THE strongest clue that Herman was destined for the limelight came one weekend when he was 12. His parents thought he had gone hitch-hiking with a friend, and wre not worried when he failed to return until the Monday morning.
    At first his mother and father didn't believe him. But in the end he managed to convince them he had taken a train to London to see Wendy Wisbey, head of a drama school that specialised in coaching young children.
    But Herman's parents would not let him accept the role. He was still at Stretford Grammar School, and it would have meant spending nine months in Greece and missing his lessons.

'AFRAID'

    Herman was secretive again when he decided to start singing.
    "I was afraid my parents wouldn't let me do it," he explained.
    "the first we knew about it," said Mr. Noone, "was one night when we went along to a dance at the Manchester United football club. They had a pop group on stage - and the singer was PETER!!"
    "I had seen this group, the HEARTBEATS, several times at a local youth club," explained Herman. "One night their singer failed to show up, so they asked someone out of the audience to take his place. I did - and was asked to stay on.
    "Karl and Keith were both members. The other two left after a disagreement some time later
    "Our manager, Harvey Lisberg, and I had to find replacements and went round all the clubs in Manchester looking at different groups. Then one night we saw the WAILERS.

CARTOON

    "Barry and Lek were playing with them. We thought they were good, and asked them to join us.
    "Karl moved from rhythm guitar to bass, and Keith from lead to rhythm. Lek took over lead, and Barry of course was on drums."
    HERMAN'S HERMITS were formed - taking the singer's name from a cartoon character.
       Herman continued the story: "In the early days we used to play lunch-time sessions at the Cavern, Liverpool where the Beatles also started.     "We hadn't any money, and couldn't afford lunch so we all took sandwiches. Now that we've had a lot of success, I think if anything, we are better friends because we know so much about each other."

TUPPENCE

    Herman's father recalls one time when the group played a club in Manchester - and were paid just tuppence each.
    "They had played there before and had been on percentage," he explained. "That time they earned £6 each - good money at that time.
    "So next time they were asked to play there, the boys were quite happy to work on percentage again.
    "But the fog came down. It was a stinker. Hardly anyone turned up. And when it came time to get paid, they religiously shared out the money. And they gave manager Harvey Lisberg his tuppence, too!"
    Now that Herman is such an international success - he earned seven gold discs last year alone, and will be appearing in two major MGM films - Lisberg takes a much better fee than that!

CHAUFFEUR

    And Herman himself is beginning to enjoy the fruits of stardom. Still only seventeen, he has a chauffeur for his new Jaguar car, is planning to buy a hotel for his parents to manage, and a bungalow in Cheshire as a family home.
    In America, he has been invited to the White House by President Lyndon Johnson's daughter, Lucie, and has just as devoted - and noisy - a following as the Beatles. He has even been banned in Dayton, Ohio, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, following teenage riots.
    The world is well and truly at his feet. But to meet his friendly, unaffected family, you would never think so. They have no plans to live in country mansions - and to Mrs. Noone it is unthinkable that anyone should wash her son's shirts!


Previous | Disc Weekly Mag Index