Thug Life Army

Peter Noone, better known as Herman, lead singer of British pop legends Herman’s Hermits, will appear as a guest coach on the American Idol March 20th show. On the following night, March 21, he will perform “There’s a Kind of Hush,” one of the band’s platinum-plus hits, on the results show. Contestants will choose their own songs to sing from ‘60’s British Invasion era.  Noone will be joined by Scottish singer Lulu, best known for her hit ‘60s single, “To Sir, with Love,” from the film of the same name with Sidney Poitier, which she will perform.

Peter Noone will work with the Top 11 finalists next week on AMERICAN IDOL Tuesday, March 20 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), and will perform on the AMERICAN IDOL results show Wednesday, March 21 (9:00-9:30 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

Noone, the British-born pop star, performs upwards of 150 live concerts a year around the world and is currently on tour in the U.S. as Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone, with selected dates featuring local symphony orchestras.

“Everywhere we play, we’re asked back,” he says of his show, in which he parodies the ‘60s era, performing tributes to the Stones and Johnny Cash. “I thought that we had been forgotten, but there’s nobody else left. It’s an upbeat, friendly show. That was our role, to perform all those early-morning, happy wake-up songs. I’m proud of what we’ve done. I always thought we were underestimated. And every night, we’re proving that to the audience, which includes parents and their children.”

Noone was just 15 years old and already a veteran of stage and TV work when Herman’s Hermits scored a #1 U.K. hit with “I’m Into Something Good,” which went Top 15 in the U.S. Arriving on these shores at the same time as The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, the Hermits scored #1 singles with “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” and the sing-a-long smash, “I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am.”  The group appeared on every ‘60’s variety TV show including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show and the Jackie Gleason Show.  Noone’s face also graced the cover of hundreds of international publications, including Time Magazine. More recently, he was the host of VH1’s “My Generation” (1989-1993), and in 2001 was voted VH1’s Viewers Choice Award for Sexiest Artist. The group’s stateside hits also included “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat,” “Listen People,” “The End of the World,” “A Must to Avoid,” “Leaning on a Lamppost,” “No Milk Today,” “Silhouettes” and “Dandy.”

Noone went on to attract a whole new group of young fans with his appearances on such TV shows as Married With Children, Quantum Leap, My Two Dads and Laverne & Shirley and had a recurring role on As the World Turns. He has appeared in two Broadway hits, including “The Pirates of Penzance.”

“I enjoy American Idol,” says Noone, who notes Simon Cowell reminds him of his late best friend, Mickey Most, producer of most of the band’s biggest hits. “Herman’s Hermits never won any of the competitions we entered and I doubt we ever even made a semifinal.  It is a horrid feeling to lose, and being Irish, I always resented the judges, who fell out of trees in my dreams.”