Colin Blunstone, photo by Keith Curtis

By Paul Freeman [January 2019 Interview]

The remarkable voice of Colin Blunstone, at once ethereal and powerful, stands as one of the most distinctive in rock history. So it's quite fitting that Blunstone and his mates in The Zombies will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.

The British Invasion band shot to fame in the 60s with the hits "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No." Blunstone's arresting vocals and Rod Argent's inspired keyboard work made the group's sound unique. Enhanced by the contributions of fellow original members guitarist Paul Atkinson, bassist Chris White and drummer Hugh Grundy, their musical style transcended genre boundaries.

In 1967, The Zombies released their astonishing masterpiece, the "Odessey and Oracle" album. Bafflingly, it was overlooked in both the U.K. and U.S. The band dissolved. But in 1969, the single "Time of the Season" from the album was discovered in the States and became a smash. Subsequently, the legend of "Odessey and Oracle" gradually grew.

Over the years, Blunstone has also enjoyed U.K. success with his solo recordings. Among his notable singles were "Say You Don't Mind" (penned by Denny Laine), "I Don't Believe in Miracles" (written by Argent's Ross Ballard) and an irresistible cover of Smokey Robinson's "Tracks of My Tears."

In 2019, Blunstone is working on a new solo album, as well as another with The Zombies. The band formed in 1961. Fifty-eight years later, they're going stronger than ever. Now in his 70s, but eternally youthful, Blunstone is far from finished with his musical adventures.

POP CULTURE CLASSICS:
Congratulations on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

COLIN BLUNSTONE:
Fantastic, isn't it? I'm really, really excited about that. We all are. It's a wonderful honor.

PCC:
Being voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, does that feel like the culmination of this whole remarkable 50-plus year saga of The Zombies?

BLUNSTONE:
Well, you know, maybe in a way, culmination is quite a good word. First of all, to think we had over 330,000 votes in the fan vote, to think we could get that kind of number is just incredible. Of course, we're incredibly grateful to our fans for doing that. And then that the members of the Rock Hall, our peers, voted for us to become members of the Rock Hall, I think in a way, it helps to validate what we've been doing over the years. It shows that we've been noticed and that we've been appreciated by our peers. And it's a wonderfully uplifting feeling.

The thing is, when you use the word "culmination," that sort of almost hints that we're coming to the end. I suppose, inevitably, we won't go on forever. But we're already writing and recording our next album. We're already planning what we'll be doing at the end of the year. And I'm sure we'll be talking about the next year soon. So in some ways, this is the new beginning, rather than a culmination, I think.

PCC:
That's a good way to look at it. But was it nerve-wracking, waiting to hear if you made the cut this time?

BLUNSTONE:
It was a little bit, because, I think it was the fourth time we'd been nominated in five years. And you do start to wonder. You know, I was really excited the first time we were nominated. I was really, really excited. But when it comes to the fourth time, you start to wonder if maybe you're ever going to get inducted. And so, it did get a little bit nerve-wracking.

But to get round that, I just try to be a little bit philosophical about it. And what will happen, will happen. And what will happen is, sometimes I say to myself, just to take the sting out of the thing, that if we're nominated and we're not inducted, well, it's just a bit of fun, not to take it too seriously. But when you're actually inducted, then I started to think that it sort of validates my life [laughs], you know. It makes everything worthwhile. So there are sort little mental tricks to play to get round that nerve-wracking business of finding out whether you've been inducted or not.

PCC:
As a Zombies fan, I was frustrated, waiting for the band to be nominated and then not being voted in the first three nominations. Was there any sense of letdown or frustration for you? Were you just honored to be nominated?

BLUNSTONE:
Well, I think both, really. It was an honor to be nominated. And in the end, of course, there is a slight feeling of disappointment. But you know, we're professional musicians and the next record is the important one. The next song we write the most important one. The next tour we go on is the most important one.

I think it's part of our make-up that we're always thinking about the future and we don't dwell on the past too much. And so when we were nominated and not inducted, the best way to get over that is to get out working. We're working, professional musicians. So we've got to just get out there and do it.

PCC:
Now joining so many rock legends -- who are some of your heroes you'll be joining as members of the Hall?

BLUNSTONE:
Well, I think all of them, really. Me personally, the people who first got me interested in rock 'n' roll would be those early rock greats -- Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard. They were the ones who started my interest in rock 'n' roll. And then later on, Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson.

And then of course, The Beatles happened and everything changed. Suddenly there was a huge interest in British music, British musicians. People forget that, that before The Beatles, there was no worldwide interest in British musicians. And every member of The Zombies were huge Beatle fans. And of course, that changed the lives of all British musicians. Suddenly we were in demand all over the world. So we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

PCC:
You mentioned Ricky Nelson. I remember Rod [Argent] saying that it was when he heard you singing a Ricky Nelson song during a break in one of the first band rehearsals that he had an epiphany and realized you should be the lead vocalist.

Colin Blunstone Solo Group, photo by Keith Curtis

BLUNSTONE:
That's absolutely true. Neither of us can remember what song it was, which is infuriating [laughs]. I'd love to know, to remember what song it was. But we'd had a rehearsal and Rod -- we'd only just met, it was our first rehearsal. And actually, what happened, we were playing an instrumental song. It was an old classic called "Malaguena."

And because Rod was going to be the lead singer, he hadn't actually contributed in the first part of the rehearsal. And remember, we were 15 years old. We'd just met. We had a coffee break and he went over to an old, broken-down piano and he played "Nut Rocker" by B. Bumble & The Stingers. I don't know if you know that song, but you've got to be quite an accomplished player to play it. And Rod, even at 15, was a sensational keyboard player.

And I didn't know him. I'd only just met him. And I went over to him and I said, "You really should play keyboards in the band." And he just wasn't interested in keyboards. He wanted it to be a hard rock band. And he said, "You know, a rock band is three guitars. That's what makes a rock band."

But then at the end of the rehearsal, I was literally putting my guitar away and just before I did, I was just singing to myself this Ricky Nelson song. And he said, "I'll tell you what, if you'll be the lead singer, I'll play keyboards." And essentially, that was The Zombies from there on. It was early days.

I mean, we didn't play a gig for a year from there. We just did sort of Sunday rehearsals, because we didn't live all that close to one another, so we couldn't get together that often, as often as we would have liked. I think we would rehearse on most Sundays and it took us a year before we played a gig. And so that would be '62. And then gradually, we built up a local following, until we won a big rock competition in '64, which directly or indirectly -- we all remember these things slightly differently -- led to a record contract with Decca Records. And that's when it all started.

PCC:
And Ricky Nelson, what was it that you most admired about him as an artist?

BLUNSTONE:
Well, I thought he had a great voice. I really did. And, of course, he had a wonderful band. James Burton was his guitarist. And I think there was a bit of a, almost a fight, if you like. Ricky Nelson was trying to get James Burton to play guitar. And Elvis was also using James Burton. So there was a lot of pulling and pushing going on between the two of them as to who got James Burton to play guitar. But I thought Ricky Nelson had a great band. I loved the material. And he just had a wonderful voice. I really liked him.

Funnily enough, The Zombies are going on a Moody Blues Cruise in a couple of weeks. And we've done four or five of those. This year it's just Justin Hayward, but before it's always been The Moody Blues. And a couple of years back, Ricky Nelson's sons were playing [Gunnar and Matthew]. I think they're called "Nelson." And I really wish I'd gone backstage and talked to them, because he really was a big hero of mine. I mean, maybe they've heard that a million times, I don't know, but I regret that I didn't go and talk to them. And in the first part of the show, they played a lot of Ricky Nelson tunes, as well. It was great. I loved it.

PCC:
They have great harmonies.

BLUNSTONE:
Yeah, they do.

PCC:
Are you already trying to shape what you want to say in your Rock Hall acceptance speech?

BLUNSTONE:
[Laughs] No, I haven't. I mean, I'm led to believe that just one member of the band makes a speech and maybe there's just a couple of words from the other members of the band. So I would expect Rod to make a speech on behalf of us. I always thought of Rod as being the leader of the band. And I would expect Rod to do that. And if I'm called on to say a few words, it would just be very simple. I'd just say, "I'm really honored to accept this induction, to accept this award." I am. I feel very honored.

PCC:
Do you know who's going to be actually inducting you that night?

BLUNSTONE:
I don't, no. I think that, if things had been slightly different, I would have thought that Tom Petty would do it, because he's been a huge supporter of the band. But of course, he was very cruelly cut down in the prime of his life. I don't know who'll be inducting us, no.

PCC:
Will there be other stars joining you in the performance on stage there?

BLUNSTONE:
Well, I think traditionally, they all get together and play at the end. But I don't know how spontaneous that is or whether it's sort of slightly rehearsed. I don't know too much about it at the moment, to be honest. I mean, before we get to that, I've got to do a solo tour in America with my solo band. And then we have to do, my solo band and The Zombies, the cruise. And then I go off with The Zombies across Florida through to Texas. So we've got a few adventures to complete, before we get to the induction ceremony. I'm sure I'll know more about when we get closer to the date. But at the moment, I know very little about it, to be honest.

PCC:
The band was only together for about six years originally. Now you and Rod have been fronting the Zombies, since reuniting, for nearly 20 years. Do you find that amazing?

BLUNSTONE:
I do find it amazing. One of the interesting things is that, we were together from '61 to '67, I think, but professionally, we were only together from '64 to '67. When you're young -- we were 18 or 19, when the band went professional -- three years seems like a lifetime. And then, as you get older, the way you think about time just changes and three years is the blink of an eyelid.

And it seems amusing and ironic to me that the second incarnation of the band has actually been playing for three times as long as the original incarnation. It's kind of strange [laughs].

But it also has all seemed very natural. Rod and I have always tried to make whatever band we're playing in just evolve very naturally. In our writing and our performing, we try to be honest and just give 100 percent to what we're doing. And so this incarnation of the band has just evolved very naturally.

PCC:
If anyone would have told you that getting back together would one day lead to the Hall of Fame, would you have believed them?

BLUNSTONE:
Absolutely not. That's why it's such a thrill, because it's so unexpected. We originally got together to specifically play six dates. And it was very well understood that it was only going to be six dates. But we just enjoyed it so much, we kept going [laughs]. And those six dates have spread into 20 years.

There was no intention of re-forming the Zombies. We didn't call the band The Zombies for about seven or eight years. Many promoters actually billed us as The Zombies, but we never called ourselves The Zombies and we asked promoters not to do that. But it was only that we were encouraged by members of the public to play more and more Zombies material.

So we got to the point where we were playing a Zombies concert. But again, it just evolved. It was never our intention to re-form The Zombies. But there just came a point where we sat down with the other surviving members of The Zombies and said, "This is the situation, we're playing a Zombies concert. It would seem like the honest thing to do, to tell people that we're The Zombies." And they agreed. They were very happy for us to do it.

PCC:
It's quite a coincidence that the induction ceremony, March 29, is taking place exactly 50 years, to the day, after "Time of the Season" reached number one on the Cashbox singles charts in the U.S.

BLUNSTONE:
Isn't that bizarre? It's so bizarre. Unbelievable. Honestly, I'm speechless. Somebody pointed that out to me about two weeks and, wow! It's great, we'll have a double celebration. We'll celebrate being inducted into the Rock Hall and we'll celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Time of the Season" reaching number on in Cash Box. It should be a good night, I think [laughs].

PCC:
And topping the charts here at that point must have seemed so miraculous, since it came a year after the band had broken up and the masterpiece album had been ignored upon its initial release.

BLUNSTONE:
Yes. I've always thought that "Odessey and Oracle" has had a life of its own, because nobody was promoting it; nobody was marketing it. And the band had split up and we were all involved in different projects. And just all on its own, it must have been through word of mouth... there's an air of mystery about that album, because all on its own, it produces a hit single... and then just through word of mouth, the album becomes... It's not for me to judge, but a lot of people in the industry feel that that album has an iconic feel about it, that it is one of the albums from the 60s.

Rolling Stone, called it... it's in their chart as one of the top 500 albums of all time. And "Odessey and Oracle" was actually in their top 100 of all time. And yet that album was pretty much ignored, when it first came out. And when you see the albums that are around it, in that Rolling Stone chart, they're all monster albums that have sold millions and millions of copies. It's quite extraordinary. There definitely is an air of mystery about that album.

PCC:
It's also been miraculous, the way the band, since starting up again, has gradually built the following up, drawing in a wide age span, growing from tiny clubs to packing large theatres as headliners.

BLUNSTONE:
I know. And, of course, we've played some of the biggest festivals in the world, as well. In this country, we've played Glastonbury and we've played the Isle of Wight. And we've played many festivals in the States. I'm not so familiar with their names. But we've played huge festivals there. And for me, just playing in a band, the biggest thrill of all is to see how this band has evolved, without a hit record, just through continually touring, the way this band has built a very solid fan base, a very loyal fan base. And it's been very exciting to see that grow, without any support from a major label. It's just on the back of touring, continual touring.

PCC:
So you see this all as a result of the hard work and the great music? Or have their been aspects of the comeback that have really surprised you?

BLUNSTONE:
I think overall, it is the result of just continually touring. For us, we love to play. Given the choice, that's what we would do. We would continually tour. I don't know if you've ever seen our schedule, but I think we're one of the hardest-working bands there is. But for us, that's fantastic, because that's what we want to do. We love to play live.

PCC:
Over the years, what has it meant to you to have the opportunity to record solo albums along the way?

BLUNSTONE:
Well, that's been a wonderful, extra surprise, as well, that I've been able to do that, because traditionally, with the original Zombies, Rod Argent and Chris White were the dominant writers. With this incarnation of the band, Rod's the dominant writer. So this gives me an outlet specifically for my songs. Also I'm able to tour usually a couple of times a year with my solo band and I can feature lot of my songs. I try to make my set list as different from The Zombies as I can. We'll probably play just a couple of Zombies tunes and otherwise it will be other things.

Unfortunately, I've never had a chart single in the States as a solo artist. The songs that I play are hits, but they're just not hits in America. And I'm really interested to see how people react to these songs, because in a way, they proved that they're commercial songs, but just not in the States. They've proved that people like these songs in other territories. And I'll be very interested to see how an American audience reacts to them.

PCC:
There are many great tracks on your solo albums. Are there elements of your musical personality that you are able to express in those that might not fit The Zombies?

BLUNSTONE:
Well, to me, they're slightly more ballad-led set lists. Maybe lyrically, it might be slightly more romantic than The Zombies. So yeah, it's probably a softer-edged rock 'n' roll than The Zombies, I would say. It's been described in different ways. But you could say it's soft rock with a European twist. I didn't think of that -- somebody said it. Or somebody else said that possibly it's the kind of music that the original Zombies might be playing now, if they'd kept together. There's almost a direct line between the original Zombies and what I play in the solo set.

PCC:
You're recording another solo album?

BLUNSTONE:
I am. I have been for a few months now. And we've just started the next Zombies album, as well. So it's a great position to be in, if you love performing and you love recording. But it also means that you have to really pay attention to what's going on [laughs], because, obviously, I'm singing two different sets in the concerts, as well. And I'm also recording two different sets of songs. So I have to be many different people to many different projects. And I have to be on my toes.

PCC:
Do you have a tentative release date or title for the new solo album?

BLUNSTONE:
No. I very definitely agreed with my producer that the solo album -- and this sounds a bit precocious -- but the solo album will be finished, when it's finished. We're just recording tracks. Because in the past, I've been really pressured to finish albums and the albums have suffered. I can really hear it in the last few tracks that were recorded for them. I can hear that we're up against the clock. And I don't want that to happen again.

It's more likely that we'll have a deadline with the Zombies album. But at the moment, we don't have. So I don't have a name for either album, I'm afraid. And I don't have a release date. But they will be recorded and they will be released. And we'll be working on them through the year.

PCC:
Do you have any special guests on your album? Do you know yet?

BLUNSTONE:
Nothing's been agreed at the moment. I guess we're still at very early stages. It's a nice thought to have guests on there, but no, nothing's been arranged at the moment.

PCC:
Do you know yet if it's going to be perhaps half your original compositions and the rest other material?

BLUNSTONE:
Well, we've recorded about, it's not half an album, but we've recorded about five tracks. And I've written two of them. I would hope to get another two or three tracks on the rest of the album. Yes, possibly, I would think, about half and half.

Very much, there's a lot of spontaneity in what we're doing. We're making it up as we go along. And there isn't a set pattern to what we're doing. We're trying lots and lots of different things. I'm not even sure if we've really found the musical direction for this album at this point.

And we're nearly finished on five tracks. But we've actually probably started eight or nine tracks. But I'm not absolutely sure we've found the musical direction. We decided we were going to start with a blank canvas and just try lots of different things. That was very much part of the plan, when we started the album, to keep an open mind to where the music would lead us. Rather than have a definite idea of musical direction, we went exactly the opposite. We just had a completely open mind, when we started.

PCC:
Working on solo projects, do you think that enables you to return to The Zombies refreshed, thus enhancing your next journeys with them?

BLUNSTONE:
I think it does. And, as much as that, it's important, I think, for all musicians, maybe particularly for singers, to keep working. You have to. If you have break, you've got a lot of hard work in front of you to get your voice back to where it was. I think, with singing, it's very important. Your singing voice is just basically muscle, really. And it's very important that you keep in shape with your singing chops.

PCC:
And the new Zombies album that's in the works, do you feel there will be any new directions there? Or will it be more of a continuation?

BLUNSTONE:
Well, it's the same sort of thing, really, with The Zombies. We've been making Zombies records for a very, very long time. And we usually let the songs lead us in a direction. I mean, it was the same with "Odessey and Oracle." We'll give it all sorts of labels, "Odessey and Oracle," but basically they were the best 12 songs that we had and we recorded them to the best of our ability.

We weren't thinking of making an album in any particular genre. It wasn't like that at all. And in fact, there's been the same route from the beginning. We just try and write the best songs we can and record them to the best of our ability. It's a very simple outlook. But that's how we've always approached albums in The Zombies and it's how I approach my solo albums, as well.

PCC:
"Still Got That Hunger" is such a fantastic album [their sixth studio album, released in 2015]. Why do you think you do still have the hunger? What drives you now?

BLUNSTONE:
I think we all still love writing, recording and performing. We always have. And for as long as we're physically able, we will go on doing that, because we're not looking for chart records. We're not particularly looking for recognition. We just want to write good songs, make good records and perform well, when we're on tour. We always give 100 percent. And that's our aim really, to be mature, professional musicians who give 100 percent in every performance.

PCC:
And do you think it's that philosophy that keeps The Zombies so fresh and exciting for both yourselves and the audience?

BLUNSTONE:
Well, I hope so. I would say that, if someone comes to see us, obviously we hope everyone likes what we do. But I hope that they can see that we're giving a really honest performance and we're giving an energized performance and we're giving it everything we've got. I think that they can see that, because that is the case. At every performance, we will give everything we've got.

PCC:
As for the classic material, why do you think The Zombies' material ages so well?

BLUNSTONE:
You know, there are elements of The Zombies that are a mystery to me. I can't answer all the questions. I do think that a lot of The Zombies' songs are very well written songs. And although you can argue that the records are of their time, they do have a timeless feel about them, so that our audiences are a very wide cross section of ages. We'll often have as many 18 and 20-year-olds there as we've got people of our age. Zombies music has a timeless appeal. But why that is, is difficult to define. I'm just eternally grateful that it's true.

PCC:
You mentioned having more than 330,000 votes in the Hall of Fame balloting. The band seems to have unusually fervent fans. Do you feel a strong bond with them?

BLUNSTONE:
Absolutely, an incredibly strong bond. And I've realized that, especially in America, there are fans that come to every date on a whole tour. And obviously there's huge distances involved. And over a period of time, you get to know these people. I mean, I think sometimes audiences think that a performer can't see them. But you can see them very clearly. And I'd like to think I've got some really good friends, as a result amongst the people that have come to see us regularly. You can't help but get to know them over a period of time, because they're there night after night.

PCC:
Looking back, with all you've accomplished to this point, what is most gratifying aspect to you?

BLUNSTONE:
The most gratifying thing to me is the building of this incarnation of The Zombies, the successes that we've had in this incarnation of The Zombies, because we started right from the beginning, around 1999, when we weren't in the first flush of youth. I'd be the first to admit that. And just through solid touring, we've managed to build up a wonderful fan base for this incarnation of the band. And I find that incredibly satisfying, that we've managed to do that. Just through solid touring, honest endeavor and word of mouth, we've managed to build up this wonderful fan base.

PCC:
Well, thank you for all the wonderful music so far and we're looking forward to the next chapters.

BLUNSTONE:
It's fantastic at this time in our lives that we can look forward to hopefully many more years of touring. For much, much more, read our previous interviews with Colin

BLUNSTONE:
http://popcultureclassics.com/colin_blunstone.html and http://popcultureclassics.com/colin_blunstone2005.html as well as Rod Argent: http://popcultureclassics.com/rod_argent.html

COLIN BLUNSTONE 2019 SOLO TOUR DATES:
Jan 31st - Daryl's House, Pawling, NY
Feb 1st - My Father’s Place at The Roslyn Hotel, Roslyn, NY
Feb 2nd - World Cafe Live - Downstairs, Philadelphia, PA
Feb 4th - One Longfellow Square, Portland, ME
Feb 5th - City Winery, Boston, MA
Feb 7th - City Winery, Washington, DC
Feb 8th - City Winery, New York, NY
Feb 10th - 15th - On The Blue Cruise, Miami, FL

For the latest info, visit www.colinblunstone.net or www.thezombiesmusic.com