In 1969 British band The Zombies released a single, “Time of the Season,” that topped the American charts––despite of the fact that the group had broken up two years earlier. In order to meet public demand, a promoter decided to take a drastic measure; hire the services of 4 American musicians to impersonate the band. During the early years of the music business, it was normal to replace the member of a band that was problematic and find a new member that was more compliant. But this case was different. Rather than bringing the band to the States (never mind that they had disbanded in 1967), this promoter decided to create two fake groups that toured America.
A Story of Deception for Relevancy and Money
A struggling group on their British turf, The Zombies decided to disband after their 1968 album “Odessey and Oracle” failed to gain the attention of the public. No one even bothered to take notice of the misspelled “Odessey” (correctly spelled Odyssey) or even regard it as psychedelic wordplay. Two years after they disbanded, their US label released the single “Time of the Season.” The song immediately rose to number 3 on the US Billboard chart. An ardent public demand ensued––something that continuously eluded them when they were still a working band. The entertainment business if full of ironies.
Unaware of this ruse forming in America––two different American touring bands calling themselves The Zombies––the real British members decided to pursue other interests. It’s interesting to note that both fake bands were managed by the same production company, Delta Promotions, a shady Michigan-based organization. Delta claimed that they had the rights to all songs by The Zombies. This charade would be impossible to execute today, due to the omnipresence of social media.
As previously mentioned, during the early years of the music business it was natural for a label to replace a member of a band, if renecessary. Delta Promotions took this to the extreme. After 50 years, this exploitation of The Zombies has become a kind of quasi-legendary cautionary tale. Though many of the details have been forgotten, the sheer hubris and shamelessness of Delta Promotions is, still today, hard to beat. Delta Promotions is now dissolved, but the myth surrounding The Zombies drama remains a shadowy ghost that haunts the music industry to this day.