Colin Edward Michael Blunstone (born 24 June 1945) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Blunstone came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the English rock band

the Zombies The Zombies are an English Rock music, rock band formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group had a British and American chart-topper, hit in 1964 with "She's Not ...

, which released four singles that entered the Top 75 charts in the United States during the 1960s, including "

She's Not There "She's Not There" is the debut single by British rock band the Zombies, written by keyboardist Rod Argent. It reached 12 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1964, and 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States at the beginning of ...

", "

Tell Her No "Tell Her No" is a hit single written by Rod Argent and included by English rock band the Zombies on their debut album ''The Zombies'' in 1965. It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States in March 1965 and was one of thr ...

", " She's Coming Home", and "

Time of the Season "Time of the Season" is a song by the British rock band the Zombies, featured on their 1968 album ''Odessey and Oracle''. It was written by keyboard player Rod Argent and recorded at Abbey Road Studios in August 1967. Over a year after its origin ...

". Blunstone began his solo career in 1969, releasing three singles under a pseudonym of Neil MacArthur. Since then, he has released ten studio albums under his real name. He appears on several albums with

the Alan Parsons Project The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock band active between 1975 and 1990, whose core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They were accompan ...

and sang " Old and Wise". In 2019, Blunstone was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of The Zombies.

Early years

Colin Edward Michael Blunstone was born on 24 June 1945, in

Hatfield, Hertfordshire Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It had a population of 29,616 in 2001, and 39,201 at the 2011 Census. The settlement is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, home of the Marquess o ...

, England, only son of Arthur Blunstone, an aeronautical engineer at the De Havilland factory at Hatfield who later ran a hairdressing business before returning to work for De Havilland, and housewife Dorothy, a former dancer who also worked for De Havilland. Notwithstanding post-war 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." He attended St Albans County Grammar School for Boys.

Rod Argent Rodney Terence Argent (born 14 June 1945) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Argent came to prominence in the mid 1960s as the keyboardist, founder and leader of the ...

, Paul Atkinson, and

Hugh Grundy Hugh Birch Grundy (born 6 March 1945) is an English musician. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Grundy came to prominence in the mid 1960s as the drummer of the English rock band the Zombies. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall o ...

first played together at a jam on Easter 1961 in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Rod Argent wanted to form a band and initially asked his cousin

Jim Rodford James Walter Rodford (7 July 1941 – 20 January 2018) was an English musician, who played bass for several British rock bands. He was a founding member of Argent, which was led by his cousin Rod Argent, and performed with them from their formati ...

to join as a bass guitarist. Rodford was playing in local band called the Bluetones at the time, so declined. Blunstone and Paul Arnold joined in early 1961, while all five members were still at school. After they won a local contest, they recorded a demo as their prize. Rod Argent's song "

" got them a recording contract with Decca.

Music career

Solo career

Blunstone's voice was considered one of the main factors in making

' single, "

", a big hit worldwide. In 1968, the band broke up over management issues, shortly after completing the baroque pop classic album ''

Odessey and Oracle ''Odessey and Oracle'' is the second studio album by English rock band the Zombies. It was originally released in the UK in April 1968 by CBS Records. The album was recorded primarily between June and August 1967. The sessions took place at ...

''. Blunstone briefly worked as a clerk in the insurance business before resuming his musical career. In 1969, he signed with Deram and released three singles under the pseudonym of Neil MacArthur, including a re-make of "She's Not There", which charted in the UK. Blunstone gained success as a solo artist in 1972 with "

Say You Don't Mind "Say You Don't Mind" is a song written and originally recorded by English musician Denny Laine. It was a top 20 hit for Colin Blunstone in 1972. History Laine wrote the song in 1967 after he had quit The Moody Blues and was forming the Electric ...

" (which peaked at number 15 in the UK chart and was written by future

Paul McCartney and Wings Wings were a British-American rock band formed in 1971 by former Beatle bassist Paul McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards, session drummer Denny Seiwell, and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine. Wings were noted for their com ...

member

Denny Laine Denny Laine (born Brian Frederick Hines, 29 October 1944) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter, known as a founder of two major rock bands: the Moody Blues, with whom he played from 1964 to 1966, and Wings, with whom he played from 1 ...

), and "I Don't Believe in Miracles" (which peaked at number 31 in the UK chart and written by Argent member

Russ Ballard Russell Glyn Ballard (born 31 October 1945) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Originally coming to prominence as the lead singer and guitarist for the band Argent, Ballard became a songwriter and producer by the late 1970s. His co ...

), both with string arrangements by

Christopher Gunning Christopher Gunning (born 5 August 1944) is an English composer of concert works and music for films and television. Gunning was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where his tutors includ ...

. 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 by Chris White and

was Blunstone's debut solo album, and included the song "Caroline Goodbye" about his break-up with the

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

and actress

Caroline Munro Caroline Munro (born 16 January 1949)McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). ''The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition''. Oxford University Press. p. 538; is an English actress, model and singer known for her many appearances in horror, ...

. The album also featured new material written by Argent and White. This was followed by '' Ennismore'' and ''

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

''. He then signed a recording contract with Elton John's record label named

The Rocket Record Company The Rocket Record Company was a record label founded by Elton John, along with Bernie Taupin, Gus Dudgeon, Steve Brown and others, in 1973. The company was named after the hit song " Rocket Man". The label was originally distributed in the ...

and released three studio albums: ''Planes'' (1976); ''Never Even Thought'' (1978); and ''Late Nights in Soho'' (1979) which was only released in Europe. Blunstone also contributed to Dave Stewart's hit

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" is a hit single recorded by Jimmy Ruffin and released on Motown Records' Soul label in the summer of 1966. It is a ballad, with lead singer Jimmy Ruffin recalling the pain that befalls the broken-hearted who h ...

" (1980). He went on to appear on several albums by the Alan Parsons Project including '' Eye in the Sky'', where he sings the hit single " Old and Wise", and '' Ammonia Avenue'' ("Dancing on a Highwire"). In 1984, he joined with other Parsons musicians, most notably David Paton of PILOT/Parsons to form

Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculos ...

. His ninth solo album ''The Ghost of You And Me'' was released in the UK, Benelux, and Scandinavia on 9 March 2009. 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 performing ''Odessey and Oracle'', in April 2009. In 2010, Sony released ''Colin Blunstone Original Album Classics,'' a 3-disc boxed set featuring digitally re-mastered versions of Blunstone's solo albums ''One Year,'' ''Journey'' and ''Ennismore.'' The collection also includes two bonus tracks that were originally released as non-LP b-sides in UK. Blunstone continues to be active, occasionally in tours with 1960s bands such as Manfred Mann, often collaborating with Rod Argent. Some of his more recent albums are ''As Far As I Can See'', the mid-1990s ''Echo Bridge'' and ''Out of the Shadows'' (with Rod Argent).

The Zombies reunion

In 2004, Blunstone and Rod Argent recorded '' As Far as I Can See...'', a new album in the style of the Zombies. A later album and DVD ''Colin Blunstone & Rod Argent of the Zombies Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre'' were well received, 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 have Mick Jagger as a front man". Blunstone continued to tour with Argent as the Zombies, and in April 2009 the original surviving members of the band played four reunion concerts performing ''Odessey 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, Soren Koch became the Zombies' new bass player. In a 2015 article for ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'', journalist J.C. Maçek III quoted Argent about the Zombies' latest album '' Still Got That Hunger''. Argent said, "''Still Got That Hunger'' is the first album that has really recaptured some of the

resonance Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied Periodic function, periodic force (or a Fourier analysis, Fourier component of it) is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system ...

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." In 2012, Blunstone participated in the unveiling of a Blue Plaque at the Blacksmith's Arms, a St. Albans pub where the Zombies met for their first rehearsal.

Radio, television, and film

Blunstone has appeared many times on radio and television shows in the UK and on soundtracks. He and his band performed several sessions for John Peel and

Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky now owned by Diageo that originated in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. The brand was first established by grocer John Walker. It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Sc ...

, and on '' the Old Grey Whistle Test'' in 1971, where he performed live with a string quartet. Blunstone appeared in ''The Savages'' (2001) and '' Keep the Aspidistra Flying'' (1997) both as a singer. Other TV appearances include ''The Dan and Dusty Show'' (2004) as the Zombies, ''Shindig! Presents British Invasion Vol. 2'' (1992) also as the Zombies, and '' Pop Quiz'' (1982). His sole film part was in ''

Bunny Lake Is Missing ''Bunny Lake Is Missing'' is a 1965 British-American psychological drama film, directed and produced by Otto Preminger. Filmed in black-and-white widescreen format in London, it was based on the 1957 novel '' Bunny Lake Is Missing'' by Merriam ...

'' (1965), directed by

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...

(as the Zombies) and starring Laurence Olivier.

Personal life

Blunstone is married to Suzy Blunstone, and the couple have a daughter.

Discography

The Zombies

Band albums

* The Zombies - '' Begin Here'' (1965) * The Zombies - ''

'' (1968) * The Zombies - '' R.I.P.'' (1969) * Argent-Blunstone - ''Out of the Shadows'' (2001) - Redhouse REDHCD * The Zombies - ''Live at the BBC'' (2003) (Expanded and re-released as The BBC Radio Sessions (2016) * The Zombies - '' As Far as I Can See…'' (2004) * The Zombies - ''Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London'' (2005) * The Zombies - ''On The BBC Radio'' (2007) * The Zombies - ''Odessey and Oracle: 40th Anniversary Live Concert'' (2008) * The Zombies - '' Breathe Out, Breathe In'' (2011) * The Zombies - ''Live In Concert At Metropolis Studios'' (2012) * The Zombies - ''Live in the UK'' (2013) * The Zombies - '' Still Got That Hunger'' (2015)

Solo albums

*'' One Year'' – Epic EPC64557 (1971) * '' Ennismore'' – Epic EPC65278 (1972) * ''

'' – Epic EPC65805 (1974) * ''Planes'' – Epic EPC81592 (1977) * ''Never Even Thought'' –

Rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

BXL1-2903 (1978) * ''Late Nights in Soho'' –

(Netherlands) 9103 510 (1979) *''Sings His Greatest Hits'' - JSE Records – CLACD 351 (1991) * ''Echo Bridge'' – Permanent PERMCD38 (1995) *''Live at the BBC'' (1996) * ''The Light Inside'' – Mystic MYSCD125 (1998) * ''The Ghost of You and Me'' – Ennismore ENNISCD1 (2009) * ''On the Air Tonight'' – Ennismore ENNISCD2 (2012) * ''I Don't Believe in Miracles'' -Talking Elephant Compilations * ''Some Years : It's the Time of Colin Blunstone'' - Epic/Legacy 489487 2 * ''Greatest Hits + Plus'' - Mystic MYS CD194 (2006) * ''Collected'' - Universal (Netherlands) 534 274-2/4 Singles * "Mary, Won't You Warm My Bed" / "I Hope I Didn't Say Too Much Last Night" – Epic EPC7095 (1971) * "Caroline, Goodbye" / "Though You Are Far Away" – Epic EPC7520 (October 1971) * "Say You Don't Mind" / "Let Me Come Closer" – Epic EPC7765 (January 1972) ( UK #15) * "I Don't Believe in Miracles" / "I've Always Had You" – Epic EPC8434 (October 1972) (UK #31) * "How Could We Dare to Be Wrong" / "Time's Running Out" – Epic EPC1197 (February 1973) (UK #45) * "Wonderful" / "Beginning" – Epic EPC1775 (September 1973) * "It's Magical" / "Summersong" – Epic EPC2413 (May 1974) * "When You Close Your Eyes" / "Good Guys Don't Always Win" – Epic EPC4576 * "Planes" / "Dancing in the Dark" – Epic EPC4752 (November 1976) * " Beautiful You" / "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" – Epic EPC5009 (February 1977) * "Lovin' and Free" / "Dancing in the Dark" – Epic EPC5199 (April 1977) * "I'll Never Forget You" / "You Are the Way for Me" – Epic EPC6320 (May 1978) * "Ain't It Funny" / "Who's That Knocking?" – Epic EPC6535 (July 1978) * "Photograph" / "Touch and Go" – Epic EPC6793 (November 1978) * "

" (with Dave Stewart) / "There Is No Reward" – Stiff Broken 1 (1980) (UK #13) (AUS #34) * "Miles Away" / "Excerpts from Exiled" (non-Blunstone B-side) – Panache PAN1 (September 1981) * "

The Tracks of My Tears "The Tracks of My Tears" is a song written by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. It is a multiple award-winning 1965 hit R&B song originally recorded by their group, The Miracles, on Motown's Tamla label. The Miracles' million-sell ...

" / "Last Goodbye" – PRT 7P236 (April 1982) (UK #60) * " Old and Wise" / "Children of the Moon" (non-Blunstone B-side) Arista released 1982 * "Touch" / "Touch" (

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

) – PRT 7P64 (February 1983) * "Where Do We Go From Here?" / "Helen Loves Paris" – Sierra FED22 (May 1986) * "She's Not There" / "Who Fires the Gun" – Sierra FED27 (October 1986) * "Cry an Ocean" / "Make It Easy" – IRS IRM151 (May 1988) * "So Much More" – Go Entertainment (Jan 2013) As Neil MacArthur * "

" / "World of Glass" – Deram DM225 (January 1969) (UK #34) * "Don't Try to Explain" / "Without Her" – Deram DM262 (June 1969) * "It's Not Easy" / "12:29" – Deram DM275 (December 1969) Guest appearances * The Alan Parsons Project – ''

Pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

'' (1978) – "The Eagle Will Rise Again" * Mike Batt – ''Tarot Suite'' (1979) – "Losing Your Way in the Rain" * Iva Twydell – ''Duel'' (1982) (backing vocals) * The Alan Parsons Project – '' Eye in the Sky'' (1982) – " Old and Wise" (UK No. 74, US #22) *

– ''Keats'' (1984) * The Alan Parsons Project – '' Ammonia Avenue'' (1984) – "Dancing on a Highwire" * The Alan Parsons Project – ''

Vulture Culture ''Vulture Culture'' is the eighth studio album by The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1985 via the Arista Records, Arista label. Overview The first side of the Vinyl record, LP (CD tracks 1–4) consists entirely of four-minute pop songs, a ...

'' (1985) – "Somebody Out There" * The Crowd – ''

You'll Never Walk Alone "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''Carousel''. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and enco ...

'' (1985) * Don Airey – ''K2'' (1989) – "Julie" * Nadieh – ''No Way Back'' (1989) – "Splendid Morning" (duet) * The Bolland Project – ''Darwin (The Evolution)'' (1991) – "The Way of the Evolution", "Emma My Dear" * ''

Just Like a Woman "Just Like a Woman" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan first released on his seventh studio album, ''Blonde on Blonde'' on June 20, 1966. It was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. A shorter edit was released as a sin ...

'' soundtrack (1992) – "Politics of Love" * '' Split Second'' soundtrack (1992) – "Nights in White Satin" * ''Heineken Night of the Proms '93'' – "She's Not There" * Time Code 64 W/ Colin Blunstone – ''Dance Trax'' (1993) – "She's Not There (Club Mix)" *

Duncan Browne Duncan John Browne (25 March 1947 – 28 May 1993) was an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is most remembered for his moderate hit single "Journey," which peaked at No. 23 in the U.K in 1972, and its corresponding 1973 album Duncan ...

– ''Songs of Love And War'' (1995) – "Misunderstood", "Love Leads You", "I Fall Again" *

Steve Hackett Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis ...

– '' Watcher of the Skies: Genesis Revisited'' (1996) – "For Absent Friends" * Mike Batt – ''Keep the Aspidistra Flying'' (1998) – "Tiger in the Night" * Mike Batt with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – ''Philharmania'' (1998 – released only in Germany) – " Owner of a Lonely Heart" * Alan Parsons – ''

The Time Machine ''The Time Machine'' is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively for ...

'' (1999) – "Ignorance Is Bliss" * Sir John Betjeman & Mike Read – ''Words & Music'' (2000) – "Peggy", "In Memory" * Edward Rogers – ''Sunday Fables'' (2004) – "Make It Go Away" (backing vocals)

References

External links

*
EP Music website
(Colin Blunstone licensing)
The Zombies official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blunstone, Colin 1945 births Living people People from Hatfield, Hertfordshire British soft rock musicians English male singer-songwriters The Zombies members Deram Records artists Rocket Records artists Musicians from Hertfordshire