Herman's Hermits

Herman's Hermits are an English beat (or pop) band, formed in Manchester in 1962.

Originally called Herman & The Hermits, they were discovered by Harvey Lisberg, who signed them up to management. Lisberg sent a return plane ticket to Mickie Most so that he could come up from London to see the band play in Bolton. Most became the group's record producer, controlling the band's output. He emphasised a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers. This helped Herman's Hermits become hugely successful in the mid-1960s but dampened the band's songwriting; Noone, Hopwood, Leckenby and Green's songs were relegated to B-sides and album cuts.

Their first hit was a cover of Earl-Jean's "I'm into Something Good" (written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King), which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 13 in the US in late 1964. They never topped the British charts again, but had two US Billboard Hot 100 No.1s with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (originally sung by Tom Courtenay in a 1963 British TV play) and "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am" (a British music hall song by Harry Champion dating from 1911, which Peter Noone's Irish grandfather had been in the habit of singing when Noone was young). These songs were aimed at a US fan base, with Peter Noone exaggerating his Mancunian accent.

Herman's Hermits (album)

Herman's Hermits (sometimes called Introducing Herman's Hermits) was the debut album of the band Herman's Hermits, first issued in 1965. As was typical of the time, the album's contents were different on the UK and US releases.

There are three different covers for the US album. Original covers indicate "INCLUDING THEIR HIT SINGLE 'I'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD'". When "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" was issued as a single, a yellow sticker was added to the cover, incorrectly reading "FEATURING 'MRS. BROWN YOU HAVE A LOVELY DAUGHTER'". Once the latter became a No. 1 hit, the sticker was eliminated and the cover was changed to read, with correct title, "INCLUDING 'MRS. BROWN YOU'VE GOT A LOVELY DAUGHTER".

Track listing

UK version

US version

Herman's World of Sporting Goods

Herman's World of Sporting Goods was a sporting goods retailer in the United States. It was founded by Herman Steinlauf in 1916 as a music store. At one time, there was a gentleman's agreement with west coast competitor Oshman's Sporting Goods, that the Herman's chain would stay east of the Mississippi, while Oshman's would be dominant on the west coast. Later on, Herman's did expand west with the acquisition of Salt Lake City-based Sunset Sports Centers, although this was short lived. The company entered bankruptcy in 1993, first closing the stores out of the New York metropolitan area, then the New York City stores. Herman's could not compete with the warehouse size stores of Dick's Sporting Goods and Sports Authority, as most locations were in malls or strip malls.

Herman's main executive offices and warehouse were co-located in Carteret, New Jersey, at 2 Germak Drive. This building is now used by P.C. Richard & Son.

The company was purchased by W. R. Grace and Company in 1970, as part of Grace's retail division, which sold it to the Dee Corporation, of England, in 1986. Later, it was sold to a Dutch firm. Herman's closed all its remaining stores in 1996.