Hugh Grundy

Last updated

Hugh Grundy
Birth nameHugh Birch Grundy
Born (1945-03-06) 6 March 1945 (age 78)
Winchester, Hampshire, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • A&R
Instrument(s)
  • Drums
  • percussion
Years active1958–present
Formerly of The Zombies

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 of Fame in 2019. [1]

Contents

Early years

Hugh Grundy was born in Winchester, Hampshire, England, to Ted and Aileen Grundy. The family moved to Hatfield, Hertfordshire, where Ted worked at the De Havilland factory as an aircraft inspector and metallurgist; he was also an amateur violinist. Aileen was a secretary at the police headquarters in Welwyn Garden City. Grundy's middle name, Birch, was his paternal grandmother's maiden name. His first drum was made by his father at work during his off-hours. [2]

While attending St Albans School in Hertfordshire, he met Paul Atkinson, and Rod Argent. Argent, Atkinson and Grundy first played together at a jam on Easter 1961 in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

The Zombies

Rod Argent wanted to form a band and Colin Blunstone and Paul Arnold joined in early 1961, while all five members were still at school. Grundy's parents supported his interest in the band as a pastime, but encouraged him to enter banking; he remained with Barclays for around a year, as the band's reputation grew, at which stage his parents acknowledged the viability of a career in music. His mother helped to establish, and ran, the band's fan club. [3] Arnold left not long afterwards and was replaced by Chris White. The band started life as the Mustangs, but after discovering other bands using the name, they changed it to the Zombies. 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 with Decca. [4] An album, Begin Here (renamed to The Zombies when released in the US) would follow. They would appear on American television for the first time on January 12 1965, when they appeared on the first episode of Hullabaloo. [5]

The Zombies would have another chart-topper in 1964 with Tell Her No. The group continued to record successfully through the 1960s, but disbanded in December 1967, reportedly over management disagreements. [6] A second album was released in 1968 titled Odessey and Oracle, which featured the song Time of the Season. Time of the Season is one of the Zombies most successful singles, along with She’s Not There.

The Zombies had several hits and continued to record but they broke up in December 1967, reportedly over management disagreements. [7]

In 1990, Blunstone, Grundy, and White briefly reunited as the Zombies with keyboardist and guitarist Sebastian Santa Maria to record the studio album New World (1991). [8] To mark the 40th anniversary of the album Odessey and Oracle , the four surviving original members of the Zombies participated in a three-night series of concerts at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire Theatre between 7 and 9 March 2008. [9]

Together with the other three Zombies, Grundy performed a few songs when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 29 March, 2019.

While Grundy is not a member of The Zombies’ current lineup, he has rejoined the group on several tours featuring the surviving original lineup between 2008 and 2019 to play Odessey and Oracle in its entirety.

Later life

After the band's break-up, Grundy went to work as an A&R man for Columbia Records. In the 1980s, Grundy also operated a horse-transport business in England [10] and worked as a professional driver. [11]

Discography

The Zombies

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

TitleYearPeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbum
(A-side only)
UK
[12] 		AUS
[13] 		CAN NL
[14] 		US
Billboard
[15] 		US
Cashbox
[16]
"She's Not There"
b/w "You Make Me Feel Good"		196412112—21 Begin Here / The Zombies
"Leave Me Be"
b/w "Woman"		—81————Non album single
"Tell Her No"
UK & AUS b/w "What More Can I Do?"
US & CAN b/w "Leave Me Be"		42606—66 The Zombies
"She's Coming Home"
b/w "I Must Move"		1965——21—5848Non album singles
"I Want You Back Again"
b/w "Remember When I Loved Her"		————9592 / 122
"Whenever You're Ready"
b/w "I Love You"		————110114
"Just Out of Reach"
b/w "Remember You"		————113110
"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"		—————— Odessey and Oracle
"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—4311431
"I Love You"
b/w "The Way I Feel Inside"		——————Non album single
"Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)"
b/w "This Will Be Our Year"		——————Odessey and Oracle
"Imagine the Swan"
b/w "Conversation Off Floral Street"		1969——59—10977Non album singles
"If It Don't Work Out"
b/w "Don't Cry For Me"		——————
"Dropped Reeling & Stupid"2023——————Different Game (scheduled for release March 2023)
"—" denotes singles that did not chart or were not released in that region.

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References

  1. ↑ "The Zombies". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  2. ↑ Where Have All The Rock Stars Gone? vol. 1, Marti Smiley Childs, Jeff March, EditPros, 2011, p. 290-293
  3. ↑ Where Have All The Rock Stars Gone? vol. 1, Marti Smiley Childs, Jeff March, EditPros, 2011, p. 292-293
  4. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "The Zombies". AllMusic . Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Binder, Steve (12 January 1965), Episode #1.1, Hullabaloo, retrieved 12 February 2023
  6. ↑ Henson, Jopaquin (15 September 2012). "May the Zombies never rest in peace". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Henson, Jopaquin (15 September 2012). "May the Zombies never rest in peace". The Philippine Star . Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "The Zombies". AllMusic . Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  9. ↑ Coplin, James (10 March 2008). "The Zombies - Shepherds Bush Empire, London". Music-news.com. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  10. ↑ "The Zombies' Hugh Grundy". Mtv.com. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  11. ↑ Coston, Daniel. "Chris White and Hugh Grundy: This will be our year again" (PDF). 2.isye.gatech.edu. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  12. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 618. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  13. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Forum - Chart Positions Pre 1989 Part 3 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  14. ↑ "Discografie The Zombies". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "The Zombies Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  16. ↑ Hoffmann, Frank (1983). The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950-1981. Metuchen, NJ & London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 661.
  17. ↑ "British certifications – Zombies". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 10 July 2022.Type Zombies in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  18. ↑ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America .
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