Colin Blunstone | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Blunstone performing in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Neil MacArthur |
| Born | Colin Edward Michael Blunstone (1945-06-24)24 June 1945 (age 80) Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England |
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| Years active | 1958–present |
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| Website | colinblunstone |
Colin Edward Michael Blunstone (born 24 June 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Blunstone came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of therock bandthe Zombies, which released four singles that entered the Top 75 charts in the United States during the 1960s: "She's Not There", "Tell Her No", "She's Coming Home" and "Time of the Season". Blunstone began his solo career in 1969, releasing three singles under a pseudonym ofNeil MacArthur. Since then, he has released ten studio albums under his real name. He was also a recurring guest vocalist withthe Alan Parsons Project,[1] appearing on four of their albums between 1978 and 1985.
In 2019, Blunstone was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the Zombies.[2]
Colin Edward Michael Blunstone was born on 24 June 1945, inHatfield, Hertfordshire and raised as the only son of Arthur and Dorothy Blunstone (née Mahn).[3][4] "I was adopted", Blunstone has said, "and my mother was the sister of my birth mother". After Blunstone's birth mother became pregnant, she went to live with Arthur and Dorothy in order to conceal the pregnancy from her family. She stayed with the couple for several months until she gave birth and then returned to her family. At an early age, Blunstone was told he had been adopted, but the identity of his birth mother was not revealed until he was nearly 30 years old, when his 'aunt' — who was in actuality his birth mother — revealed that she had had a brief affair with an American serviceman during the Second World War, which led to the pregnancy. Blunstone’s birth father was injured in France and sent back to the United States.[5]
Arthur was an aeronautical engineer at theDe Havilland factory at Hatfield who later ran a hairdressing business before returning to work for De Havilland. Dorothy was a former dancer who also worked for De Havilland. Notwithstanding postwar privations, Blunstone recalled that although his family were not well-off, his parents never owning a car, they had a pleasant lifestyle in rural Hertfordshire. He noted that "as a band we gave off that aura of being middle-class... maybe a couple of the guys' families were comfortable, but the others' weren't. Because of where we came from we talk in a particular way. That... sounded a bit like BBC accents... My parents weren't wealthy at all. We may have been middle-class by aspiration, but not by income."[6][7] He attendedSt Albans County Grammar School for Boys.[1]
When he was ten, Blunstone acquired a radio, which he would frequently use to listen toRadio Luxembourg. The first record he ever bought was "Heartbreak Hotel" byElvis Presley. Other favourite artists includedLittle Richard,Chuck Berry, andRicky Nelson.[8]
Rod Argent,Paul Atkinson, andHugh Grundy first played together at a jam on Easter 1961 inSt Albans, Hertfordshire. Rod Argent wanted to form a band and initially asked his cousinJim Rodford to join as a bass guitarist. Rodford was playing in local band called the Bluetones at the time, so declined. Paul Arnold, Blunstone's classmate and a friend of Argent, personally invited him to join what would later become the Zombies.[9] Blunstone and Arnold (who would take upbass but leave shortly thereafter) joined in early 1961, while all five members were still at school. Blunstone was originally recruited as arhythm guitarist and showed up to his first rehearsal with twoblack eyes from playingrugby.[10] Eventually, Argent opted to relinquish his lead vocal duties in favor of Blunstone.[11]
After they won a local contest, they recorded a demo as their prize. Rod Argent's song "She's Not There" got them a recording contract withDecca.[12] "She's Not There" would go on to be a worldwide hit, with the band appearing on shows such asTop of the Pops andHullabaloo, among many others. Another hit by the group was "Tell Her No".
Blunstone's voice was considered[according to whom?] one of the main factors in makingthe Zombies' single, "She's Not There".[13][14] In 1968, the band broke up over management issues, shortly after completing thebaroque pop classic albumOdessey and Oracle.[15] One of the songs fromOdessey and Oracle, "Time of the Season", would become one of the band's most acclaimed hits.
In 2004, Blunstone and Rod Argent recordedAs Far as I Can See..., a new album in the style of the Zombies. A later album and DVDColin Blunstone & Rod Argent of the Zombies Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre were well received,[16][17] as was their 2007 US tour. One critic wrote, "The Zombies, still led by original keyboard wizard Rod Argent and featuring the smoked-silk vocals of Colin Blunstone, is the best 60s band still touring which doesn't haveMick Jagger as a front man".[18]
Blunstone continued to tour with Argent as the Zombies, and in April 2009 the original surviving members of the band played four reunion concerts performingOdessey and Oracle. Blunstone and Rod Argent decided to put together a touring band, perform live and release new material as The Zombies. Jim Rodford (Argent, The Kinks) was on bass, Steve Rodford on drums and Keith Airey on guitar. Airey left and was replaced by Tom Toomey. After the death of Jim Rodford in 2018, Søren Koch became the Zombies' new bass player. In a 2015 article forPopMatters, journalist J.C. Maçek III quoted Argent about the Zombies' latest albumStill Got That Hunger. Argent said, "Still Got That Hunger is the first album that has really recaptured some of theresonance of feeling of a group. We're so tight as a group together now. And the whole process has become so organic that we're 100% happy with the Zombies name and rediscovering and playing all the old stuff and at the same time carving a new path forward which is also very, very important to us."[19]
In 2012, Blunstone participated in the unveiling of aBlue Plaque at the Blacksmith's Arms, a St. Albans pub where the Zombies met for their first rehearsal.[20]
In 2019, Blunstone was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the Zombies, along with Argent, Atkinson (posthumously), White, and Grundy.[2]
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Blunstone briefly worked as a clerk in the insurance business before resuming his musical career.[21] In 1969, he signed withDeram and released three singles under the pseudonym of Neil MacArthur, including a re-make of "She's Not There", which charted in the UK.[1]
Blunstone gained success as a solo artist in 1972 with "Say You Don't Mind"[22] (which peaked at number 15 in the UK chart and was written by formerMoody Blues and futureWings memberDenny Laine), and "I Don't Believe in Miracles" (which peaked at number 31 in the UK chart and written by Argent memberRuss Ballard), both withstringarrangements byChristopher Gunning. Additional minor hits followed with "How Could We Dare to Be Wrong" in early 1973 (which peaked at number 45 in the UK chart) and "The Tracks of My Tears" in 1982 (which peaked at number 60 in the UK chart).
One Year (1971), produced byChris White andRod Argent was Blunstone's debut solo album, and included the song "Caroline Goodbye" about his break-up with themodel and actressCaroline Munro. The album also featured new material written by Argent and White. This was followed byEnnismore andJourney.[23] He then signed a recording contract withElton John's record label,The Rocket Record Company, and released three studio albums:Planes (1976);Never Even Thought (1978); andLate Nights in Soho (1979) which was only released in Europe. Blunstone also contributed toDave Stewart's hitcover version of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" (1980). He went on to appear on several albums bythe Alan Parsons Project includingEye in the Sky, where he sings the hit single "Old and Wise", andAmmonia Avenue ("Dancing on a Highwire"). In 1984, he joined with other Parsons musicians, most notably David Paton of PILOT/Parsons to formKeats.
His ninth solo albumThe Ghost of You and Me was released in the UK, Benelux, and Scandinavia on 9 March 2009.[24] Blunstone completed a twelve date UK tour, his first in several years. He continued to tour with Rod Argent as the Zombies, and the original surviving members of the band played four reunion concerts performingOdessey and Oracle, in April 2009.In 2010, Sony releasedColin Blunstone Original Album Classics, a 3-disc boxed set featuring digitally re-mastered versions of Blunstone's solo albumsOne Year,Journey andEnnismore. The collection also includes two bonus tracks that were originally released as non-LP b-sides in UK.[25]
Blunstone continues to be active, occasionally in tours with 1960s bands such asManfred Mann,[26] often collaborating with Rod Argent. Some of his more recent albums areAs Far as I Can See, the mid-1990sEcho Bridge andOut of the Shadows (with Rod Argent). In 2024, he toured in the UK with a band comprising Søren Koch on lead and acoustic guitar,Dave Bainbridge on keyboards,Chas Cronk on bass andSteve Rodford on drums. For their second set, a string quartet, Q Strings, joined them on stage to perform Blunstone's first solo albumOne Year in its entirety.
Blunstone has appeared many times on radio and television shows in the UK and on soundtracks. He and his band performed several sessions forJohn Peel andJohnnie Walker, and onThe Old Grey Whistle Test in 1971, where he performed live with a string quartet.[27]
Blunstone appeared inThe Savages (2001) andKeep the Aspidistra Flying (1997) both as a singer. Other TV appearances includeThe Dan and Dusty Show (2004) as the Zombies,Shindig! Presents British Invasion Vol. 2 (1992) also as the Zombies, andPop Quiz (1982). His sole film part was inBunny Lake Is Missing (1965), directed byOtto Preminger (as the Zombies) and starringLaurence Olivier.
Blunstone is married to Suzy Blunstone, and the couple have a daughter.[28]
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