THE PERFECT NOONE
Barry Manilow must have thought he had the 2019 “Entertainer of the Year” award in his back pocket, but when the smoke cleared at the 2019 Casino Entertainment Awards, it was Peter Noone who walked away with the honor. Noone, 72, used to be the titular head of Herman’s Hermits, one of the original British Invasion bands. He then went on to star in The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway, London’s West End and even in New Zealand. He has his own weekly Sirius XM satellite radio program (Something Good with Peter Noone). He played bass in one of the great 1980s long-lost power pop bands, The Tremblers. And he continues today to tour with an innate comedic flair, showmanship and all those hit songs. Funny, but Herman’s Hermits songs like “I’m Into Something Good,” “No Milk Today,” “Dandy,” “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat,” “Wonderful World,” “There’s a Kind of Hush” and “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” have not only withstood the test of time but truly sound melodically delicious. (We’ll forgive Noone for “I’m Henry VIII, I Am.”)
GOLDMINE: Congratulations on winning “Entertainer of the Year” at the 2019 Casino Entertainment Awards.
PETER NOONE: Incredible, isn’t it? Even I’m in shock. I must’ve just outlived all the competition.
GM: You beat out Dwight Yoakam and Barry Manilow.
PN: Yeah, and they’re pretty good acts. But nobody knows who votes. In that sense, it’s like the Grammys.
GM: I had my mom take me to The Belmont Record Shop in Bloomfield New Jersey in 1964 when I was 13 to buy “I’m Into Something Good” by Herman’s Hermits. I wore that record out, driving my grandparents crazy. That song — co-written by Carole King — was originally done by Earl-Jean.Who picked it for you?
Our producer, Mickie Most. Y’know, we had our eye on him and really
