The music connection

It’s sometimes difficult to make a sports connection to music although if you try hard enough, you could stretch the boundaries of imagination.

Like singer Colin Blunstone was a high school rugby player (he had just come from a game with a broken nose when he was invited by keyboard artist Rod Argent to join the band later to be known as the Zombies) and his uncle Frank Blunstone, a former Chelsea soccer standout, was an English national player in the 1950s or Gerry and the Pacemakers’ No. 1 hit "You’ll Never Walk Alone" is the anthem for Liverpool soccer or Gary Farr, who fronted the T-Bones, is pro boxer Tommy’s son or Queen’s

"We Will Rock You" and " We are the Champions" are familiar tunes in sports stadiums.

With the legendary British Invasion pop group Herman’s Hermits, the only sports connection is vocalist Peter Noone or Herman (named because he resembles Sherman of TV’s "Rocky and Bullwinkle Show") selling programs during Manchester United soccer matches when he was growing up as a student at the Manchester School of Music and Drama.

Because of the flimsy connection, I beg your indulgence once more to devote this column to music and in particular, Herman’s Hermits who’re coming to Manila to perform at the Araneta Coliseum on March 17 and the Manila Hotel on March 18.

Of course, you know I’m a big collector of British Invasion records of the ‘60s and my passion for music of this era parallels my passion for sports.

If Baby Boomers will recall, Herman’s Hermits performed in the country during an Australasia tour in 1966. But they never went on stage in Manila. The Beatles’ shrewd manager Brian Epstein packaged a British Invasion tour where the Dave Clark Five and Herman’s Hermits were contracted to perform here preparatory to the Fab Four’s arrival. Cavalcade Promotions agreed to bring in the Dave Clark Five and Herman’s Hermits just to lock in the Beatles.

As it turned out, the Dave Clark Five performed at the Big Dome while Herman’s Hermits played in Cebu, Davao and Bacolod.

So the coming Herman’s Hermits shows are a first in Manila. They’re making their Big City debut and Herman couldn’t be more excited, just like the Hermits.

At the height of their popularity in the ‘60s, Herman’s Hermits appeared on the same stage as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Del Shannon, the Animals, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Who, Amen Corner, Fortunes, Dave Berry and many, many more stars. In 1965, Herman met Elvis Presley in Hawaii when the King was on location to shoot " Paradise Hawaiian Style" and the pop idols from two sides of the Atlantic sparked a frenzy among rabid fans. That year and the next, Herman’s Hermits, the Beatles and Rolling Stones were considered England’s Big Three in the pop music hierarchy. They were the lords of the charts, taking turns on top of the hit parade and enjoying global recognition as legends in their own time.

Not only were the Hermits showstoppers on stage, they were also movie stars. Herman and his band appeared in four films, "When the Boys Meet the Girls" with Connie Francis, "Hold On" with Shelly Fabares, "Pop Gear" and "Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter" with Sheila White.

Herman’s Hermits became a household name in the US where they were adored by fans for their clean-cut, wholesome and English schoolboy image. Writer Alan Clayson said "Hermania" filtered across the US like the bubonic plague. " If ever a ballroom is built on Mars, there might still be a Herman’s Hermits, a bootleg Beatles or the Animals playing "Sounds of the ‘60s’ singles," wrote Clayson in his book " Beat Merchants."

Herman’s Hermits were arguably second only to the Beatles in the hearts of American teenage girls in the mid-1960s," said Dave McAleer in "Beatboom."

Things broke out for Herman’s Hermits in 1964 when they took "I’m Into Something Good" to No. 1 in the UK charts for two weeks. The single was their first million-seller, later to be followed by golden hits "Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter" "Silhouettes" "I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am" "A Must to Avoid" "Listen People" and "There’s a Kind of Hush."

Those hits will be in Herman’s Hermits song list in their Manila shows. Additionally, they’re expected to sing other popular numbers like "No Milk Today" "Can’t You Hear My Heart Beat" "Just a Little Bit Better" "Wonderful World" "The End of the World" and "Leaning on a Lamp Post."

When Herman’s Hermits disbanded in 1970, they had sold over 50 million records with 14 US and 15 UK top 20 hit singles. In 1989, "I’m Into Something Good" was back in the airwaves as the theme song in the Leslie Nielsen comedy movie "Naked Gun."

Although the original Hermits split up, Herman continued to perform to sellout crowds all over the world.

In 1995, Herman performed in his first UK tour after 25 years and the venue was standing room only. Two years later, he returned to star in the Solid Silver ‘60s tour and on the final date, was reunited with three original Hermits, Barry Whitwam, Karl Green and Keith Hopwood. The other Hermit, Derek Leckenby, died of lymphoma in 1994.

Today, Herman is backed by a new generation of Hermits and they’ll relive the glory days of the British Invasion during their Manila concerts. To his fans, Herman is a Pied Piper and a Peter Pan rolled into one.

On a personal note, Herman married a French girl Mireille Strasser in 1968 on her 21st birthday in London and their daughter Natalie was born 18 years later. The family lives in California.

Herman, 58, is not only a durable concert performer but also a veteran actor with credits in TV shows like "Coronation Street" "The Canterville Ghost" and " Pinocchio" and the stage musical "Pirates of Penzance," both on Broadway and in the West End.

It took Herman nearly 40 years to bring his livewire act to Manila. You can’t afford to miss Herman’s Hermits in concert if only to find out why this band continues to rock in its fourth decade as pop icons. We’re all in for a big English jolly good show.