Local History feature - Herman and the fire station

Everyone who cares about the regeneration of Rochdale was delighted to hear of the exciting plans to expand and develop the Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum in Maclure Road. The successful bid for Heritage Lottery Fund money was fantastic news and well deserved. We look forward to seeing the plans and images of the building as progress develops. The old fire station is perfectly sited next to both the railway station and the Metrolink stop.

In the 1960’s Rochdale Fire Station’s hall was occasionally used as a music venue and pop groups used to play there. On 3rd October 1964 Herman’s Hermits played there in the very week that they had the Number One single with “I’m Into Something Good”. Herman’s Hermits were led by Peter Noone, known everywhere as “Herman”. Noone was born in Davyhulme in 1947 and had attended Stretford Grammar School and, later, Manchester School of Music And Drama. He appeared briefly in “Coronation Street“ as Len Fairclough’s son, Stanley.

The name Herman came from a resemblance between Peter Noone and the Sherman character in television’s Rocky And Bullwinkle Show cartoon series. Sherman was shortened to Herman and Herman’s Hermits were born!

The group were discovered by Manchester promoter Harvey Lisberg. Lisberg arranged famed record producer Mickie Most to come and see the group play in Bolton; Most saw a facial likeness between Peter Noone and a young John F. Kennedy and thought that Noone’s “little boy lost” image would appeal to all ages.

“I’m Into Something Good” was the group’s very first single release and it stayed at Number One in the UK for two weeks, sandwiched between “You Really Got Me“ by The Kinks and Roy Orbison’s “Oh Pretty Woman”. Noone was still only 16 years old at this point. By December 1964, Herman’s Hermits had entered the American charts and “I’m Into Something Good” reached Number 13, eventually selling a million copies and earning a Gold Disc. The group were now officially part of the British Invasion, started by The Beatles earlier in the year and closely followed by the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark Five and The Animals.

It is no exaggeration to say that the USA went mad about Herman’s Hermits and the group seriously rivalled The Beatles, selling ten million records in just one year! The Americans loved their “Britishness” which was cleverly exploited by their record company and management. “Mrs Brown

You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter”, a track taken from their first album, reached Number One in the USA in May 1965. The song, written by Trevor Peacock (later famous as Jim Trott in “The Vicar Of Dibley”) was not even released as a single in the UK. A quick look on YouTube will remind you of its catchy simplicity, but is still hard to appreciate that this record was the highest first week placing for a single for seven years in the USA.

The group could do no wrong in the USA and had another Number One single with “I’m Henry VIII I Am”, a music hall song from 1911! Their version of George Formby’s “Leaning On A Lamp Post” reached Number 9.

In 1967 the group’s thunder was pretty much stolen by a group featuring another former Coronation Street star, namely The Monkees and Davy Jones. As The Monkees’ star rose, Herman’s Hermits’ star rapidly fell. The latter’s last big American hit was “A Kind Of Hush” in the spring of 1967 just as Monkeemania spread around the world. Herman’s Hermits continued to have hits in the UK until 1970 and were often seen on Top Of The Pops.

Peter Noone, like Rochdale Fire Station, is a survivor. He left the Hermits in 1971 and had a solo hit single with “Oh You Pretty Thing”, a David Bowie composition. Noone briefly reunited with the Hermits topping the bill at New York’s Madison Square Garden in June 1973 at a British Invasion nostalgia concert. His biggest stage success was as Frederic in “The Pirates Of Penzance” on both Broadway and in London’s West End. That training at Manchester School of Music And Drama had clearly paid off.

Peter Noone is now a youthful 71 years old and is based in the USA where he still regularly performs live. He and his wife

Mireille celebrated their Golden Wedding this year. Peter and a new group of Hermits visit the UK in Spring 2019 for a 30 date tour. Clearly “Something Good” was an understatement. It seems that both The Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum and Peter Noone have a bright future.

Richard Lysons

www.peternoone.com www.gmfsmuseum.org.uk www.youtube.com