07 Sep 2023
Legendary drummer Steve Rodford has become the second member of the British psychedelic pop group The Zombies to show his support for the St Albans Cathedral Choristers.
This Saturday St Albans resident Steve will be stepping up to draw a much awaited raffle of The Zombies personalised merchandise at Empire Records in Heritage Close.
Funds from the raffle have helped support the choir’s tour to Italy earlier this summer with all personalised merchandise prizes donated by Zombies founder Rod Argent, who was a former St Albans Cathedral Chorister.
Empire Records was keen to get behind the fundraiser and have been busy selling tickets to win donated signed Zombies vinyl, t-shirts, CDs and more.
Steve, the son of the late Jim Rodford, bassist for the Zombies and the Kinks, will make the draw at around 3pm and it is expected that both local music fans and a few of the young choristers will be there for the big moment.
Store manager Dave Burgess said: “We are delighted that Steve will be coming to the store to draw the raffle. We are hoping for one last push for tickets before Saturday”.
Rod Argent, who was born in St Albans, was a chorister from 1956 -1959 and a Cathedral choir Lay Clerk until 1962.
In addition to donating merchandise, he wrote a note to the boys choir prior to their tour to Italy.
“I just wanted to wish all the boys in the choir all the best for the forthcoming tour in Italy,” he said. “When I look back at my own time in the choir in the ’50s and ’60s both as a boy and a lay clerk, I realise just how much it gave me – a daily natural familiarity with more than 400 years of some of the best music ever written.”
Cathedral Master of Music, Andrew Lucas, was very thankful for this unexpected support from Steve and Rod. The raffle has helped boost the fundraising necessary to take the choir to Italy.
The Zombies performed in Harpenden earlier this year , playing songs from the new album ‘Different Game’ and a selection of their famous hits including ‘She’s Not There ‘and ‘Time of the Season’.
