Barry Whitwam
| Herman's Hermits | |
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Herman's Hermits in 1968. From L-R: Keith Hopwood, Karl Green, Derek Leckenby, frontman Peter Noone, and Barry Whitwam
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Manchester, England |
| Genres | Beat, pop |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | Columbia (EMI), MGM |
| Website | www |
| Members | Barry Whitwam Geoff Foot Paul Cornwell Paul Robinson |
| Past members |
Derek Leckenby Keith Hopwood Karl Green Peter Noone Alan Wrigley Steve Titterington |
Herman's Hermits are an English beat rock band, formed in Manchester in 1964.
Originally called Herman & The Hermits, they were discovered by Harvey Lisberg, who signed them up to management. Lisberg sent a return plane ticket to Mickie Most so that he could come up from London to see the band play in Bolton. Most became the group's record producer, controlling the band's output. He emphasised a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers. This helped Herman's Hermits become hugely successful in the mid-1960s.
Their first hit was a cover of Earl-Jean's "I'm into Something Good" (written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King), which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 13 in the US in late 1964. They never topped the British charts again, but had two US Billboard Hot 100 No.1s with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (originally sung by Tom Courtenay in a 1963 British TV play) and "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am" (a British music hall song by Harry Champion dating from 1911, which singer Peter Noone's Irish grandfather had been in the habit of singing when Noone was young). These songs were aimed at a US fan base, with Noone exaggerating his Mancunian accent.
In the US, their records were released on the MGM label, a company which often featured musical performers they had signed to record deals in films. The Hermits appeared in several MGM movies, including When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965) and Hold On! (1966). They also starred in the film Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1968) and appeared in the 1965 anthology film Pop Gear.
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