Rod Argent | |
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 Argent performing in September 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Rodney Terence Argent (1945-06-14)14 June 1945 (age 80) St Albans,Hertfordshire, England |
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| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1958–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | rodargent |
Rodney Terence Argent (born 14 June 1945) is an English musician. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Argent came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the keyboardist, founder and leader of the rock bandthe Zombies,[1] and went on to form the bandArgent after the first break-up of the Zombies.[2]
Argent is one of the main composers of the Zombies' music and made major lyrical contributions to the band's songs. As the band's keyboardist he used a variety of instruments, includingHohner Pianet,Mellotron,harpsichord, andorgan.
In addition to his work with the Zombies and Argent, Argent has made music for television series, been a session musician, produced albums by other artists, and had a solo career which has included three studio albums:Moving Home,Red House, andClassically Speaking. Argent was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Zombies in Brooklyn in March 2019.[3]
Argent was born inSt Albans,Hertfordshire, into a working-class family. His father, Les Argent, was an aeronautical engineer who machined parts at the De Havilland aircraft factory; he had also been the leader of two semi-professional dance bands, the Les Argent Quartet and Les Argent and his Rhythm Kings. Although his father did not teach Argent music, he was raised hearing him playing the upright piano in the family home. Argent's mother was one of eight children, and Argent grew up with "a substantial network of cousins, uncles and aunts" living in the town.[4][5]
He decided to become a musician "aged eight or nine",[6] and as a child, he sang as a chorister in theSt Albans Cathedral Choir.[7] While atSt Albans School, he metPaul Atkinson andHugh Grundy. Argent, Atkinson, and Grundy first played together at a jam on Easter 1961 in St Albans.
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.Colin Blunstone and Paul Arnold joined the new band in early 1961, while all five members were still at school. Arnold left not long after and was replaced byChris White. After the band won a local contest, they recorded a demo as their prize. Argent's song "She's Not There" got them a recording contract withDecca.[8]
In addition to playing the piano and keyboards in the Zombies, Argent was (with White) one of the group's two main songwriters, penning thehits "She's Not There", "Tell Her No", and "Time of the Season", amongst others. Argent was initially the group's lead singer, with Blunstone on guitar. When Argent's keyboard talents became apparent, he became the group's full-time keyboard player, conceding the role of lead singer to Blunstone. Despite this, Argent performed sporadic lead vocals for the band on tracks such as "I Got My Mojo Working" fromBegin Here and "I Want Her, She Wants Me" fromOdessey and Oracle.[9] The group continued to record through the 1960s, but disbanded in December 1967, reportedly over management disagreements.[10]
After the band broke up, Argent went on to form the bandArgent, which had a hit album in 1972 withAll Together Now, which contained the single "Hold Your Head Up". HisHammond B3 solo on that track was cited byRick Wakeman as the "greatest organ solo ever".[11] The band alsorecorded the original version of the rock anthem "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", written by lead singerRuss Ballard, which was later covered by other artists includingPetra andKiss. Argent's first album included the song "Liar" (also composed by Ballard), which became a hit forThree Dog Night. In 1976, the band broke up.[12]
In 1978, Argent released his debut solo albumMoving Home with many well-known musicians, includingGary Moore,Genesis drummerPhil Collins, andWeather Report bass guitaristAlphonso Johnson. In 1980, he wrote a musical titledMasquerade which premiered in London in 1982. In 1988, he issued another solo album,Red House.[13]
Argent went on to play keyboards with a number of musicians, including piano on thetitle track ofThe Who's albumWho Are You, and onVariations withGary Moore,Julian Lloyd Webber, andAndrew Lloyd Webber. In the 1980s he began writing for television. In 1986, he composed the theme music forITV's coverage of the1986 FIFA World Cup,Aztec Gold, which he released as asingle under the name ofSilsoe. Also in 1986, he composed the theme music for ITV'sThe Two of Us and for 1987's LWT series Bust. Two years later, the Argent/Van Hooke composition "Goal Crazy" was used by ITV'sThe Match from 1988 until 1992; and the duo also composed the now-familiar theme music for ITV'sIt'll Be Alright On The Night, first used in series 6 in 1990 and then until 2008. Argent also composed the theme music to the ITV (LWT) sitcomThe Piglet Files, which aired from 1990 to 1992.[13]
In 1987, Argent formed a production company with ex-Van Morrison drummerPeter Van Hooke which produced a number of artists. In 1995, Argent producedSoraya's debut albumOn Nights Like This and her second albumWall Of Smiles. Other albums the business partners produced includedTanita Tikaram'sAncient Heart (1988),Nanci Griffith'sLate Night Grande Hotel (1991),Joshua Kadison'sPainted Desert Serenade (1993), andJules Shear'sHealing Bones (1994).[13]
In 1999, Argent recorded a solo piano album,Rod Argent Classically Speaking, in which he playedChopinétudes and music byRavel,Bach, andGrieg, as well as three of his own compositions.[14] In 2006, Argent joinedHamish Stuart,Richard Marx,Billy Squier,Edgar Winter andSheila E. to tour withRingo Starr & His All-Starr Band.[15]
In 2004, Argent and Colin Blunstone recorded a new album,As Far as I Can See..., in the style of The Zombies. A subsequent album and DVDColin Blunstone & Rod Argent of the Zombies Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre received favourable reviews,[16][17] as did their 2007 US tour. One critic noted, "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]
Argent continued to tour with Colin Blunstone as The Zombies, and in March 2008 the original surviving members of the band played three reunion concerts at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, performing the albumOdessey and Oracle. The band were introduced byAl Kooper, who had discovered the album in a record shop in Carnaby Street in London after the band had broken up. He promoted it on radio stations in the US, leading to "Time of the Season" becoming a Top 3 hit in the singles charts. The sold out concerts (attended by several DJs and musical celebrities) led to a band reunion. In a 2015 interview withPopMatters journalist J.C. Maçek III about the Zombies' latest albumStill Got That Hunger, Argent said "Still Got That Hunger is the first album that has really recaptured some of the resonance 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, Argent participated in the unveiling of aBlue Plaque at The Blacksmith's Arms, a pub in St Albans where the Zombies met for their first rehearsal.[20]
Argent and his wife Cathy met at a party in 1967, and they married in 1972. They have two children, Elesa and Mark.[21] In July 2024, Argent, at 79 years old, suffered a stroke, and on 11 July 2024 he announced his retirement from touring.[22]
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "She's Not There" b/w "You Make Me Feel Good" | 1964 |
| "Leave Me Be" b/w "Woman" | |
| "Tell Her No" UK & AUS b/w "What More Can I Do?"US & CAN b/w "Leave Me Be" | |
| "She's Coming Home" b/w "I Must Move" | 1965 |
| "I Want You Back Again" b/w "Remember When I Loved Her" | |
| "Whenever You're Ready" b/w "I Love You" | |
| "Just Out of Reach" b/w "Remember You" | |
| "Is This the Dream?" b/w "Don't Go Away" | 1966 |
| "Indication" b/w "How We Were Before" | |
| "Gotta Get a Hold of Myself" b/w "The Way I Feel Inside" | |
| "Goin' Out of My Head" b/w "She Does Everything for Me" | 1967 |
| "Friends of Mine" b/w "Beechwood Park" | |
| "Care of Cell 44" b/w "Maybe After He's Gone" | |
| "Time of the Season" b/w "I'll Call You Mine"b/w "Friends of Mine" (1969 US re-release) | 1968 |
| "I Love You" b/w "The Way I Feel Inside" | |
| "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" b/w "This Will Be Our Year" | |
| "Imagine the Swan" b/w "Conversation Off Floral Street" | 1969 |
| "If It Don't Work Out" b/w "Don't Cry For Me" | |
| "Dropped Reeling & Stupid" | 2023 |
| Album | Year |
|---|---|
| Argent | 1970 |
| Ring of Hands | 1971 |
| All Together Now | 1972 |
| In Deep | 1973 |
| Nexus | 1974 |
| Circus | 1975 |
| Counterpoints |
| Album | Year |
|---|---|
| Encore: Live in Concert | 1974 |
| In Concert | 1995 |
| The Complete BBC Sessions | 1997 |
| High Voltage Festival | 2010 |
| Song | Year |
|---|---|
| "Liar" | 1970 |
| "Schoolgirl" | |
| "Sweet Mary" | 1971 |
| "Celebration" | |
| "Hold Your Head Up" | 1972 |
| "Tragedy" | |
| "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" | 1973 |
| "It's Only Money, Part 2" | |
| "Man for All Reasons" | 1974 |
| "Thunder & Lightning" | |
| "Time of the Season" | |
| "The Jester" | 1975 |
| "Highwire" | |
| "Rock 'n' Roll Show" |
Gymnopedies No 1 1977
Media related toRod Argent at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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