It has come to my attention that there are multiple groups of people running around calling themselves “Herman’s Hermits”.
Anyway, It’s my opinion that if Peter Noone isn’t the singer, it’s not Herman’s Hermits.
Discuss.
That’s my take on it, as well.
It’s my understanding (I heard this said by a member of a 60s group who was fighting impersonators) that you have to have at least one member of the original group in order to call yourselves by the group’s name. Thus, I suppose there could be several Herman’s Hermit groups around, perfectly free to call themselves Herman’s Hermits as long as one of the original members is in each group.
But you’re right about Peter Noone. What a crush I had on him!!
Susan
What a crushing blow for the London Philharmonic.
First: One of the best subject lines, ever.
Second: It reminds me of The Beach Boys. Everyone knows there no longer is a band that deserves the name The Beach Boys. Carl Wilson, dead. Dennis Wilson, dead. Brian Wilson…is…Brian Wilson. One of the headliners of our local big multi-stage summer music festival here in Birmingham (and this should give you some insight into the health of the once mighty festival) is “The Beach Boys.” It turns out, of course, to be Mike Love playing with a touring band. I’m planning to go the festival just so I can not go to hear “The Beach Boys.”
Sorry for the hijack. Returning now to Herman’s Hermits…
I’ve seen the Beach Boys too many times to count. I saw them when Dennis was alive and Brian was shut in his room. I saw them after Brian came out of his room (and should have stayed in it). I’ve seen them before and since Carl died. I’ve witnessed Mike’s voice drop 3 octaves over the years.
I still think “Pet Sounds” was one of the greatest albums of all times, but do NOT expect to hear even a good impersonation of the Beach Boys if you go to that concert. The last time I saw them (6-7 years ago?) they were horrible.
As for Herman’s Hermits - I saw them in person at the Ohio State Fair when I was 6 years old!
I’m now going to have “I am 'enery the 8th I am, 'enery the 8th I am, I am” going through my head all day. Good thing the 2nd verse is the same as the 1st. 
Yeah, nothing like seeing a bunch of geezers singing “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older.” Agreed on Pet Sounds.
I had the misfortune to see Steppenwolf in about 1978. They had broken up, and the former keyboardist and a one-time bass player started touring as “Steppenwolf.” No John Kay, not only that, the lead singer had a wimpy voice. Well, John Kay and Jerry Edmonton (the two original members of the group who cared) sued Nick and Goldy for trademark infringement. They reached a settlement out of court. Those guys could continue to tour as Steppenwolf, in exchange for giving up their artist royalties for all future sales of extant Steppenwolf material. Boy, did that backfire. CD’s came out about two years later, they’ve sold another several million copies, and the impostors never toured again once the secret was out.
Mrs. Brown will be so upset. I always preferred Gerry and the Pacemakers to HH, anyway. At least my name’s not 'enery.
For several years there was a band touring under the name Steppenwolf -NO original members. They were so bad that John Kay was forced to come out of retirement and start touring again just to restore the band’s good name.
Fie on the imposters. Fie, I say!
djm
My dad once measured Peter Noone for a suit (my dad worked at a Burton The Tailors shop in Manchester). Just thought I’d mention it.
BTW, did you really mean to juxtapose the terms “Peter Noone” and “singer” in the same sentence? 
It wasn’t his voice so much as the lyrics…they spoke to an entire generation. Their songs rang with truth as no other group’s could. Consider these lines (I forget the name of the song, but it was something about a milkman–I think):
“No milk today. My love has gone away.”
I’d put that right up there with Dylan any day for expressing truth and the hardness of the world.
This thread got me thinking, however, of a song that for some reason (I still can’t connect it to an event) brings a tear to my eye as soon as I hear the first chords: Peter and Gordon’s “I Go to Pieces.” sniff
Susan
(I saw that post, Walden, and I’m looking for my frozen trout–nothing else will do.)
Aargh! I’d forgotten about them! Please lock me away, somebody! 
Thank goodness Fly has too much sense to even be tempted to change the subject line to “Six Degrees of Herman’s Hermits.”
Depends on who owns the name. Sometimes the label screws the
bandmembers out of their name (or create the band in the first place,
and therefore own it in the first place). So, then the label can package
anyone they want as the band, and send 'em on tour. The Villiage
People are touring right now with nary an original member.
If most of your band members have gone, just slightly change your name! I love some of the tribute band names, such as Fred Zeppelin, T. Rexstacy, Alike Cooper, 2U, Think Floyd, Radioneck, Nowaysis ( ), By Jovi, (and here’s one for Dub and jbarter) Frankie Goes To Cleethorpes ( ), and my favourite, the Sex Pistols tribute band Never Mind the Trossachs.
I take it then that “Paddy goes to Holyhead” have not been down your way yet?
Slan,
D.
The label or promoters of the Turtles not only trademarked the name “turtles”, but they trademarked the names of each of the members. So when Mark Volman and Howard Kaylen went out on their own and began singing with Frank Zappa and the Mothers, the label sued them for using their own names, and won. That’s when they became Phlo and Eddie (Phlo being short for the Phlorescent Leech).
back in the mid 70’s a bass playing friend or mine was on the road with one of five bands called the boxtops touring simutaneously. there were no original members in any of the bands. a booking agent had bought the name of the band from their record company. alex chilton, the original lead singer unsuccessfully sued the agent to try and stop the charade. show biz!