Colin Blunstone, founding lead singer of The Zombies, has shared a message regarding his bandmate Rod Argent’s recent stroke and decision to immediately retire from touring. Blunstone’s note follows the July 11 announcement that Argent, the band’s keyboardist, was recovering from a stroke that he’d suffered a few weeks earlier.
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The initial statement explained that the 79-year-old Argent would no longer be touring, but planned to continue writing music and recording with The Zombies.
“I was absolutely devastated to learn that my lifetime friend and musical collaborator Rod Argent has suffered a stroke,” Blunstone’s message begins. “I know he is feeling stronger day by day and of course wish him a speedy recovery. He has very wisely decided to retire from touring so sadly The Zombies have now completed their last concert tour.”
The singer then reflected on his long history with The Zombies and his friendship and collaborative relationship with Argent.
“It’s been a wild ride, from the local dates in Hertfordshire during the early 60’s to international tours playing some of the most prestigious venues in the world,” Colin wrote. “I will be forever grateful to Rod for his encouragement and support over the years and am convinced that without his musical brilliance I would never have had a career as a performer.”
Blunstone concluded his message by saying, I know [Rod] is determined to keep writing and recording and I’m looking forward to that, as well as exploring some creative opportunities of my own!!!”
Argent’s Recent Message
On July 16, Argent posted a message on The Zombies’ social media pages thanking for their well-wishes following his stroke.
“I do feel so lucky that physically I’ve escaped the worst possible effects, and while I’m still frustrated by not finding all my words easily, I feel really hopeful that eventually I will make a full recovery,” he noted. Rod also reiterated that he was planning to continue to work with the other Zombies members on musical projects.
More About The Zombies’ and Blunstone’s Future Plans
Prior to Argent’s stroke, The Zombies had wrapped up a U.K. tour in mid-June. The band had also been scheduled to play a pair of U.K festivals in late July, and a September 21 show in Woodstock, New York, on September 21, but those performances were been canceled.
The Zombies’ second annual Begin Here Festival, scheduled for November 8-10 in St Albans, U.K., will still take place. The extravaganza features multiple Zombies-themed events. A planned band performance that was to have been part of the festival likely will be replaced by a tribute to Argent.
Meanwhile, Blunstone will play a series of U.K. concerts in November celebrating his 1971 debut solo album, One Year.
More About Argent
Argent co-founded The Zombies in 1961, and his virtuosic keyboard playing was a key element of the band’s sound. He also was the group’s main backing vocalist, and sang lead on select songs. In addition, he was The Zombies’ principal songwriter, at first sharing that duty with bassist Chris White. Argent composed The Zombies’ three biggest hits—“She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No,” and “Time of the Season.”
The band initially broke up in 1967. Rod then went on to lead his own group, Argent, from 1969 to 1976. After a short-lived reunion in the late 1980s and early ’90s, The Zombies re-formed as a full-time band again in 2001, led by Argent and Blunstone. In 2019, The Zombies were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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