Argent

After the Zombies broke up in 1967, keyboardist Rod Argent started his own band just in time to capitalize on the Zombies' postmortem hit, "Time of the Season" (#3, 1969). Argent had heavier rhythms than the Zombies, while continuing that band's penchant for minor keys and obscure lyrics. Although their debut album was their most consistent, the group peaked commercially with "Hold Your Head Up" (#5, 1972), and "Liar" and "God Gave Rock & Roll to You" became FM-radio staples. In 1974 songwriter Ballard left, and after expanding to a quintet, Argent folded in mid-1976. In recent years, the group has re-formed to perform for charities.,br>
Ballard and Argent went on to solo careers, although Ballard was more successful as a songwriter (Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love,” Three Dog Night’s “Liar,” Rainbow’s “Since You’ve Been Gone,” Ace Frehley’s “New York Groove,” Santana’s “Winning,” Hot Chocolate’s “So You Win Again”) and producer (Roger Daltrey, Leo Sayer) than as a performer. John Verity, Jim Rodford, and Robert Henrit formed Phoenix, which recorded briefly for Columbia. By 1978 Rodford had joined the Kinks; six years later Henrit joined him as Mick Avory’s replacement.

Through the years Rod Argent has worked as a pianist, composer, record producer, and arranger. He played piano on the Who’s “Who Are You,” coproduced Nanci Griffith’s Late Night Grand Hotel, and has scored music for BBC Television. His musical Masquerade was staged in London in 1982, and he was the keyboardist for the London productions of two Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, Starlight Express and Cats. He released a series of U.K. solo albums in the late ’70s and ’80s: Moving Home, Siren Songs, and Red House (which was released in the U.S. as well). In 1994 Argent coproduced and played keyboards on Jules Shear’s Healing Bones. He has since become a classical pianist; his 1998 solo effort, Classically Speaking, mixed original compositions with works by Chopin, Greig, and Ravel. In 2001 he reunited with Zombie mate Colin Blunstone for Out of the Shadows.

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)