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Keyboardist Rod Argent, founder of legendary British groups the Zombies and Argent, will retire from touring as he recovers from a stroke, the group's management announced on Thursday.
"Rod had recently returned home from a triumphant Zombies tour of the UK, and spent a weekend in London with his beloved wife Cathy, celebrating his 79th birthday and their 52nd wedding anniversary, before the stroke occurred," the announcement reads. "He was hospitalized overnight, and released the next day. Doctors have advised that Rod will need several months of rest and recuperation.
"Rod has asked us to convey that he has made the very difficult decision to immediately retire from touring in order to protect his health. He was already preparing to wind down his live performance schedule after health scares on recent tours (a Fall 2024 USA run was in the works that was intended to be his final overseas tour, and a farewell to the country that launched The Zombies' career in 1964). However, the stroke was an unmistakable warning sign that the risks are too great. Rod still firmly intends to continue his other creative joy of writing and recording with The Zombies, and has already been back at his piano for some much-needed 'Bach therapy.'"
The Zombies formed St. Albans, north of London in 1961 and were led by Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone, who remains the band's singer. The group scored their first in the U.S. and U.K. in 1964 with "She's Not There," and followed with "Tell Her No" a year later and the classic "Time of the Season" in 1968. The latter song was from the legendary psychedelic album "Odessey and Oracle," which remains one of the most influential records of the era, although the group split up before its release.
Argent formed his eponymous band soon after, and the group Argent scored a major hit in 1972 with "Hold Your Head Up" and, later, "God Gave Rock and Roll to You." That band split in 1976 and Argent pursued a solo career and session work for the Who, Gary Moore, Andrew Lloyd Webber and others, as well as production work.
He reunited with Blunstone in 2004 and the two have performed together ever since, mostly as the Zombies. The group released a new album, "Different Game," and a documentary last year. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
The remainder of the statement follows in full:
We have managed The Zombies together for the past 11 years, and Chris was their US booking agent for the 11 years prior. We have witnessed hundreds of times how Rod transforms back into an 18-year-old during the 100-minutes he's on stage each night with The Zombies. The energy he receives from his musical symbiosis with the current lineup - original singer Colin Blunstone, drummer (and cousin) Steve Rodford, guitarist Tom Toomey and bassist Søren Koch - is doubled by the energy that flows back from the audiences, with fans of all ages joyfully singing along to their classics and new songs. Each year, we'd secretly marvel at how this band could possibly be playing at an even higher level than the previous year, instead of diminishing with age. That being said, the other aspects of touring can be grueling, and can take their toll on 18-year-olds, never mind a musician approaching 80. As heart-breaking as this is for us, the band, our crew and our team, we are a family and fully support Rod in this decision.
Rod had retired from touring once before, in 1975 after spending his late teens and 20's on the road with both The Zombies and his eponymous band Argent, in order to focus on his family, along with songwriting and production. This didn't change until 1999, when Colin coaxed him to fill in on 6 of his solo gigs, after a keyboard player had dropped out at the last minute. Rod reluctantly told him, "I'll do it...but 6 shows, that's it." On tour last month, Rod remarked to us how incredible and unexpected it was that those 6 shows turned into 25 years of touring and recording with the new incarnation of The Zombies, almost a third of his life.
And it's been a helluva run.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Festivals like Glastonbury, StageCoach and KAABOO. Unforgettable shows like Central Park Summerstage, Santa Monica Pier, Stern Grove San Francisco, London Palladium, and Stubb's at SXSW Austin. TV appearances with Jimmy Fallon and Jools Holland. Sharing stages with Tom Petty and Brian Wilson. Too many moments to count. The UK tour The Zombies just completed in June added two more highlights - a sold-out show for 2000 fans at London's Barbican Centre with special guests like Paul Weller, and closing to a multi-generational crowd rapturously cheering them despite endless rain and mud at the Eden Festival in Scotland.
As Rod's experience shows, we don't know what the future holds.
What we have to tell fans today is that all upcoming performances by The Zombies will be canceled. However, our 2nd annual "Begin Here Festival" in St Albans UK (November 8-10, 2024) will continue. This fan weekend celebrating The Zombies and the historical and vibrant city where they formed is made even more important by this news. Our hope is to replace the scheduled Zombies performance with a special show honoring Rod, and ask fans to hold on to their tickets until we've had time to regroup and announce new plans. Colin Blunstone's upcoming November performances of his seminal 1971 solo album One Year, at Begin Here Festival and other UK cities, will also continue as planned. Most importantly, know how much you are loved and appreciated by the band, and how grateful we are for your continued support. In the meantime, we will all get to enjoy The True Story of the Fake Zombies, an 8-episode true-crime Podcast detailing the 1969 story of an imposter version of the band on iHeart Radio starting today, and the official Zombies documentary, Hung Up On A Dream, directed by Robert Schwartzman, slated for theatrical and streaming release later this year.
