The Zombies
For the undead creature of Vodun lore, see zombie.
The Zombies were a 1960s pop music band known for complex harmonies and jazz-influenced music. The group consisted of Chris White, Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Paul Atkinson, and Hugh Grundy. Argent's flashy, jazzy piano leads and Blunstone's voice were the hallmarks of the band. Somewhat underrated during their lifetime, they are now regarded as one of the greatest of all 1960s pop groups.
The group formed in 1962 in St Albans, England, and gained their initial reputation playing the Old Verulamians Rugby Club in that town. After winning a beat-group competition sponsored by the London Evening News, the Zombies signed to Decca and recorded their first hit, "She's Not There," which was released in mid-1964. In 1965 their "Tell Her No" also became a huge seller in both England and the United States. Although subsequent recordings such as "I Love You," "Indication" and "Is This the Dream" were of uniformly high quality, none achieved the success of "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No."
With their career almost over, the Zombies signed to CBS Records for one final LP, only the second of the career and the only one that would be designed as an LP from the beginning, instead of being a motley collection of random songs. The resulting concept album, Odessey and Oracle, was one of the very first to utilize a Mellotron, as the band's budget did not allow for the hiring of session musicians.
By the time Odessey and Oracle was released in the spring of 1968, the band had broken up. The album sold little, and was only released in the US at all because Al Kooper vouched for it. Finally, "Time of the Season" was released as a single well after the album was released. In 1969, the song became a huge hit. Since the group refused to reform, various concocted groups called "the Zombies" were created to tour for a time.
Rod Argent formed a band called Argent, while Blunstone eventually launched a solo career. In 2003 Blunstone and Argent reunited to record and tour.
Zombies guitarist Paul Atkinson died in Santa Monica, California on 1 April 2004.
