Fab '60s band Herman's Hermits lights up the Edison Festival in Fort Myers

By Richard Ferrara

Special to the Naples Daily News

Herman is back, and he's bringing his band of Hermits to the Edison Festival of Lights in Fort Myers. 

Lead singer Peter Noone earned the nickname "Herrnan" at the age of 15 when his band Herman’s Hermits was formed in Manchester, England, in 1963. Now in his mid-50s, Noone has resurrected his legacy on the Internet, refurbished his old band and is back singing the songs that made him famous. And he feels great about it. 

“It's fantastic. We're having a lot of fun. Who would think you'd have, like, a little new career at the end of a career, you know? I mean, you can't get any better than that," Noone said in a recent interview. Over the phone his voice is emphatic and full of energy. "I'd like to think it's because my music is good." When hordes of British rock 'n' roll bands invaded the American-music scene m the 1960s, Peter Noone helped lead the way. His cheery pop band stole the spotlight m 1964 after the Hermits' light-hearted hit "I'm Into Something Good" went No 1. A string of hits followed, including "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter," "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" and "There's A Kind of Hush." 

Throughout the remainder of the decade, assailed by teen girls armed with their own underwear to throw on stage, the Hermits played to sold-out crowds around the world. 

During its reign, the band sold more than 52 million records — even besting The Beatles in record sales m 1965. Noone's face appeared on virtually every magazine, including Time. The success of Herman's Hermits brought Noone the kind of fame accorded to fellow British Invasion bands like The Rolling Stones and The Dave Clark Five. 

"It was fun in the'60s. We sold a lot of records. People shouted and sang along with our songs. It was a great time for music and I was one of the big players in it," Noone reflected. 

In 1971, however, the Hermits disbanded. Their hits had run out, and Noone was unwilling to continue playing small gigs and opening for the new hit bands. 

"I was done with it," he said. Afterward, Noone pursued a career as an actor and musical star. He took major roles in two Broadway plays, including the main role of Frederic in the musical "The Pirates ofPenzance." He guest-starred in several TV shows, "Laveme and Shirley," "Married With Children," and "Quantum Leap" among them. In the '80s he wrote and performed for a New Wave band called The Tremblers, and in the 90s he hosted VH1’s top-rated musical retrospective "My Generation." 

By that time Noone and Herman's Hermits were a thing of the past. Then, a few years ago, Noone discovered there was another band using the Herman's Hermits name and parading around playing cheap gigs. "Someone says to me, 'There's a band playing tonight calling themselves Herman's Hermits, and you weren’t there.' Like I was being accused of not showing up, and that really pissed me off," he said. "So I said, ‘You know what? I'm gonna do the same thing, I'm gonna form a new band. And instead of working in bars for fifteen hundred bucks we’re gonna do it like it's the real band." But the band has to look like Herman's Hermits. You don't want one of those guys with long hair and a big fat beerbelly on the stage. We want people when they see us to say ‘Hey, maybe that's what it was like back in the '60s." 

“We worked hard and rehearsed. We listen to the original records like every day, you know. We're a band driving around listening to our own records and people go ‘Oh God look, there's a school bus full of special musicians,’ you know what I mean? Herman's Hermits must have done a lot of drugs, they’re all on their bus singing their own songs now,” Noone laughed. 

In part because of the Web sites Noone created three years ago — www.hermanshermits.com and www.peternoone.com — a new interest in his music has developed. Fans from years ago, as well as new fans from a younger audience, have rediscovered Peter on the Internet. Information, downloadable music, memorabilia and a fan chat room are all available on his Web site. 

"Isn't that a brilliant idea? I built a commumity on the Web site. I put a lot of time into that whole operation. We’ve built up the fan club. There were about 150 people in it three years ago, and now there’s more than 5,000. People get the fan club newsletter and come to gigs, and that's big, you know. It’s a lot more interesting having a new audience every time,” said Noone.

Peter said he loves meeting his fans (they call themselves "Noonatics") and even makes frequent appearances online to chat. He knows many of them by name, and when they line up after concerts for autographs he makes sure he acknowledges each one. 

“You know, they've got stuff to tell you and it's nice. You run into someone who says 'My mom has all your records and I’m only 22.' It's fun and it's also good business as well ‘cause people know that we care about them," said Noone. 

Last year Herman's Hermits performed more than 200 concerts. Noone hopes to continue at the same pace. Being on stage and playing the old songs brings back fond memories. 

“What's good for me is that I can reminisce as well. I was only about 17 or 18 when I made those songs. It gives me an hour and a half of total relaxation. It's like the best hour of your day is when you're on stage," he said. His favorite songs have always been the same ones his fans enjoy. 

"I like the ones when the audience joins in. I like ‘Into Something Good,' which I always thought was an up song, and I enjoy doing 'Henry VIII’ and letting the audience sing it.” 

Of course, performing these days has some differences.

“People used to throw underwear at us, but it wasn’t always so big,” he said.