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 Peter Blair Denis Bernard Noone is a pretty imposing pedigree by anybody's standards. But not apparently, for it's owner. "It's nice to have lots of names," said Master P.B.D.B. Noone - and promptly added another ... Herman.Herman! The boy's not 19 until November 5, yes he's a dollar- millionaire, most desired young male in America, doted on by Hollywood movie moguls, the most devastating success in the mad, mad, mad, mad world of pop stars. The "most" successful? Herman's wowed practically every part of the world and made his first million in dollar currency - who cares a crumb about sterling these days, anyway? - at an age when The Beatles were still bumming around Liverpool in black leather. Dramatists wouldn't dare foist such a fable on the public. But then the Herman story is 100 percent fact. It began, most fittingly, on Guy Fawkes Day in 1947, but Denis and Joan Noone were not to know that they'd lit the touchpaper to the fastest shooting star modern showbiz has seen. Wealth was way ahead of the horizon when Herman arrived in the world to join a year-old sister, Denise. "We were fantastically poor. Dad was still a student at Edinburgh University, so Mum had to work at a commercial school."Mrs. and Mrs. Noone were not mugs, however. By the time Herman had passed 10, they'd set themselves up at the head of an electrical engineering firm with a fine detatched house in the Davyhulme suburb of Herman's home city Manchester. But before all that happened, Herman had gone to school. "I was crying all the way when I first went there at the age of four. Then I met Miss Robertson and fell in love for the first time in my life!" It wasn't the case with Miss Clowes. One day, this teacher hit Herman on the leg for being disobedient. "I turned around smartly, 'cos I thought it was another boy, and smashed her in the face!" Herman was no hoodlum, however. In fact, with spots and specs he would have made himself the most unpopular pupil in class. "I was a terrible swot. I used to get all the prizes at speech days and be good at everything except sport. I considered myself good at music, too, and stood up in front of the school, stuck my small chest out and sang "I Am A Fine Musician." "But I did lose confidence once - when I took my Eleven Plus. I was visibly shaking as I looked at the paper and couldn't work out the answers." Being bright, however, Herman pulled himself together, passed, and progressed to St. Bede's College, seat of learning for several generations of Noones. |
to other parts and, eventually, appearances in 'Coronation Street' as Len Fairclough's son." His enterprise didn't end at acting. "I started going to Manchester United's offices at Old Trafford on Saturday mornings, picking up a pile of pools coupons run by the developement fund, and getting new clients from the public. I was paid a percentage and it was my first business venture. The mini-millionaire was on his way. He was making a fiver a week from his Manchester United enterprise and, shrewdly assessing Manchester was "a football-mad city," he started flogging the local football paper outside pubs on Saturday nights. "My parents didn't know - they'd have gone through the roof - but I sold papers till 10:30 on Saturday nights and even employed other kids, paying them a percentage. "I was earning loads of money for someone of 14, but then the summer came, the football interest dropped, papers didn't sell and the world seemed against my business enterprises." Something had to be done. Tycoons might strike it rich, then come crashing down, but they always dream up a new idea. Herman dreamt up singing. It wasn't that he convinced himself that he was a Caruso in the making. It was just something he felt worth aiming at. "I'm not a good singer, but I've always been blessed with luck, so when I entered a competition at a local youth club, I won. The same night a group called the Heartbeats had a big argument and their singer walked out. I was invited to join. The group began playing gigs all round the area. "We got very popular - I can't think why because we were also very bad." Herman is not known for much modesty; if he said he was bad, believe him. But it didn't deter Granada's Johnny Hamp. He hired Herman's Heartbeats for "Scene At 6:30" and billed them as the group that will out-Beatle the Beatles."This must have been too much for the other kids, better than us, in Manchester, because we were diabolical and they started sneering and saying 'That Herman, he must be bent to get on TV.' It annoyed me, but I just put it down to jealousy. Besides, we got booked for two more shows and actually drew our first screams ... In Wigan, of all places." But even in those days there was no such thing as group therapy. The Heartbeats continually argued among themselves and eventually split. Herman got together some friends and formed Herman's Hermits. Soon he had a recording contract and after that a disc was released around the middle of the summer in 1964. It's title: "I'm Into Something Good." It was the understatement of our crazy times. Herman was into a fantastic joyride that's still gathering speed. Certainly, there were nasty "one hit wonder" knocks and only 12 people turned up to greet him in America when he had expected about 25,000, but nothing could stop him now ... as you'll see when the Wonderful World of Herman continues in next week's Disc and Music Echo. |