Rock legend forced to search for office job after iconic band’s ‘strange’ split

A well-known music icon’s group sadly disbanded which left him confused with “no idea what to do with the rest of his life,” a path that led him to find a career in insurance

A rock star has admitted that after his chart-topping band parted way, he began searching for normal jobs and found a career in the insurance industry.

Legendary The Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone worked in insurance when the group initially disbanded as he had “no plan B”. The musician, now 80, rose to success as part of the chart-topping band which was established in St Albans in 1962 when they were teenagers.

By the mid-sixties they had become the second British act following The Beatles to penetrate the US charts. Their groundbreaking 1968 album Odessey and Oracle contains their iconic hit Time of the Season. They also achieved success with tracks like 1964’s She’s Not There and 1965’s Tell Her No.

Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings

However, they disbanded in 1968 amid commercial downturn and management difficulties. Colin found himself without direction and spent 10 months employed as an Insurance Clerk.

He told the Express: “Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? We’d been through a very difficult period where things had not gone well on the road. We weren’t really managed very astutely. And of course, we were incredibly young and naive, and the combination of things…just led us to believe that maybe the band had run its course.”

“At the time it seemed just a natural conclusion. It was just time to move on and try another project. Looking back I completely agree it seems a little bit strange [to have broken up] and I must admit, even at the time I was one of the more reluctant ones to end it as I didn’t have a plan B.”

“It wasn’t: ‘I’m going to do the Zombies or else I’m going to go and do something else.’ We had a get together and decided that probably was the end of the Zombies.”

Colin said he remembers leaving the meeting and contemplating his life on the car ride home, as he had “no idea” what to do “with the rest of his life.” He explained: “The three non-songwriters in the band, and I was one of them, were in a poor space financially after the Zombies disbanded. I got a number out of a phone book, and suddenly I was in the insurance business.”

The musician had never considered that career path but just 10 months later, music beckoned once again when Time Of The Season became a hit in the US. The complete original lineup last came together in 2004 when guitarist Paul Atkinson was honoured with the President’s Merit Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at a charity gig at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, California.

This marked his final appearance with the group as he passed away later that year. Colin remains the sole surviving founding member of the band, who gained entry to the Rock and roll Hall of Fame in 2019, and while they continue to be hugely sought after he recognises that eventually he’ll be unable to continue touring.

“Logic tells me I can’t tour forever, so it’s a new journey for me really. My old touring mate is not with me anymore, and so I have to start again. It’s very exciting, perhaps a little bit scary as well, and I have to see what kind of market is out there for me. I’d like to tour for as long as I’m physically able but you can only deal with one day at a time, can’t you.”

Colin Blunston is taking his solo show across the UK from May 7-28. Complete details and tickets are available on his website.

Have you joined Threads? Follow Daily Star to keep up to date on all things showbiz here

Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter