NORTHAMPTON – The resurrection of the Zombies has been nothing short of phenomenal. Although they scored hits at the height of the mid-60s British Invasion – the chart-topping “She’s Not There,” and “Tell Her No” (which peaked at No. 6) – they disbanded before their masterpiece third album, “Odessey and Oracle,” was released in 1968. The album’s single, “Time of the Season,” wouldn’t become a hit until two years later. Rod Argent went on to arena-rock stardom with the band Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone recorded as a soloist, but since regrouping as the Zombies, in 2004, the spark has more than rekindled.

In 2019, they toured with Brian Wilson and Al Jardine, and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They’ll be performing at the Academy of Music on April 26.

“Wikipedia has it wrong,” Colin Blunstone is quick to say when congratulated for being with the Zombies for 60 years. “I was definitely there from the first rehearsal on Easter 1961,” he said, “so it’s been 61 years.”

The Zombies began when Rod Argent went “to see his cousin, Jim Rodford, in a local big band,” Blunstone recalled, “and decided to form a band of his own.” Rodford would join the Zombies in 2001.
Argent started the group with friends from school. “Paul Atkinson was a really good guitarist,” Blunstone said.

Hugh Grundy was playing a side drum in the Cadet Corps; he had never played a drum kit. “Then, [Argent] talked to a neighbor, Paul Arnold,” Blunstone said. “He was making a bass in woodworker school, though he’d never played one.“

Blunstone and Arnold were schoolmates. “He sat next to me,” Blunstone remembered. “One day, he said, ‘You’ve got a guitar, do you want to join a band?’ That’s literally how it happened.”

The Zombies went through quick changes. “Rod was going to be the lead singer,” Blunstone said, “and I was going to be the rhythm guitarist, but we changed things around. We had a break in the middle of the first rehearsal. We were doing an instrumental, ‘Malaguena,’ and Rod, as the singer, hadn’t done anything. During the break, he went over to a broken-down old piano in the corner of the room and played ‘Nut Rocker’ by B Bumble & the Stingers. You have to be an accomplished keyboard player to play that. It’s a rock and roll take on a classical piece. I was amazed. He was incredible. I said to him, ‘You should play keyboards in this band,’ but he wanted it to be a rock band and said, ‘No, we need three guitars,’ and it was forgotten.”

It wouldn’t be for long. “Before putting my guitar away, I sang a Ricky Nelson song,” remembered Blunstone. “I was just singing it to myself, but Rod heard me. He came over – remember, we’d just met – and said, ‘If you’ll be the lead singer, I’ll play keyboards.”

There was one further change in 1962. “Paul Arnold, the guy who introduced me to the band, wanted to be a doctor, so Chris White took his place.”

The Zombies emerged during a very exciting time.

“Like nearly all British bands, we were influenced and inspired by American artists,” Blunstone said, “especially blues, rhythm and blues, and the greats of rock and roll like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Elvis Presley. These are the people that we idolized, but things did change with the Beatles for everyone, not just in this country, but certainly the whole world. We were huge Beatles fans. It actually created a problem after we recorded our first record, ‘She’s Not There.’ Rod, who wrote that song didn’t have a back catalog of compositions, and Chris White, who wrote the B side, didn’t have other songs. We’d been playing a lot of Beatles covers. Suddenly, we had a hit record and had to have our own show.”

The Zombies found themselves overwhelmed. “Decca Records wanted a single every six weeks,” said Blunstone. “We were touring all the time, as most bands were, but there’s no time to write and record when you’re on the road.”

“Odessey and Oracle” has gone from obscurity to being recognized as one of the treasures of late-60s rock. “We recorded it at Abbey Road, actually EMI Studios,” said Blunstone. “They usually only allowed EMI artists to record there. I’m not quite sure how we got in, but we got into Studio 3 just after the Beatles finished ‘Sergeant Pepper.’”

Despite their longevity, the Zombies remain fresh. “We’re always writing new songs,” said Blunstone, “and including them in the set. We’re definitely not an oldies band.”