The Zombies focus of new display at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Any excuse to celebrate The Zombies is a good one! I'm thrilled to see The Zombies getting some well-deserved recognition by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame...

CLEVELAND – The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will spotlight the influential career and music of iconic British Invasion group the Zombies in a new display.

Surviving members of the original lineup, Hugh Grundy, Chris White, Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent, will dedicate the display on Wednesday, July 12 at 5 p.m.

Among the items included in the display are:

• Items from the group’s first major hit “She’s Not There,” including Rod Argent’s Hohner electric pianet and sheet music
• Chris White’s bass guitar
• Paul Atkinson’s acoustic guitar used on the recording of “Tell Her No”
• Hugh Grundy’s Ludwig snare drum used on all of the Zombies’ 1960s recordings
• The artwork for the band’s critically acclaimed Odessey and Oracle album by Terry Quirk
• And more

Bassist-singer Chris White, left, and Colin Blunstone
performing in October 2015. Photo: Robert Kinsler

In this exhibit, fans and visitors will discover how the band handled their success and enthusiastic fans, how ZZ Top’s Frank Beard and Dusty Hill capitalized on the Zombies’ popularity, and their continued influence on popular music with artists like Dave Grohl, Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys, the Shins and more.

Think you know your British rock and roll history? Stop by our Rock Hall trivia show and prove it!  The Zombies will serve as special guest participants of this trivia show, which will include behind-the-scenes highlights of the new exhibit.  This show runs from 6pm-6:15pm and is open to the public with paid admission and free to Rock Hall members.  Prizes will be awarded to winners.

The Zombies just completed a 26-date North American tour celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the recording of their 1968 masterpiece Odessey and Oracle, and the release of the coffee table book The Odessey: The Zombies in Words and Images.

Drummer Hugh Grundy in 2015.

About the Zombies:

One of the consummate joys of the first wave of the British Invasion was the startling variety of sounds and styles that emerged month after month in that heady halcyon era.

At one end of the scale were the raw, blues-drenched disciples of American blues and R&B (Rolling Stones, Animals, Yardbirds), and at the other end were the more studied, sophisticated, intricately arranged atmospherics of the Zombies. There was no other band whose sound filled space as gorgeously and completely as the Zombies: the jazz-inflected electric piano of Rod Argent, the choirboy vocals of him and his St. Albans schoolmates, bassist Chris White and lead singer Colin Blunstone. Other schoolmates, Paul Atkinson on guitar and vocals, and drummer Hugh Grundy rounded out the classic original lineup, which endeared itself overnight to the most loyal and dedicated army of fans to which any rock band can lay claim.

Rod Argent performing at the Saban Theatre in
Beverly Hills, CA in October 2015. 

At the end of the day, it always comes back home to the triad of career defining hits by the Zombies that beg the question: Where were you the first time you heard “She’s Not There” or “Tell Her No” or “Time Of the Season?” Their second and final album Odessey And Oracle has earned its reputation (and its spot inside the Top 100 on Rolling Stone’s list of the "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time") alongside such masterworks as the Beatles’ White Album and the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Rod Argent’s eponymous band gave majesty and definition to the ’70s, but the Zombies, which he and Colin Blunstone have been helming on records and tours for the past decade, are truly a rock band for all seasons.

More about the Zombies at thezombiesmusic.com.

About the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:

Rock Connects Us. Our mission is clear: To engage, teach and inspire through the power of rock and roll. We share stories of the people, events and songs that shape our world through exhibits, innovative programs and concerts. Join the millions who love it as much as you do. Experience us live or online – Visit rockhall.com or Facebook, Twitter and Instagram(@rockhall). Long Live Rock!