in the country. The group appeared in their second starring film for MGM, Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter, produced by Allen Klein and shot in England. The film featured the title track and "There's a Kind of Hush". Graham Gouldman wrote several new songs for the movie, including "It's Nice to Be Out in the Morning" and "Lemon and Lime", which featured vocals by Stanley Holloway and each member of the group. The soundtrack album charted at number 182 in the US.^[25] In the UK, the group's "Sunshine Girl" charted at number 8 in August and was the first of three consecutive top ten singles for the group. Their next single, "Something's Happening" debuted in the UK charts on 24 December and reached number 6 in January.^[17] Hopwood and Derek Leckenby started a music company, Pluto Music, which is still in business as of 2026, working primarily on commercial and animation soundtracks.^[43]

In May 1969, the group's "My Sentimental Friend" charted at number 2 in the UK.^[17] Their next single, a cover of Ross D. Wylie's "Here Comes The Star", appeared in November, and peaked at number 33.^[17]

In regards to the band's US releases, Hopwood wrote, "During 1969, we got the feeling that MGM had definitely taken their eye off the ball with regard to the band. Whether it was because they were more interested in some of their new acquisitions or other management problems or a combination of both, the end result was drastic. The final straw was their placing a full page ad in Billboard for our new single release, only for us to find out that it was advertising the wrong track." Mickie Most delayed any future recordings, some of which had already been big hits in other parts of the world. MGM withheld payments to Herman's Hermits and it was then that litigation ensued. "The end result was a swift conclusion to our American adventures as we were locked in legal battles with MGM and so had no other way to turn on the US."^[7]

Herman's Hermits' final release for Columbia, "Years May Come, Years May Go", returned the group to the UK Top 10 for the last time, reaching number 7 in early 1970.^[17] Afterwards, the group joined Most's new label RAK Records, with EMI continuing to distribute their singles outside of North America. The band's reggae-influenced debut single on RAK, "Bet Yer Life I Do" was co-written by Hot Chocolate members Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. The single was another shift in musical style for the group and reached number 22 in the UK.^[17]

On 9 November 1970, Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits were invited as part of the Royal Variety Command Performance in the presence of the Queen Mother at the London Palladium. Other invited performers included Dionne Warwick, Andy Williams and Freddie Starr. Originally there was an elaborate Broadway show number planned, featuring Noone singing a Barbra Streisand song, walking forward as the orchestra rose into the air on a riser. "Unfortunately," as Keith Hopwood, who thought the number was visually "absolutely stunning" said, Michael Grade revised the act to include a ten-minute medley which included the Cockney song "Fish and Chips" and "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof. The Hermits were not dancers or actors, but according to Hopwood, "we managed to get through it without tripping up the girls, but...our show was nearly done, in every sense." Other songs on the set list that evening were: "Sunshine Girl", "Lady Barbara", "My Sentimental Friend", "Mame", and two Noone solo numbers, "Where is Love" from the musical Oliver! and "There's a Kind of Hush".^[44] Noone was the only member of the group invited to shake hands with the Queen Mother after the show, which became another source of friction within the group.^[45] Using their newly found dance skills, Herman's Hermits headlined at the London Palladium for 3 weeks that November, using the rising stage, and singing classic Noël Coward songs, including "London Pride". Hopwood said that they were travelling on "Peter's road...not really the band's and certainly not mine."^[7] According to Peter Noone, during his time with Herman's Hermits, many career decisions were constrained by the need to maintain the group's employment and financial security, preventing him from pursuing solo opportunities like a role replacing Tommy Steele in Half a Sixpence due to other members' financial obligations. He reflected that on many occasions he prioritized the group's collective needs over his individual goals due to his youth.^[46]

An English language cover of the Italian song "Lady Barbara" became the group's final UK Top 20 hit, charting at number 13.^[17] The single was credited to "Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits". Lisberg recalled that the name change was a last-ditch attempt by the group to acknowledge Noone's role as the most popular member.^[45] Following the single's release, Noone separated from the band in 1971 to pursue a solo career, while continuing to record with Most and his label.^[46] In April, RAK issued Noone's debut single "Oh You Pretty Thing", written by David Bowie. It charted at number 12 and was Noone's only charting solo single in the UK.^[47] Noone officially left Herman's Hermits on his 24th birthday, when the group "went out to dinner and agreed to call it a day."^[45]

After Noone's departure, the group changed their name to Hermits and signed with RCA Victor in the UK. Pete Cowap briefly became the group's new lead singer.^[45] Hermits recorded two singles at Strawberry Studios, and an album, Sourmash, produced by Eric Stewart. The album was not released, and none of their singles during this period saw any significant success. Hopwood left Hermits in 1972.^[48] The group's 1973 single on CBS, "You Gotta Love Me Baby", was credited to "John Gaughan with the Hermits", after their current lead singer at the time.^[49] Noone returned to front Herman's Hermits during a 1973 U.S. multi-artist tour of "British Invasion" acts,^[50] 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]} In 1975, the group, now called "The Hermits'', attempted a comeback with "Ginny Go Softly" for the Private Stock label. It was released under the Herman's Hermits name in the US, but failed to chart, as did subsequent one-off singles for Buddah and Roulette.

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, a group billed as "The Hermits", a touring incarnation by original members Whitwam and Leckenby, 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.^[51]

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.^[52]

The Sourmash album from 1972 was released by Pluto in 2000 under the title A Whale of a Tale! And Others.^[53]

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.^[14]

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, held at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, beating out nominees Barry Manilow and Dwight Yoakam.^[54] In 2023, Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone were scheduled to perform in over 100 concerts in countries such as the US, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and France.^[55] Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone performed 112 concerts in 2024, and in 2025 118 concerts.^[56]

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.^[57]

Also, in 2023, Tony Hancox left the band after six years. He was replaced by Tony Young of Gerry's Pacemakers. Hancox's last performance with the Hermits was at the Leeds Grand Theatre on 29 October 2023, when they were touring in the "Sixties Gold" nostalgia tour.^[58] In turn, Hancox filled Young's place in Gerry's Pacemakers.^[59] 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; guitarist since January 2023), and Tony Young (formerly of Gerry and the Pacemakers; keyboardist since October 2023).

On 25 April 2026, Peter Noone and Keith Hopwood appeared together at the Chiller Theatre Toy, Model and Film Expo in Parsippany NJ to introduce the release of their CD “Remember When”, written by Hopwood and produced by Keith Hopwood and son Daniel Hopwood, released on Pluto.^[60]

In the UK, Herman's Hermits collected ten top 10 singles between 1964 and 1970, and eighteen top 20 singles overall.^[17] In the US, Herman's Hermits had nine consecutive top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 between early 1965 and mid-1966. In total, the group collected eleven top 10 singles in the US, and 19 songs on the Billboard Hot 100.^[22] Five of the group's US LPs, including two greatest hits albums, were certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[61]

Conflicting information exists regarding the extent of Herman's Hermits' use of session musicians in their songs. In 1982, Mickie Most stated, "On some of the Herman records, I also used session musicians, although not always - if the songs needed arrangements, then I'd have session players, and very good ones at that."^[10] 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, Derek Leckenby played the muted lead on "This Door Swings Both Ways"^[62] and the guitar solo on "I'm Henry the VIIIth, I Am". In a 1972 interview, Noone claimed Keith Hopwood played rhythm guitar on "Mrs. Brown".^[63] Noone said as time went on, "Mickie used The Hermits less and less. He and I discovered the process was faster, if not as much fun. We stupidly left The Hermits out of all the decisions, causing them to hate us and, I think, rightfully so."^[64]

The riff in "Silhouettes" has been variously 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.^[62] 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.^[62]

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.^[65]

These legal disputes over the Herman's Hermits band name have highlighted broader issues surrounding trademark ownership and the control of band identities. In 2004 in Australia, Whitwam successfully registered ownership of the band name, restricting its use by other former members. Legal commentators noted that the case raised wider concerns about the registration of intellectual property rights without the knowledge or consent of collaborators. The dispute has been compared to other band-name controversies, including litigation involving Glen Shorrock and the Original Little River Band, as well as a 2007 disagreement within The Angels concerning use of that group's name. Four years after Noone left the group to pursue a solo career, Leckenby, Green, and Whitwam initiated legal proceedings in the High Court of England seeking to prevent Noone from using the word "Hermits." The case was settled, with Noone agreeing not to use the term, while the remaining members continued performing under the name Herman's Hermits. Whitwam later toured in Europe under the name Herman's Hermits Starring Barry Whitwam and successfully registered the band name in the United Kingdom and Europe. Ownership of the name in the United States remained with other former members. After Whitwam applied to register the name in Australia, other band members said that shared use was necessary to allow them to enter contracts and receive royalties and performance-related income, however, in a decision issued by hearing officer Jock McDonagh, it was determined that the earlier UK settlement permitted any of Green, Leckenby, or Whitwam to continue performing under the Herman's Hermits name. Following Leckenby's death, Whitwam was the only surviving member actively performing under that name, and the hearing officer concluded that exclusive registration was therefore unlikely to cause public deception.^[66]

While Noone maintains a relationship with most of the original band members, he has acknowledged a strained dynamic with drummer Barry Whitwam over the ownership of the group's name. Noone noted that other band members shared this frustration after Whitwam assumed control of the Herman's Hermits trademark, which Noone believes should have been a collective asset. Despite this, Noone remains in contact with rhythm guitarist Keith Hopwood, with whom he continues to manage the band's business affairs, including recording contracts and publishing rights.^[46]

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 unraveled, and Whitwam ultimately decided to stop touring in the United States with his band:

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. [...] 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.

Current members

• Barry Whitwam – drums (1963–present)
• Jamie Thurston – bass, lead and backing vocals (2020–present)
• John Summerton – guitar, lead and backing vocals (2023–present)
• Tony Young – keyboards, lead and backing vocals (2023–present)

Former members

• Derek Leckenby – lead guitar (1963–1994; died 1994)
• Karl Green – bass, vocals (1963–1980; one-off in 1997)
• Keith Hopwood – rhythm guitar, vocals (1963–1972; one-off in 1997)
• Peter Noone – lead vocals (1963–1971, 1973; one-off in 1997)
• Pete Cowap – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1971–1972; died 1997)
• John Gaughan – rhythm guitar, vocals (1972–1975)
• Chris Finley (born 1948 in Liverpool, died February 2016^[68]) – keyboards, vocals (1973–1974)
• Lance Dixon – keyboards, vocals (1974)
• Frank Renshaw (born 22 June 1943 in Wythenshawe^[69]) – rhythm guitar, vocals (1975–1982)
• Paul Farnell – bass, vocals^[70] (1980–1988)
• Garth Elliott – rhythm guitar, vocals (1982–1986)
• Rod Gerrard – rhythm guitar, vocals (1986–1995)
• Geoff Foot – lead and backing vocals (1988–2023), bass (1988–2020), guitar (2020–2023)
• Alec Johnson (born 3 April 1953 in Northwich) – lead guitar (1994–2002^[71])
• Geoff Kerry (born 28 August 1949 in Salford^[72]) – rhythm guitar, vocals (1995–2001)
• Graham Lee (born 1943 in Manchester^[73]) – rhythm guitar, vocals (2001–2004), lead guitar (2002–2004)
• Robert Birrell (born 25 November 1948, died 18 October 2008^[14][74]) – keyboards, vocals (2002–2006) (not touring 2005–2006)
• Eddy Carter (born 17 April 1957 in Manchester^[75]) – lead guitar, vocals (2004–2013^[76])
• Kevan Lingard (born 28 October 1958 in Accrington^[77]) – keyboards, vocals (2005–2016^[78])
• Simon Van Downham – rhythm guitar, vocals (2010–2011^[79])
• Paul Cornwell – lead guitar, vocals (2013–2019)
• Justin LaBarge – rhythm guitar, vocals (2015–2019)
• Paul Robinson (born 1 December 1964^[80]) – keyboards, vocals (2016)
• Duncan Keith – guitar, vocals (2019)
• Ray Frost (born in Essex^[81]) – guitar, vocals (2019–2020)
• Tony Hancox (born 25 March 1972^[82][83]) – keyboards, vocals (2017–2023)

Studio albums

• Herman's Hermits (1965, US/UK)
• Herman's Hermits on Tour (1965, US)
• Hold On! (1966, US)
• Both Sides of Herman's Hermits (1966, US/UK)
• There's a Kind of Hush All Over the World (1967, US/UK)
• Blaze (1967, US)
• Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1968, US/UK)
• A Whale of a Tale! And Others (2000, UK) (as Sourmash - a.k.a. Herman's Hermits)

• When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965)
• Hold On! (1966)
• Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1968)

• Pop Gear (1965)
• Herman's Hermits Hilton Show (1966)
• Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution (1967)
• In Concert: With Herman's Hermits (1968)^[84]

Sources

• Lisberg, Harvey; Thomas, Charlie (2023). I'm Into Something Good: My Life Managing 10cc, Herman's Hermits & Many More!. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-913172-88-6.
• Bronson, Harold (2017). My British Invasion. Vireo Books. ISBN 9-781945-572098.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Herman's Hermits.

• Official Herman's Hermits site – Peter Noone version
• Official Herman's Hermits site – Barry Whitwam version
• Pluto Music – Keith Hopwood's studio
• Peter Noone official website
• Karl Green's official website
• Herman's Hermits discography at Discogs
• Herman's Hermits at IMDb
• Herman's Hermits at Harvey Lisberg